Montgomerie's nightmare start

Colin Montgomerie made a nightmare start to the Nedbank Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club here yesterday when he opened with a seven that became an eight after tournament officials imposed a penalty on him.

Montgomerie, who had begun the day by arguing with an official after arriving without his car-park pass, put his tee-shot at the 411-yard first hole into trees. He managed to move the ball forward and went on to record a seven. But, after the Scot had completed the round, he learned that a scorer had seen the ball move as he prepared to play his second shot.

Montgomerie left the course without comment but the tournament's chief rules official, Dennis Bruyns, explained: "The ball had landed under a bush from his tee shot in an almost unplayable condition – in fact, he [Montgomerie] even considered declaring it as such. The ball was resting against a leaf or a twig and Montgomerie was unsighted once he addressed the ball so he didn't see the ball in the bush and he took his backswing and hit and made some sort of contract with the ball. The scorer who was accompanying the group reported to us that, as Colin took his shot, the ball moved and Colin continued with the shot and hit the ball."

That constituted hitting a moving ball, Bruyns said, adding: "When we went through all the facts in the scorers' caravan, we advised Montgomerie of the incident and he said he was unsighted. He said to the scorer if he saw it move, then it must have moved." Montgomerie rallied with birdies at the 16th and 18th to finish on two-over-par 74, but that left him last in the field of 12.

Retief Goosen, the local favourite, and the American Chris DiMarco shared the lead after returning four-under-par 68s, with another American, Jim Furyk, one shot off the pace and the pre-tournament favourites, Ernie Els, and the defending champion, Sergio Garcia, two shots adrift.

NEDBANK GOLF CHALLENGE (Sun City, SA) First-round scores (Par 72): 68 C Dimarco (US), R Goosen (SA); 69 J Furyk (US); 70 E Els (SA), R Allenby (Aus), S Garcia (Sp); 71 M Campbell (NZ), N Price (Zim); 72 P Harrington (Irl), D Clarke (N Irl); 73 B Estes (US); 74 C Montgomerie (Sco).

* India's Amandeep Johl shot a six-under-par 63 to take the lead after the first round of the Hong Kong Open. Wales' Stephen Dodd opened with a 64, while Nick Faldo shot a 68. Taiwan's 13-year-old Lo Shih-kai, the youngest player to compete on the European Tour, shot a four-over-par 73.