Monty still searching for rise up rankings

Seven of last year’s Ryder Cup heroes are in action this week at the first European tour event of the season on British soil.

And two of them know all about winning at the Forest of Arden, where the Daily Telegraph Dunlop Masters starts tomorrow.

Darren Clarke lifted the English Open title on the Warwickshire course in 2000 and 2002 and Colin Montgomerie won the same event back in 1994 and the British Masters in 1998.

The 41-year-old Scot, who also lost a play-off to Philip Walton in 1995, has the same goal this month as he had for January, February, March and April – to try to get back into the top 50 so he can start playing majors again.

Last September brought one of his finest moments when he sank the putt which gave Europe yet another victory over the Americans and was the toast of his record-breaking team.

But Montgomerie ended the year – a year he will also always remember for the break-up of his marriage – 81st in the world and come this spring was on the outside looking in when the Masters was held at Augusta.

Many felt his early-season string of top-10 finishes around the world should have earned him a special invitation from the powers that be, but it did not come and as things stand he is not in next month’s US Open yet either.

For that he has to either climb back into the leading 50 by May 30 – that is after the BMW Championship at Wentworth – or play the 36-hole qualifier at Walton Heath on June 6.

The good news for him on that score is that not every European tour player who needs to qualify has entered and there will only be about 70 competing. But the bad news is that the number of players to go through to Pinehurst will be reduced as a result to fewer than a dozen.

Clarke, as the world’s number 14, does not have to worry about such things. But on the Ulsterman’s mind will be the need to turn some spectacular play this year into a victory.

In eight starts on the US Tour the 36-year-old has had finishes of sixth, third, eighth, second and fourth, earning almost £700,000 in the process.

But that second place in the MCI Heritage last month came after he led by six at halfway and was level on the final hole, where he lost a ball and double-bogeyed.

The other Ryder Cup men in the field are Lee Westwood, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Paul McGinley and David Howell.

All bar McGinley have been competing in America as well, Howell even leading the Masters on his debut there and Poulter reaching the semi-finals of the Accenture world match play.

Casey’s form has been a worry, but he made a trip to China in March and beat McGinley in a play-off.