British Open Notebook Montgomerie shoots 76 and says `this is gone now' Click here for more on this story Posted: Friday July 16, 1999 11:54 AM   Greg Norman raises his cap to the crowd as he approaches the 18th green at the end of his second round. AP CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) -- Colin Montgomerie may give up too easily. The 36-year-old Scot -- Europe's No. 1-ranked player the last six years -- shot a 5-over 76 in Friday's second round, failing to capitalize on lighter winds than Thursday when he opened with a 74. Immediately he said he'd blown his chance to win his first major at this year's British Open. "I'm afraid this is gone now," said Montgomerie, billed as the best player in golf -- with American Phil Mickelson -- never to have won a major. "I'm out of the tournament now and I look forward to the U.S. PGA." However, Montgomerie came off the relatively still course just as the winds began to gust to 30 mph (50 kph). Montgomerie's 8-over 150 may not be too bad. Montgomerie, who has missed the cut in five of the last seven British Opens, will make it this time. But it was his bad temper that got the best of him during the round, and he declined to show up for an interview afterwards. A three-putt bogey on No. 1 set the tone. Two holes, later a fan with a camera was told by the Scot to put it away. On the fourth he berated an entire camera crew. "You need a break, we need a break -- go away and have a coffee," he said. "We're under enough pressure without you lot." Further bogeys at Nos. 7 and 8 landed him with a 3-over 39 at the turn. Montgomerie did birdie the 10th and 14th, but he also bogeyed the 11th and then had three more in a row from the 15th, his mood geting worse all the time. "I didn't capitalize on my draw," he added. "I was struggling -- I didn't play well and got no luck." Norman thief Greg Norman says the thief who stole his golf clubs isn't much of a player. After completing a 1-under 70 at the British Open on Friday, the two-time titlist said that his best set of clubs disappeared last Friday along with a construction worker who was working on his home in Florida. "I came knocking at the door on Monday morning, and he made up some cockamamie story that somebody had put them in his car. And he decided to use them for the weekend, I guess. "He kept them for the weekend and took them to the driving range," Norman said. "I got the clubs back Monday and they were all marked out. I had to get all the carpet stains and rubber off them. He wasn't a very good golfer." Strip tees The young woman dressed only in a black bra and panties who raced on to the 18th green Thursday to kiss Tiger Woods was caught in action by at least two of Britain's tabloids. The front page of the Mirror shows Woods being hugged by the blonde with a headline alongside: "Streaker brings some fun to farcical Open." The Star had a photo of Woods, breaking into a wide smile, as he was crouched down behind his putter lining up a shot as the women approached. "Wood you believe it?" read the headline. Weather forecast Saturday could be the toughest weather day of the four at Carnoustie with scattered showers in the morning and winds kicking up with gusts of 30-35 (48-55 kph). Those were the wind conditions Thursday when 57 players failed to break 80. Winds are likely to moderate on Sunday with mostly sunshine and a chance of showers. "Conditions could be worse," said Margaret Emerson of the London Weather Center. Quick break Tiger Woods may have topped Craig Parry on the golf course, but he was no match for the crafty Australian when it really mattered -- at the toilet break. After Woods and Parry hit onto the green on the par-3 eighth hole, Woods started trotting quickly down the cart path as he looked over his shoulder. Parry, however, scooted through waist-high weeds and beat Woods to the portable toilet. "Aw, you cut me off," Woods said. He then started kicking on the door to get Parry to hurry up. Dead last While the cream of golf battled the windy conditions at Carnoustie, another race was on to try and avoid being dead last. Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng started the second round 20-over par and bogeyed the first, fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth holes to be 25-over after 27. England's Andrew Sherborne began 16-over, double bogeyed the second and bogeyed five more to be 23-over after 28. One threesome was 61-over par after 31. Simon McCarthy of England was 24-over, Mark Allen of Australia 20-over and England's Greg Owen 17-over. Three-time Open champion Gary Player dropped nine strokes and was 19-over after 32. Still waiting to go out was American Tom Gillis, who was to start at 19-over. Odds and ends Nick Faldo, trying to rebuild his failing game, used a right-over-left crosshanded putting grip on Friday. He had a 79 and was likely to miss the cut. Nick Price joined David Duval in his harsh criticism of Carnoustie and its meadow-length rough. "If I were a spectator, I'd ask for my money back." Countering Price's complaint was a headline in The Daily Telegraph, "Who said it was meant to be easy?" American Hal Sutton said Carnoustie is unplayable for a medium-handicap player. "If you took an ordinary 15-handicapper out there in the wind and he actually kept a score and played fair, breaking 120 would be pretty difficult for him." South African David Frost was the first player to break par and crack 70, shooting a 2-under 69 in the second round. Frost's round came after all 156 players failed to break par on Thursday and the first nine players out on Friday also failed.   Related information Stories Van De Velde shoots 68 for lead; Woods in the hunt Pampling unlikely leader at Carnoustie Multimedia Click here for the latest audio and video Search our site Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV. Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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