COLIN Montgomerie’s miserable return to the Celtic Manor ended yesterday lunchtime with the veteran Scot blaming a hectic schedule for his dismal showing.

Eight months on from the Ryder Cup, the victorious captain slumped to a massive 15 over par – leaving him in the bottom five of the whole field.

“I’m not 25 any more, you know. I think it did show at times,” said the 47-year-old.

“It was hard work, very hard work after the US Open qualifying at Wentworth. I’ll take a day at home at least and come back down on Sunday for the Open qualifying at Sunningdale.

“I’m very busy,” he added. “You think you’re just a tournament golfer but there’s a lot more goes on behind the scenes, a hell of a lot.”

Montgomerie was not in any mood to reminisce about those glorious four days last October with trips to Holland and Italy lined up after Sunningdale on Monday.

“I would have loved to have played well here,” he said.

“I like the golf course, I do, and it’s not just because we won the Ryder Cup here, I love the golf course, I just played awful.

“It is very disappointing not to be playing at the weekend here, never mind contending.

“I’m one of the last names on the board, you know. Awful. Awful.”

Monty is now in real danger of not playing in any of the majors for the first time in more than two decades.

“It has become very important for me, qualifying at Sunningdale,” he said.

“I’ve not had a year where I have not competed in a major before, so I want to keep that.

“I’ve played in the Open 21 years in a row and I want to keep that record going.”

US star John Daly will also be heading home early after finishing on 10 over par yesterday evening. The Wild Thing started off with a triple bogey after finding a car-park on the first hole and followed up with a double bogey on the second to end any hopes he had of making the cut.

There was better luck for Scotsman George Murray who also missed the cut on six over par but at least he had a magnum of champagne to take home with him after hitting a hole in one on the 17th.

He’s the second Scot to ace the par three 211-yard hole in two days after Elliot Saltman’s effort on Thursday.