Montgomerie 'too tired' to play

Golf

Colin Montgomerie, who won his third successive Volvo Order of Merit title on Sunday, has withdrawn from this week's pounds 1.1m Sarazen World Open. The Scot was to have played with the defending champion, Ernie Els, and the Open champion, John Daly, on Thursday.

Montgomerie secured the Volvo title by a single shot from Sam Torrance only a week after the pair, with Andrew Coltart, helped Scotland to win the Alfred Dunhill Cup for the first time. Torrance will now take his place for the Sarazen event in Braselton, Georgia.

"Unfortunately, the last few weeks have taken their toll and whilst I am obviously delighted to have won the European Order of Merit, it has left me absolutely exhausted, both mentally and physically," Montgomerie said.

Montgomerie, who finished second to Germany's Alexander Cejka in the European Tour's season-ending Volvo Masters at Valderrama on Sunday, earned a record pounds 835,000 this year.

The Sarazen tournament's director, Lon Fellenz, was disappointed at Montgomerie's decision. "I'm disappointed because he would have been a big addition to the field and it would have been nice for Atlanta to see a player of his calibre," Fellenz said.

The winners of the four majors and all national opens in the two-year period ending with the Open were invited to the PGA European Tour approved Sarazen event. Els, Daly and Torrance head the field along with Mark Calcavecchia, Brad Faxon, Mark O'Meara, Lee Janzen, Craig Stadler and Fuzzy Zoeller, from the American tour.

n Greg Norman, three times a winner on the US Tour this season, has won his first PGA Player of the Year award.