Cejka storms into Deutsche Bank lead

Colin Montgomerie’s obvious misery was a world away from the golf produced by German Alex Cejka in Heidelberg today.

While Montgomerie slumped to one of the worst performances of his career and headed out of the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open, Cejka charged into a clear lead after bursting to the turn in a mere 30 strokes.

When the Czech-born player – his father escaped to the West with him when he was nine – added another birdie at the long first he was seven under for the day, 10 under par overall and three in front of a group that included defending champion Padraig Harrington and England’s David Howell.

Montgomerie, on the other hand, was seven over par and down near the rear of the 156-strong field.

A sorry start was a sign of things to come. After finishing his opening 75 with a double bogey, the 40-year-old resumed by instantly dropping two more strokes.

And it appeared to so affect Montgomerie that his sports psychologist and friend Hugh Mantle – fully aware, of course, of the turmoil in the Ryder Cup star’s private life caused by his marriage break-up – felt the need to put an arm round him and give him a pat of encouragement.

After missing his bogey putt Montgomerie immediately headed off away from the green.

It looked at first as if it might be to confront a press photographer who had twice clicked at the wrong moment as playing partner Retief Goosen was playing. But all the Scot wanted was his own space and some seconds of solitude.

Mantle joined him, then left him to it.

His opening drive had finished in the face of a bunker, his next shot finished in thick rough only 30 yards away and his third not only did not make the green, but also went in the rough.

He had double-bogeyed the same 10th hole in the first round and he did so again after chipping 10 feet past.

Montgomerie managed to par the next, but his mind did not seem to be fully on the job in hand as he then teed off out of turn – ahead of Goosen – at the long 12th.

He birdied the hole, but then came another double bogey at the 15th when he drove into rough and went from there into sand.

A missed cut almost certainly means that he dropped out of the world’s top 50 and therefore failed to earn an exemption for the Open at his home club Royal Troon in July.

He does not have a place in next month’s US Open at the moment either.

It also meant an earlier than expected drive home – he chose not to fly – from the course where two years ago he lost a play-off to Tiger Woods.

Cejka was lying joint second to Justin Rose at the halfway stage of the US Masters last month but, while Rose then crashed to an 81, Cejka managed only a 78 himself and finished 26th.

He was fourth in the US PGA championship last August, however, and to the relief of Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer is one of the US Tour players who have committed themselves to 12 European Tour events and is therefore eligible.

Harrington, a certainty for September’s team, turned in 33 playing with Montgomerie and then birdied the first and third – both par fives – to join Howell, South African Trevor Immelman, France’s Gregory Havret and German Marcel Siem – in a tie for second spot.

Darren Clarke was only one shot further back, as was Open champion Ben Curtis in one of his best displays since Sandwich last year.

Lee Westwood, though, double-bogeyed the fourth and dropped to level par, the likely cut mark.