Monty to visit specialist

Colin Montgomerie’s tune-up for the final major of the season went horribly wrong at Gleneagles when he retired injured after only 13 holes.

What Montgomerie called “one of the worst shots I’ve ever hit” left him with three bruised and swollen fingers.

Now the worry is that the 42-year-old, runner-up in the Open last month, has only six days before the start of the USPGA championship.

As the battle for the Johnnie Walker Championship went on without him – and without Ryder Cup teammate David Howell – Montgomerie headed back to London to see a hand specialist.

“I couldn’t feel the club at all, but hopefully it’s just heavily bruised,” said the Scottish star, who had hoped to be flying to New Jersey as European number one for the first time in six years.

A top two finish at Gleneagles was needed for that, but Montgomerie had played only eight of the 72 holes when the incident happened.

From the middle of the fairway on the long 18th – his ninth – his grip slipped as he went with a driver into the wind.

He took a big divot and the ball squirted out right into rough only about 80 yards away. Montgomerie put it at 30 yards himself, but rather than being concerned how far it went he was feeling some tingling in his right hand and that became much worse after he thrashed at the ball with his next shot.

“All three middle fingers are bruised and swollen,” he said. “I got some ice and took some painkillers, but there was no way I could grip it at all.

“I’m sorry, but hopefully everyone understands I cannot play if I’m not physically fit.”

He had fallen to five over par when he decided that it was simply not worth the risk of aggravating the injury by continuing. Especially with such a big week coming up.

The specialist who it was arranged for him to see is the same one who treated him two summers ago when he had to pull out of the Open at Sandwich after a fall at his hotel.

Howell, who had been due to partner Montgomerie in the first two rounds, scratched on Wednesday night after further discomfort with the abdominal muscle he tore at the US Open in June.

Second on the Order of Merit himself at the time, Howell has not played since and is also now doubtful for next week.

Australian Richard Green was left as the highest-ranked player in the tournament – he is 50th in the world – but was only two over par after six holes.

Swede Mattias Eliasson led at three under after five, while in the clubhouse on two under were Scot Ross Drummond, England’s Jonathan Lomas and David Lynn, Italian Emanuele Canonica and Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts.