Coltart struggles in the Forest

A week that promised so much turned sour for former Ryder Cup Scot Andrew Coltart today when he slumped to an 81 – a round that included a two-stroke penalty for hitting himself.

Coltart was lying joint second in the Daily Telegraph Damovo British Masters after an opening 67 at the Forest of Arden, but when he followed that up with a 77 he survived the halfway cut with nothing to spare.

And things got worse for the 33-year-old in this morning’s rain when he fell 19 strokes behind overnight leader Patrik Sjoland.

The penalty shots came on the 422-yard 11th, where in a repeat of the incident that cost Jeff Maggert the lead in the final round of the Masters last year, he was bunkered and could not get out of the way of the ball as it came back at him.

The hole cost Coltart, without a top-40 finish all season, a quadruple bogey eight and with double bogeys as well on the eighth and 18th, both par threes, he finished the day nine over par.

Ian Poulter, who in the same event a year ago fired a course record-equalling 63 in the third round and finished second to Greg Owen, again had to try to make a move from the same level par position.

It was less spectacular this time, but in the difficult conditions an outward 35 and then a birdie at the 10th did improve the Ryder Cup hopeful’s position at two under.

Best of the early starters, though, was Scot Steven O’Hara, who turned in 33 to stand three under, while pre-tournament favourite Darren Clarke, disappointed with his 73 yesterday, birdied the third and fourth, but bogeyed the next to be two under.

British amateur champion Gary Wolstenholme, in a rare chance to play on the European Tour, was another to make the cut on the limit of level par, but after a double bogey six at the ninth and seven on the long 12th he fell to four over.

Defending champion Owen, troubled by a trapped nerve in his back recently, also took seven there and was down on six over with three to play.