Monty suffers from crowd and Stadler

Welcome to America, Monty. Now go home.

Colin Montgomerie, the golfer Americans love to hate, had a stressful opening round in the Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship on Wednesday. No. 6 on the Official World Golf Ranking, Montgomerie was quickly dismissed by local favourite Craig Stadler, who won 5 and 3 at La Costa.

Stadler got on Montgomerie early, going 4-up after eight holes. As it became clear on the backside that Montgomerie's round could end on any hole, a few spectators let him have it.

Even Stadler admitted that "I might have angered him a few times."

When Montgomerie missed a short putt on No. 13, someone in the stands clapped. Before Montgomerie's second shot on 15, someone yelled, "You've got one shot left!"

"That wasn't exactly sporting like, and I might have given him a longer and deeper glare than Monty did," Stadler said.

But the fan wasn't far off base. Two shots later, the Scotsman conceded to Stadler, who's in this $5 million tournament thanks to his third-place finish at Pebble Beach, which vaulted him from 70th to 59th in the world rankings.

Montgomerie's drive on 15 landed in the rough, and his second shot clattered through some tree branches and landed well short of the green.

"The crowd refrained from cheering ... despite his personality," said an elderly gentleman in the gallery. Monty didn't hear that one, or numerous other taunts. If he had, his face really would have been red.

Stadler said his second shot on 15 was "my best shot all day. He drove it in the left rough and was just dead. I had about 128 yards or so and just hit a little 9-iron in there about six feet. It was time to step it up and just kind of say goodbye."

Montgomerie's chip shot landed 20 feet beyond the hole and he conceded the hole and the match, shaking Stadler's hand and walking off.

Stadler went 5-up when Montgomerie melted down on the par-4 10th hole, hitting his second shot out of a trap and into the rough behind the hole. Stadler, meanwhile, was on in 2.

On the par-4 13th, Montgomerie wasn't pleased that Stadler wouldn't concede the short putt, and the hole was halved.

"Andy North told me afterward that he gave me a good little glare on 13," Stadler said.

"But you know, if it's to stay in the match and he has got four feet, I am not going to give it to him. He can glare all he wants. It wasn't because it was him or anybody else. I won't give it to anybody else. Doesn't bother me. "There's no love lost in match play." Though if truth be told the putt wasn't much over 18 inches.

Montgomerie followed with his only birdie, making a 35-foot chip on the par-3 14th to stave off elimination.

Stadler was asked how the gallery would react for Sunday's 36-hole championship match, worth $1 million to the winner.

"I don't think it will be a problem. From what I read, there is only one guy that the fans get on, and he's gone."