Monty set for another challenge

For a man who threatened not to play the Ryder Cup because of its five rounds in three days, Colin Montgomerie faces something even more physically daunting this week.

For the first time since 1998 Montgomerie does not have the luxury of a first round bye in the Cisco World Match Play Championship at Wentworth.

So to take the €396,000 title on Sunday the 39-year-old Scot will have to play eight rounds in four days – over a West Course that after the recent downpours will be a longer slog than normal.

But there is a way to reduce the workload. Thrash your opponents. If Montgomerie can reproduce the form he showed against the United States at The Belfry, he might just do that – starting with American Fred Funk tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Padraig Harrington, beaten in last year’s memorable final, meets Canadian Mike Weir, with the winner to face Sergio Garcia.

Praised to the sky by captain Sam Torrance by the example he set, Montgomerie emerged as the week’s top scorer with four-and-a-half points out of five and still seemed to be flying when he scored a closing 63 in the Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews two weeks ago.

But, having gone from Scotland to Paris for the Lancome Trophy, Montgomerie is now into his sixth straight week of competition and the danger must be that as he continues his search for a first solo success since August last year, it could take its toll.

Winner of the title in 1999, when he beat Notah Begay, Padraig Harrington and Mark O’Meara, and back on the course where he has also lifted three Volvo PGA championships, Montgomerie will be a strong favourite against Funk.

The American is without a US Tour win for four years, although he was fourth in the US PGA Championship in August and joint runner-up in the NEC World Championship in Seattle the following week.

If seventh seed Montgomerie survives that hurdle he will face somebody he has tackled many times in the past.

Waiting in the wings is three-time champion Ernie Els, who beat him in the 1994 final and also twice pushed him into second place at the US Open.

Els has had his mind on other things for the past 10 days after quitting the Dunhill event to be with his wife Liezl for the birth of their second child Ben.

He only just made it in time after being woken up in Scotland to be told she had gone into labour at their Wentworth home.

The opening clash sees Nick Faldo take on New Zealander Michael Campbell for the right to play defending champion Ian Woosnam and 22-year-old Justin Rose must beat Vijay Singh if he is to play Retief Goosen in the quarter-finals.