Monty loses again
Colin Montgomerie, who has lost only three of his last 22 Ryder Cup games, this afternoon suffered his third defeat in three matches at this week’s Seve Trophy in Ireland.
Nick Faldo’s Britain and Ireland seemed to be mounting a stirring fightback at The Heritage after falling three points behind in the morning greensomes, taking the lead in all four foursomes.
But from one up with nine holes to play Montgomerie, left out of the first session of the day, and Graeme Storm lost four holes in a row to Swede Robert Karlsson and Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano.
They went down to a three-and-two defeat, making it 9 1/2-5 1/2 to Continental Europe.
The pair’s sudden woes were summed up on the 473-yard 13th. As the rain lashed down French Open champion Storm hit a superb approach to within five feet of the flag, but Karlsson then holed from 20 feet and Montgomerie dribbled his effort wide.
Seve Ballesteros’ side looked as if they might turn the tables in the top game too when unbeaten French pair Raphael Jacquelin and Gregory Havret won the 11th and 12th to go in front against Justin Rose and Nick Dougherty.
But the English duo, having just had three bogeys in succession, levelled when their opponent ran up a six on the long 14th and Rose then chipped in at the 16th.
Faldo, who sat out Scot Marc Warren from the whole day’s play and omitted his second highest-ranked player Paul Casey from the foursomes, received more good news from the bottom two games.
Simon Dyson and Oliver Wilson were four up with five to play on Swede Peter Hanson and Dane Soren Hansen, who had beaten them with a 30-foot putt from Hansen on the final green in the morning.
And unbeaten Phillip Archer and Bradley Dredge stood two up after 12 on Austrian Markus Brier, also yet to taste defeat, and Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Fernandez-Castano had not expected to be playing at the start of the day and he was looking forward to catching up on some lost sleep after a crying baby led to him changing hotel rooms at 1.45am.
But he was called by captain Seve Ballesteros at 6am to be told that Thomas Bjorn was out with a stomach upset.
Britain and Ireland took only half a point from the session, but although that came from Archer and Dredge they wanted double that when they stood two up with two to play on Brier and Finn Mikko Ilonen.
However, Ilonen holed from 30 feet on the 17th and Brier did the same on the last.
