Injury forces Monty out

Title favourite Colin Montgomerie pulled out of the Johnnie Walker Championship with a hand injury after 13 holes at Gleneagles today.

Needing a top-two finish to lead the European Order of Merit for the first time in six years Montgomerie suffered the problem as he came to the midway point in his opening round.

From the middle of the fairway at the long 18th – his ninth – Montgomerie went with a driver for his second shot, but carved it into thick rough only about 80 yards away and in thrashing out of there he jarred his right hand.

He spent the rest of the hole examining his fingers and on the second tee called for an ice pack.

The 42-year-old Scot was already three over par by then, however, and after bogeying the third and fourth he decided it was best to withdraw a week before the US PGA Championship in New Jersey.

His decision followed the scratching of Ryder Cup team-mate David Howell, the second highest-ranked player in the field, on the eve of the event.

After playing the curtain-raising pro-am – and actually winning the team prize - Howell decided he needed to further rest the abdominal muscle he tore during the US Open in June. He is now a doubt for next week’s event too.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire’s Ben Mason took the early lead on two under par.