Monty laments 'one too many'

A visibly upset Colin Montgomerie felt he had not quite done enough when he finished the Open championship qualifier at Sunningdale today with a six under par total of 137.

The seven-time European number one, disturbed by somebody in the crowd midway through his second round and again at the last, missed a 10-foot birdie putt and said: “I think it’s one too many.”

He faced a three-hour wait, however, to see if he was among the 17 players from the star-studded 120-strong field who made it into the starting line-up at Royal Troon – his home club – in two weeks’ time.

Montgomerie was among the early finishers, but there were already four ahead of him – Ryder Cup team-mate Paul McGinley, England’s Kenneth Ferrie and Simon Wakefield and Scot Euan Little.

Ian Woosnam had definitely missed out on three under and to maintain his record of playing every Open since 1981 he has to grab one of the three exempt spots on offer at this week’s European Open at the K Club near Dublin or the one remaining one at next week’s Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

It also looked bleak for Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer after his opening three over par 75, but Justin Rose had opened with a six under par 65 on the New Course and was lying second at halfway.

Jose Maria Olazabal was four under teeing off again, but Jesper Parnevik only two.