Monty in Jakarta with Masters on his mind
Monty in Jakarta with Masters on his mind
Reuters, London
Britain's Colin Montgomerie is under pressure to win this week's Indonesian Open in Jakarta to make virtually certain he avoids missing the U.S. Masters for the first time since 1991.
The seven-time European number one, 54th in the official world rankings, needs to move back into the top 50 by March 28 to book a place in the field at Augusta National in Georgia next month.
"A win in Indonesia would mean that, in all likelihood, he would make the top 50," world rankings organizer Ian Barker, of Official World Golf Ranking, told Reuters on Monday.
"A second-place finish might give him a chance, but it is very dependent on the Players' Championship results in the U.S. this week.
"The Players is huge with 80 points available for the winner, which is behind only the major championships in terms of ranking points available," Barker added.
The prestigious Players' Championship, widely regarded as the sport's fifth major, starts on Thursday at the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass in Florida.
Montgomerie, who has played in every Masters since 1992 with a best finish of joint eighth in 1998, came close to qualifying for the year's first major in China last week.
The 41-year-old Scot needed to win the European Tour- sanctioned TCL Classic to return to the world top's 50 but, after sharing the lead going into the final round, he slipped back to sixth place.
Montgomerie, who holed the winning putt for Europe at last year's Ryder Cup, heads the field this week at Jakarta's Cengkareng Golf Club where he will be bidding for a 29th European Tour title.
"I'm looking forward to playing in Indonesia as I've heard many exciting things about golf in the country."
Montgomerie's biggest rivals are likely to be Ryder Cup team mate Paul McGinley of Ireland and Asian number one Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand.
The U.S. Masters takes place at Augusta from April 7-10.
In Phoenix, Arizona, Annika Sorenstam goes into this week's Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first of the year's four women's majors, high on confidence after retaining her Safeway International title on Sunday.
The world number one edged out Mexico's Lorena Ochoa in a playoff at Superstition Mountain to clinch the 58th title of her career, her fourth in a row on the LPGA Tour and her second this year.
"I've had a great start to the season and this is certainly a great build-up for a major," said the 34-year-old Swede, who won consecutive Nabisco titles in 2001 and 2002.
"Majors are the goal and I think it is possible to win four in one year. It's never been done but I always set myself high targets.
"It was my goal last year and I lost a little momentum when I didn't win Nabisco."
Sorenstam was bitterly disappointed when she fell at that first hurdle. She went on to win just one major last year, the LPGA Championship, to lift her career tally to seven.
"But now I'm ready for a big week," she added. "I love the Mission Hills course and just can't wait to get there.
"I know I'm putting myself under a lot of pressure (eyeing a calendar grand slam this year), but that's the way I like it."
Few would disagree with a player who has totally dominated women's golf over the last four years and shows no sign of slowing down.