COLIN Montgomerie yesterday signed for 74, six shots behind Gregory Havret, the first round leader of the £1.4 million Johnnie Walker Championship, but contended he's still very much in the mix at Gleneagles.
Needing a strong performance on the PGA Centenary to convince Nick Faldo, Europe's Ryder Cup captain, to consider him for a wild card in next month's match against the USA at Valhalla, Monty raised spirits when he finished off with a birdie.
"The conditions were difficult in the afternoon and I played OK" he said. "It was hard to get the ball close, the greens were soft and it was difficult to score. But one over par is by no means out of this tournament. It's always nice to finish off with a birdie. I'll start again in the morning and see what I can do."
Darren Clarke did a grand job of maintaining the pressure on Faldo for a pick by posting 72 and playing some decent golf in tricky conditions.
Oliver Wilson, in the tenth and last automatic qualifying spot entering the week and under threat from Martin Kaymer, Ross Fisher and Nick Dougherty, had a 76, but so did Kaymer after losing a ball at the 320-yard 14th and taking six there. Fisher did better with a 72, but he has to finish third to have a chance. "Must do better," Wilson said. "I don't think I've blown myself out of it. I could have done, but I didn't."
Dougherty, whose mother Ennis died earlier this year, also showed the kind of battling qualities he believes would have pleased his late parent as he signed for 73. "My mum always wanted me to play in the Ryder Cup," he said, "so what better thing for me to try and achieve than what she hoped for me."
After finishing eighth at the KLM Open on Sunday as well as fourth at the SAS Masters, Gary Orr came into the Johnnie Walker as the form Scot. The Helensburgh golfer kept up the good work by carding 70, two under, for a share of second place.
Coached by Adam Hunter, Orr felt his game was solid from tee to green and encouraging on dodgy putting surfaces where he holed a few putts. On a day when the PGA Centenary greens attracted widespread comment, Orr was philosophical. "They're bumpy and there are a lot of foot marks on them because they're so soft," he reported. "You're going to get a few funny ones, but you've just got to put it out of your mind."
Having been troubled by back pain in the recent past, Orr now spends a minimum of 20 minutes after each round doing pilates. Marc Warren, the defending champion, and Peter Whiteford, both on 73, were the other Scots who matched par.
On a course playing long because of heavy rain with soft, bumpy greens, 14 of the 78 morning starters signed for scores of 80 or higher. In such challenging circumstances, Havret's 68 was all the more remarkable. The Frenchman, who won the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond in 2007, first visited the home of golf in 1993 for a junior event.
"I came to play in a world schools championship at Gleneagles 15 years ago," he recalled. "That was my first time here. I don't know what it is about Scotland that suits me so well. Maybe it's the oxygen or the whisky. It's tough to tell. But, for sure, I feel good here."
On a day when no golfer escaped without dropping a shot, Havret overcame a bogey at the first to make six birdies and sign for five under. It was the Frenchman's first tournament after finishing in the top 20 at the Open. "After a nice run," he said, "I felt like I needed a break and took five weeks off to enjoy the summer in France with my family."
With a two-year-old daughter, Jeanne, Havret strives to strike a balance between work and family. "You need time for normal things like afternoons on the beach with the little one," he added. His family have a house in La Rochelle, and there's a links course he plays nearby.
Andrew Oldcorn, who recently underwent eye surgery, only completed six holes before retiring after complaining he couldn't focus properly.
The full article contains 735 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
