Monty hoping for Ryder Cup miracle

Barring a total miracle today Colin Montgomerie will now need a wildcard to be part of Europe’s bid to retain the Ryder Cup next month.

Montgomerie came into the event requiring a top-nine finish to have any chance of grabbing one of the 10 automatic places following next week’s race-ending BMW International Open in Munich.

But after a third round 75 including a double bogey seven on the 16th and four bogeys, the 40-year-old Scot – almost certain of a wildcard, it is thought, in a side lacking experience – finished the day down in joint 49th place on five over par.

That is 16 strokes adrift of American wildcard Stewart Cink who, in the separate race for the first prize, chipped in at the last for a 68 and five-stroke advantage over cup team-mates Tiger Woods, Chris DiMarco and David Toms.

As for Dubliner Paul McGinley, currently in the 10th and last automatic place in the points battle, he finished four over and joint 45th. He has to climb nearly 20 places to overtake ninth-placed Ian Poulter, who did not qualify for the Akron event.

Vijay Singh is joint 36th and Ernie Els, for whom a top-three finish could have taken him to the top of the rankings, is alongside Padraig Harrington in joint 72nd out of 75 players.

Five players are certain of their European places already – Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Darren Clarke, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Westwood – and Thomas Levet and Paul Casey have moved closer to joining them.