Monty struts his stuff at St Andrews

Even from a distance Paul Casey could see Colin Montgomerie “smiling and strutting” at St Andrews today. And with every reason.

Montgomerie, back at the Home of Golf two months after finishing runner-up to Tiger Woods in the Open, defied gusts of nearly 35mph to score an absolutely brilliant 65 in the second round of the Dunhill Links Championship.

The average score of the day was approaching 73.5 and the seven-time European number one – now in with a chance of winning that crown for an eighth time - reckoned that made it the “best I’ve ever done” against the rest of the field.

Already the holder of course records at Carnoustie and Muirfield, Montgomerie’s effort equals the lowest achieved at St Andrews since it was lengthened considerably.

The lowest-ever recorded is 62, but never in conditions like these.

Not surprisingly, the 42-year-old Scot leads at the halfway stage – by one from England’s Kenneth Ferrie – and if he is still in front come Sunday night then he will be back in the world’s top 20.

Montgomerie, whose partner in the celebrity pro-am this week is Hollywood star Michael Douglas, began the year 81st and with many people wondering if he was a fading force.

He did not even qualify for the Masters in April, but the Open brought him right back into centre stage and victory now would complete a stunning comeback.

Amazingly, after six holes he was already six under par, collecting birdies at the first three, rolling in a 45-foot eagle putt from just off the fifth green and then birdieing the next.

But with the tough inward half to come Montgomerie had no thoughts of getting to that 62 mark. He was happy enough to par 11 of the remaining 12 and post another birdie at the long 14th.

He was in danger of dropping a shot at the treacherous Road Hole 17th, where his approach went over the green and onto the path. But a 15-footer salvaged his four.

For years Montgomerie’s association with the Old Course harped back to defeats he suffered in the Dunhill Cup to Paraguay’s Raul Fretes, Indian Gaurav Ghei and China’s Zhang Lian-wei.

“Sports editors really enjoyed making up headlines, so I’m glad to be able to overcome that,” he commented.

He admitted that a year ago, following the break-up of his marriage and his slide down the world rankings, he feared there would not be days like this again.

“A 65 with no bogeys in these conditions is as good as I have done, though.

“I used to make mental errors here, but at the Open I was beginning to put the ball in the right places and right now I am very comfortable playing here in any condition – from the first shot to the last shot.

“So is my caddie. We can play chess with this course.”

The wind was such that balls were oscillating on the exposed greens and Casey, himself joint fifth after a 70, even asked a referee whether play might be suspended after seeing one blown off its original spot.

Montgomerie will go second on the Order of Merit by collecting the first prize of almost £450,000 and with current top three Michael Campbell, Retief Goosen and Angel Cabrera not playing this week it will set up a gripping last month to that race.

The equivalent number of Ryder Cup points on offer would take him top of that table, meanwhile, and he stated: “You know how much I would like to play at least one more time.”

Ferrie, who at the start of July pushed Montgomerie into second place in the European Open at the K Club near Dublin (the Ryder Cup venue next September), has still to play St Andrews.

His 68 at Carnoustie followed the same score at Kingsbarns and the 27-year-old from Northumberland, who just missed out on a place in Montgomerie’s Seve Trophy team last week and did not receive a wild card from him, picked up six birdies.

Joint third on seven under are Swede Pierre Fulke, a member of the 2002 Ryder Cup team, and big-hitting Argentinian Ricardo Gonzalez. One further back are Casey and Australian Brett Rumford.

The three first-round leaders all struggled at St Andrews and fell back. Italian Alessandro Tadini is now in a tie for seventh after a 72, American Rich Beem a 73 and, most surprising of all, David Howell a 74.

Sam Torrance, the 52-year-old whose 68 at St Andrews was the best opening-day score there, managed only a 74 at Kingsbarns.

In the team section Beem and American businessman John Tyson lead on 17 under by one. Olympic gold medal winner Jonathan Edwards, playing with Ferrie, is joint third with Anders Hansen and Peter Schmeichel, Barry Lane and his wife Camilla and Italian Francesco Molinari and his brother Edoardo, winner a month ago of the American amateur title.