Montgomerie off to fast start with 64

Two eagles helped Colin Montgomerie soar to the top of the leaderboard on the first day of the British Masters at Woburn

Europe’s number one for the last seven years – over a stone lighter than this time last month – clearly enjoyed his new fitness as he shot an eight-under-par 64. He reached the turn with a five-under-par 33. Starting on the 10th, the Scot holed a bunker shot on his opening hole for a three at the 505-yard par 5.

He then struck a superb two-iron to within six feet of the flag at the 514-yard 18th, which he then holed for another eagle. With two birdies and a bogey in between, it was a great start for Montgomerie in the £800,000 event.

The 37-year-old was naturally delighted with his game, explaining that a lot was down to getting off to a good start.

“I started off very well and I’m one of these sorts of players where if I start well, it all rolls,” he beamed. “I made an eagle out of the bunker and thought ‘well, that’s okay’ and then made another birdie and all of a sudden I was three-under after four. I was away then.

“I put plenty of balls on the green to give myself a chance of birdie and some went in while some went short, but I was just pleased to give myself a chance.

“I drove straight and long which suits the course here because it is very tight and because of that I don’t see the trouble that some people see.”

Montgomerie also explained his decision to play in the tournament less than a week before the start of the US PGA Championship in Kentucky.

 

Colin Montgomerie discusses a shot on the 16th with his caddy. Allsport.

“Some people have gone over early and that is fair enough. Good luck to them. But I want competition, I need competition before I go. I did it before the Open and I was competitive – I was leading with two holes to go – and although the Open didn’t work out it is the way I like to do things.

“I’m also staying at home this week. Although it’s a long drive it’s been fine. I put the music on and relax. I get an hour to myself in the car. I left at 5.30am this morning so I’m sorry for waking the family, but it’s been great.”

Closest challengers to Montgomerie were Swede Mathias Gronberg and Zimbabwe's Mark McNulty. Gronberg celebrated his late call-up to next week's US PGA Championship in Kentucky with five birdies to match Montgomerie's back nine but then bogeyed the first.

He pulled that shot back three holes later but parred the remaining five for a 67.

McNulty, 46, got off to a flier with four birdies in his first five holes and then another three holes later. A birdie at the 9th then saw him move within a shot of Montgomerie and finish with a fine 65.

McNulty has completely redesigned his swing in the last nine months after visiting coach David Leadbetter and realising just what bad shape his swing was in.

"We looked at a video of my swing in 1997 and how it is now," said the 46-year-old Zimbabwean, European number two in 1987 and 1990. "I felt like getting a bucket out and vomiting.

"I was taking my swing into no-man's-land. We worked on it for 10 or 12 hours and it feels like a completely brand new swing.

"I might shoot 75 in the next round but it won't bother me because I'm back on the right track again. I'm not going to sit back and look at Monty and say to myself there he goes again, I can't do anything about it."

However the early pace had been set by a familiar name that has not enjoyed much of an acquaintance with the top of leaderboards in recent years

Montgomerie’s fellow Scot Sandy Lyle, winless on the Tour since the 1992 Volvo Masters, eagled the 10th and birdied 13 and 14 to sprint to four-under after five. But his fall from the leaderboard was as swift as his rise, as he dropped a shot at the 15th before double-bogeying the 356-yard 17th.

He eventually finished with a one-under 71. Dane Thomas Bjorn, joint runner-up in last month's Open, finished with a 69, while midlander John Bickerton, Spaniard Ivo Giner and German Thomas Gogele had 68s.

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