Montgomerie flops on day two

Colin Montgomerie came to Erinvale with high hopes but after a good start to the South African Airways Open, where he carded an impressive 68, it all came crashing down on day two.

The Scot, who has set his sights on a resurgent 12 months which he hopes will include a top-10 world ranking for the first time in three years and a Ryder Cup place, scrambled to make the cut by one shot today after an horrific second round of 78.

That left him two over at the halfway stage, some nine shots behind joint leaders Craig Lile and Nico Van Rensburg of South Africa and his fellow Scotsman Alastair Forsyth.

It all started to go horribly wrong for Montgomerie on the third when he pulled the ball into deep rough, hit his second into the same rough and struggled to make a double-bogey seven.

He also bogeyed the seventh to stumble to the turn in 39 and swung his putter in frustration after leaving an eagle putt on the 13th short of the hole.

But while he reclaimed a shot with a birdie on the par-four 13th, his horror show came to a climax on the par-four 17th when he drove the ball left and out of bounds.

“I thought it was a hazard line but the hazard line was just the ditch and of course over the ditch means a lost ball so I had to go back to the tee,” Montgomerie said.

“I thought they said it was in the hazard which, yes, at one stage it was, but it cleared the hazard.”

His third shot landed on the fairway, with the fourth falling short of the green, leaving him a tricky pitch which landed some 35 feet away from the hole.

And to make matters worse, Monty then three-putted for a quadruple-bogey eight.

However, the Scot, who is trying out new clubs and a new caddy, believed without the par-fives on this course he would have been pretty well off.

“It was the par fives again that did it for me. I didn’t do bad for the other 16, but never mind,” he said.

With the wind playing a big factor in the afternoon, those who went out early, including Forsyth, were able reap the benefits of the serene conditions.

Forsyth carded a 69 to give him a share of a three-way lead as overnight front-runner Brett Rumford sagged back in the afternoon with a 74 to end on six-under, one off the pace.

With Forsyth at the top are Lile and Van Rensburg, who carded 68 and 70 respectively in a similarly quiet morning.

Forsyth, who partnered Paul Lawrie to 12th place in the World Cup in Mexico last year, made the most of the sunshine which parted the clouds this morning.

Starting on the 10th, Forsyth parred the first six holes before birdies on 16 and 17 took him to the turn in 34.

He also birdied the par-five third but felt several more chances went begging.

“It definitely could have been better,” he said. “I probably actually played better yesterday to be honest but I was never in any trouble today.

“The putt I holed from 15 feet at the last for par was about the only time I had to try and rescue myself.

“I missed a few birdie chances but from tee to green it was pretty solid. It is the type of course that if you are playing well it offers you chances.

“I didn’t take them all – I still feel the putting is a bit rusty – having not really putted for a couple of months and it is something that will take a little time. But I’m happy with the way that I am playing so I can’t really complain.”

Welshman Stephen Dodd also struggled with the conditions as he carded a 73, but his round was good enough to see him join Rumford for second place, and only one shot off the leaders.

England’s Steve Webster was not so lucky after his first round 66, slipping to a 75 to fall back to three under, but still in with a chance if he can come back in the last two rounds.

No less than 76 players of the original 156 made the three-over cut at the end of Friday’s round. Some, like Montgomerie, found it to their liking after an initial prediction of even par, as did another Scot in Lawrie.

But others like England’s Nick Dougherty, Ireland’s new citizen Mark McNulty or Welshman Mark Mouland finished just outside and will play no further role in the tournament.