Golf: Montgomerie in eagle-eyed form

COLIN MONTGOMERIE and Paul Way experienced wildly contrasting fortunes as the competition for Ryder Cup points began yesterday at the European Masters in the Swiss resort of Crans-sur-Sierre.

While the Scotsman was equalling his best previous score with a 63 to lead after the first round, the accident-prone Englishman was contemplating the journey home, having been forced to withdraw as the result of a back injury sustained when he fell from the door frame he had been swinging from in a local bar.

Out on the course Montgomerie, who was a member of Europe's Ryder Cup team in 1991, was setting a hot pace with two eagles and five birdies in a nine-under-par round.

Montgomerie made a superb start with an eagle at the first. He then produced birdie putts of 15, 25 and 10 feet to reach the turn in 31. He gained his second eagle with a 25-yard chip into the hole on the 520-yard 15th.

A 10-foot putt for birdie at the 17th put Montgomerie in sight of a personal best score, but he missed from 15-feet on the final green.

Montgomerie's playing partner and Ryder Cup team-mate, Ian Woosnam, finished four shots off the lead with a five-under-par 67 and would have been closer but for a bogey at the 18th. The Welshman said afterwards: 'The greens were bumpy and Colin's was a great score. He is a very good chipper and putter.'

Seve Ballesteros, who returned from a month's break, struggled to return a level-par 72, but his fellow Spaniard, Jose Rivero, was in excellent form, shooting a 64 to trail Montgomerie by one stroke.

CANON EUROPEAN MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP (Crans-sur-Sierre, Swit) Leading first- round score (GB or Irl unless stated): 63 C Montgomerie. 64 J Rivero (Sp). 66 C Moody, M James, P Fowler (Aus), C Van der Velde (Neth), J Sewell. 67 G Cali (It), P Smith, P Price, J M Canizares (Sp), P Mitchell, P Hall, J Spence, I Woosnam. 68 A Hare, P-U Johansson (Swe), Y Kuramoto (Jap), A Forsbrand (Swe), S Struver (Ger), J Robson, H Selby-Green, M Hallberg (Swe), E Els (SA), M Lanner (Swe), G Day (US), J Bland (SA), R Boxall, M Allen (US). 69 J Hawksworth, S Bennett, M Miller, D Silva (Por), S Luna (Sp), J Hall, T Levet (Fr), P Curry, R Lee, R Chapman, R Claydon, K Triplett (US), M Mouland, S Field, S Grappasonni (It), J M Carriles (Sp), E Romero (Arg), E Darcy, S McAllister, M Mackenzie, J Payne, M A Jimenez (Sp), B Lane, J Berendt (Arg). 70 J Hobday, G Turner (NZ), M Farry (Fr), J Rutledge (Can), S Tinning (Den), D Smyth, C Rocca (It), S Torrance, C Williams, M Roe, J Rystrom (Swe), O Eskildsen (Den), D Hospital (Sp), B Malley (US), S Hamill, G Levenson (SA), D J Russell, K Waters, J Robinson, J Haeggman (Swe), P Quirici (Swit).