Montgomerie: New start

Related links

News

• Lawrie revels in maiden win
• Lawrie lands Spanish crown
• Three-shot lead for Garrido
• Garrido shines in Seville
• Critics spurred on Clarke
• Open de Espana: Six to watch

Also see

• EuroTour Schedule
• World Rankings
• Golf live on Sky Sports

Back from his honeymoon, Colin Montgomerie returns to action at this week's Open de Espana hoping for what he calls a "new start".

European Tour stats package

The Scot got married for a second time in the days after being forced to sit out and watch The Masters as a spectator, but now resumes the business of attempting to secure a place in Europe's Ryder Cup team.

Montgomerie made no secret of his disappointment at missing out on the season's first major, only the second time in 17 years that he has failed to tee it up at Augusta.

Although he was publicly critical of an invitation criteria he insisted was based purely on the opportunity to gain television rights, the reality was that a sub-standard season to date cost Monty his chance to compete at Augusta National.

Having won the World Cup with Marc Warren last November, 2008 started in positive fashion as he finished sixth in Qatar and recorded another top ten at the WGC-World Match Play in Arizona.

However, the Scot has gone on to miss cuts in both India and America since and now finds himself down to 74th in the world rankings.

The good news is that he qualifies for the next two majors by right thanks to his 12th place finish on the Order of Merit last year, thus uppermost on his mind in coming weeks will be the race for Ryder Cup points.

Ryder points

The 44-year-old currently stands outside the top 30 in the European rankings and faces a real battle if he is to retain his place under Nick Faldo.

Revitalised and refreshed, he will hope he can give his bid a boost in Seville this week at an Open de Espana that boasts the likes of John Daly, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Darren Clarke in its field.

Clarke gave his own Ryder Cup hopes a real shot in the arm last week as he clinched his first European Tour title in some five years at the BMW Asian Open.

The 39-year-old now believes he has turned the corner and, like Montgomerie, still feels there is plenty of good golf, and tournament wins, left in him.

"I just want to keep playing the way I have been," the Ulsterman stated. "I think there is a lot of good golf in me yet and, as frustrating a time as it has been, it is nice to see the work paying off.

"Hopefully I will put myself in a position to challenge for tournaments a lot more frequently. Whether I win them or not is another matter.

"If anything, my win has given me renewed vigour to carry on and keep working because I want more of this."