Monty having a bad day at Wales Open
After waiting six-and-a-half hours to resume his bid for the Celtic Manor Wales Open today, Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie needed little more an hour to almost certainly wreck his chances.
Heavy rain flooded fairways and bunkers on next year’s cup venue and after the third round eventually began at 2pm Montgomerie crashed from eighth to 35th in his opening five holes.
The first two were pars, but on the short third he came up short and rolled down the bank into the lake and at the 433-yard fifth he went from a fairway bunker into more water by the green.
With two double bogeys already on his card Montgomerie dropped from four under to level par, six adrift of fellow Scot Richie Ramsay.
Tour rookie Ramsay, winner of the US Amateur title three years ago, resumed with a one-shot lead, but was in rough and sand on the first and bogeyed.
England’s Ross Fisher and Robert Rock were only one behind overnight, but Fisher also bogeyed the opener and after a birdie on the par five next dropped another shot at the fourth.
Rock, meanwhile, ran up a six on the second and followed Montgomerie into the water on the next.
All that left Ramsay six under and Fisher five under along with Australian left-hander Richard Green and France’s Jean-Baptiste Gonnet.
American Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin, who had survived the cut with nothing to spare at two over, remained on the same mark after six holes.
Montgomerie, whose 46th birthday is just over a fortnight away, has not had a top 10 finish since he was runner-up in the French Open just under a year ago.
With the last group not teeing off until 4pm it was doubtful whether the round would be completed tonight.
