Monty given a testing time

Colin Montgomerie’s resolve to play golf with more of a smile on his face was being severely tested as he battled to make the cut in the Wales Open.

Montgomerie believes new caddie Steve Rawlinson is just the man to keep him in the right frame of mind on the course and give his career, with his 40th birthday looming next month, some fresh momentum.

There was plenty of evidence to back up that belief in the early stages of yesterday’s first round at Celtic Manor, but when Montgomerie missed from two feet for birdie on the 18th, he was in no mood to speak to waiting reporters or sign autographs for children waiting by the recorders’ hut.

Resuming on one over par this morning, Montgomerie looked in good spirits as Sunderland fan Rawlinson unfurled a club towel to clean the Scot’s clubs, even though Montgomerie is a Leeds fan.

The former European number one then saved par with a superb bunker shot on the first, but signs of the strain to make the halfway cut were not long in showing.

Players are driven in buggies to avoid the long walk between the first green and second tee, and spectators moving behind the tee as they struggled to catch up were politely asked by Montgomerie to stand still as he prepared to hit his drive.

Having subsequently missed the fairway and wasted no time in pitching back out onto the fairway on the par five, a photographer was given shorter shrift however for not trying to get into position for the shot.

“Be ready,” admonished Montgomerie. “I’m ready so you should be, okay.”

The 39-year-old made his par on the second but rather unfortunately dropped another shot on the next, what looked an ideal drive bouncing right into a fairway bunker.

The ball came to rest under the lip and Montgomerie’s attempted recovery flew over the back of the green, the offending club flung at the bag.

After failing to get up and down, Montgomerie was two over par and 10 shots off the lead held by fellow Scot David Drysdale, but more significantly two shots outside the current predicted cut of level par.

Drysdale had picked up four birdies in his first six holes this morning to move to eight under par, one ahead of overnight leaders Nick O’Hern and Ian Poulter.