COLIN MONTGOMERIE'S sojourn to the Far East in search of a US Masters ticket was due to end ignominiously this morning.
Needing a win in the Indonesia Open to break into the world top 50 and qualify for Augusta, Montgomerie was nine shots, and 40 players, behind the leader, Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand, when play was suspended last night.
With none of the players in Jakarta's weather-disrupted tournament having completed their third rounds, there was still plenty of golf to be played but the task facing Monty, who was six under with four holes remaining, looked too great. Wiratchant was 15 under at the turn.
Irishman Paul McGinley, the other European Ryder Cup player in the field chasing a Masters exemption, was also on six under, but with nine holes to play had more opportunities to gain ground than the Scot.
Montgomerie's expected failure calls into question his decision to play in last week's TCL Classic in China, even although he was the defending champion. Needing a topthree finish to qualify for the Players Championship at Sawgrass - a sequence of events which would almost certainly have secured his Masters place - Monty finished sixth.
Had the Scot instead travelled to America for the Bay Hill Invitational, the greater world ranking points at that tournament could have been invaluable. In his only trip to the States this year, Monty finished fifth in the Nissan Open - and although only 36 holes were played because of the weather, it proved that his game was in shape for high finishes on the PGA Tour.
While Montgomerie was in China making no impression on his ranking, Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell - who, like Monty, was hovering just outside the top 50 - shot to No 38 after finishing tied second with Vijay Singh behind Kenny Perry at Bay Hill.
Having failed to break into the top 50 and qualify for the Players Championship, Montgomerie had no option but to travel to Indonesia for a tournament, which, in world terms, is insignificant. But despite the poor calibre of the field, Monty found himself struggling and made the cut with just one shot to spare.
The 41-year-old bogeyed the last hole for a secondround 69, and could make no impression on the leaders in the third round. At 15 under, leader Wiratchant was one shot clear of compatriot Thongchai Jaidee, Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts and Frankie Minoza of the Philippines.
Minoza, who won the event in 1986 and 1990, was on target for the first ever sub-60 round on the European Tour after a stunning start to his third round. A birdie at the second was followed by four more in succession from the fifth, and an eagle on the par5 ninth took him to the turn in just 29.
Two more birdies followed on the 10th and 11th and Minoza needed just two more in his last seven holes to shoot a magical 59. But a bogey on the 13th and a par on the next, left him needing birdies at three of the last four holes when the third round resumed. "This place seems to like me, " Minoza said. "The weather delays are making all of us very tired, though."
Overnight leader Wiratchant, who had opened with consecutive rounds of 63, managed just one birdie and eight pars before play was suspended.
Jaidee picked up six birdies in 11 holes to move into a share of second place.
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