Golfing News

England’s Colin Montgomerie chances of playing in this months US Masters on the weekend of 10th April 2008 look to be over as he is now outside the top 75 golfers, following the publication of the latest world rankings.

The Masters stimulate that you must be in the top 50 golfers to qualify for the Augusta event or you will have had to qualify already. Monty does not meet either of these measures.

Monty (44) did not play in the weekend just gone and the weekend before he finished a lowly 65th at the WGC CA he needed to finish top 4 to have any chance of making it to the masters.
Colin Montgomerie has only missed the US Masters once in the last 17 years. He chances of winning a major seem to be slipping away every year.

The Masters organisers have invited a few players outside of the top 50 but all are from the Asian Liang Wen-Chong (China), Prayad Marksaeng (Thailand) and Jeev Milkha Singh (India)

Monty has criticised this decision as it is felt they have been added for commercial reasons.

Monty is quoted on the BBC website saying

“It’s a strange way to make up a field for a major championship

Monty is ranked 75th in the world, but these asian players are ranked lowly 111th, 93rd and 80th.

Monty feels he has been cheated of a chance to play like he was in 2005.

“They are quite open about why, just as they were when I missed out last time in 2005, when they picked Shingo Katayama, then 67th in the world. I was 51st at the time,”
“They picked him over me for the Japanese TV rights.

“There are enough Brits in the field, so there won’t be a call. Now if I were the only person in the country, a la China, I might get in.

“Let me tell you, I am not the only one who feels this way. In or not, I would be saying the same thing.

“It is the only one of the four majors you can get invited to - you don’t get an invite to The Open or the US Open or the US PGA. You have to qualify. But the Masters has its own rules.

“It would be easier to swallow if no one was invited and the entry list was based on sporting and not commercial criteria.”

Do you agree with Monty? Should golfers be picked on sporting criteria and not commercial reasons?

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