GOLF/TPC Players Championship: Colin Montgomerie, who recently threatened never to return to the United States, was unfazed by the blustery condition at Sawgrass. The Scot shot a two-under-par 70 in the first round of the Players' Championship to finish two shots behind the early leaders, Jeff Sluman, Mark Calcavecchia, Robert Allenby and Brad Faxon, from David Davies, at Sawgrass
Given that 7.10 a.m. is a little early in the day for even the most ardent inebriate, it was hardly surprising that Montgomerie's latest American foray got off to a quietly circumspect start. Less than a month ago he flounced out of the Accenture matchpl ay event in California, declaring that he had been heckled once too often and had had enough of beery louts.
That resolution lasted just as long as it took to engage the brain, and this week he competes in this $6 million event in Florida. Yesterday, in front of a crowd outnumbered by officials, his fragile temper survived being announced as coming from Surrey, England, when the draw sheet clearly said Troon, Scotland, and then he played his first 11 holes in almost total silence.
By that time he was one under par, good scoring on a day that sent scores soaring, before play was brought to an abrupt halt at 10.18 a.m. by a violent storm.
So ferocious was the rain that the island green at the 17th seemed to merge with the lake that surrounds it, and even the substantial Steve Lowery, 6ft 2in, 16 stones and putting out at the time, seemed in danger of being washed away.
The 17th is, of course, one of the most notorious holes in the world and is the only one on any course anywhere that has a television camera permanently affixed during tournament time.
It shows every player playing every shot, but particularly, of course, their efforts from the tee.
Every year, depending on the strength of the wind, between 20 and 40 players find the water during the Players' Championship, despite the hole being only 121 yards from tee to the front of the green.
"Some players," says the greenkeeper Fred Klauk, "hit up to a dozen balls off the tee, determined to get one on dry land."
The known record into the water is 27 by a man called Angelo Spagnolo, who was then advised to putt his ball round the rim of the lake and up the path that leads to the green. That hole alone accounted for 66 of his eventual total of 257.
During the remainder of the year, when some 45,000 rounds are played over the course, around 150,000 balls splash down. These are retrieved, four times a year, by a team of divers; the club pays seven cents a ball and then re-sells them, so making some $10,500 out of the misfortunes of others.
Montgomerie came close to making history at the seventh, a 442-yard par four. It is the only hole on the course that has not been eagled in the 20-year history of the championship, and the Scot's second looked for a while as though it would go in, eventually leaving him with a two-foot tap-in.
But he surrendered that shot at the short eighth, missing the green, chipping 20 feet past, putting 10 feet past and holing that for the bogey. It was perfect barracking material, but fortunately the only sounds were sighs of relief.
The Scot got back under par at the 15th, where he chipped in from 20 feet, and moved to two under at the long 16th, where he missed an eagle putt of some 40 feet.
"I left it two feet short," he said afterwards, "and that's like being four feet short because you should be aiming to be two feet past the pin."
Next the 17th which, according to Montgomerie, was playing 138 yards into a swirling wind. He hit a seven-iron at least 50 feet left of the pin, with a ridge and a sharp downhill bank between him and the pin. Two putts, in the circumstances, represented a good effort and he got a good hand from the crowd.
Guardian Service
