Monty squeezes through at Open

Whatever relief Colin Montgomerie felt about surviving a halfway cut again did not have a positive effect on his game in the third round of the United States Open today.

After 12 holes the Ryder Cup Scot was in joint last place of the 68 players still alive in the second major of the season.

Olympia Fields near Chicago has only two par fives for this week’s championship, but they were both proving a pain for Montgomerie.

Bogey sixes at the 555-yard sixth had contributed to the Scot being three over par after 36 holes and, having avoided another early exit with nothing to spare, he resumed with another six.

This time he hooked his drive close to the fence that borders the railway line and, tempted though he might have been to hop over and go Downtown, he hacked the ball sideways into thick rough and then put his fourth shot into the greenside bunker.

It took a great recovery from there to limit the damage, the ball stopping only a foot from the flag.

After missing a four-foot putt on the third he bogeyed the fifth, but at least he birdied the sixth at his third attempt and so turned in a one over 37.

However, then came back-to-back bogeys at the start of the inward half – and they left him joint 64th only two days after he had been lying joint 10th with a first round 69.

At six over he was 13 strokes adrift of joint leaders Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk, who had established a new record 36-hole total for the event at 133.

Singh had also equalled the record round in major championships with his 63, but it did not come without some aggravation.

A fan was ejected after shouting out “Annika would have done better than that” on one hole.

Singh had criticised Annika Sorenstam’s appearance on the US Tour last month, saying he hoped she would miss the cut, and he has not been allowed to forget it.

His Scottish caddie Dave Renwick, back with him after leaving Lee Westwood, had responded to the fan’s taunt and that was when police officers stepped in to invite the man to leave.

Also three over par overnight was Londoner Brian Davis and for the second day running he was in the first group out.

With a wind and tricky pin placings make the course much more testing and reducing the likelihood of a repeat of Singh’s 63, Davis parred the first five holes, but then had a double bogey seven on the next.

With five to play the former Spanish Open champion, an incredible five under par after four holes on Thursday and outright leader, was four over.

There was better news from Padraig Harrington and Justin Rose, both one over overnight.

Harrington birdied the second and Rose pitched to within 18 inches of the hole at the first.