Putter pain for Monty

It is not often a golfer has successive rounds of 66, 65 and 66 and then tosses away his putter. But not many golfers are like Colin Montgomerie.

Pressing hard for a record eighth European Order of Merit title – and his first since 1999 – Montgomerie would have finished joint sixth rather than joint eighth in the Madrid Open yesterday but for failing to hole a 12-inch birdie putt on the last green.

It was the Scot’s third short miss of the day and it was the final straw. On his way to signing his scorecard the putter was tapped on a metal railing and then discarded over it.

Montgomerie continued on his way, apparently not caring what happened to the club. In the event it was picked up by someone nearby and handed back to caddie Alastair McLean, who returned it to the Ryder Cup star’s golf bag.

Whether it is still there for next week’s Volvo Masters remains to be seen, but whatever putter he uses for the season-ending showdown Montgomerie will want it to behave better.

One thing he can be sure of, though. The Valderrama surfaces will be considerably better than those at Club de Campo.

“The greens are terrible. That’s one of the reasons I putted terribly,” said the 42-year-old as he headed back to England for a week of company days.

That 18th-hole miss cost him only £5,000 (€7,300), but it could make a difference when Michael Campbell tries to deny Montgomerie the money list title.

The New Zealander, who did not play in the Spanish capital and is not competing in this week’s Majorca Classic either, now trails by just over £105,000 (€153,000) and that means he has to finish in the top five at Valderrama just to have a chance.

A win would give him the number one spot, while if the US Open winner is second Montgomerie would have to tie with him.

If Campbell is third, fourth or fifth, Montgomerie’s task is to finish eighth, 22nd or 54th respectively.

South African Retief Goosen is the only other player in the hunt, but has not yet entered for the Volvo Masters. He currently stands £224,000 (€327161) behind and needs a first or second place.

If Goosen wins, Montgomerie would have to be second, while if Goosen is runner-up Montgomerie has to be in the top seven.

After standing down in 74th place after an opening 72 last week, however, Montgomerie’s climb through the field proved to him that his ball-striking, if not his putting, is still in the groove.

First, third and eighth in his last three starts, he is all but certain now to be part of the Ryder Cup team again – even with 10 months of the race still to go.

Winner in Madrid was France’s Raphael Jacquelin, his first tour title in 238 attempts and after 27 top-10 finishes.

Jacquelin, seven ahead with a round to go, eventually triumphed by three from 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie, with Darren Clarke and Dane Anders Hansen joint third.

The Lyon golfer moves up from 60th to 35th on the Order of Merit, while Lawrie’s rise from 70th to 48th means he will be part of the Volvo Masters line-up. Only the leading 60 qualify.