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  • Friday, Jul. 16
    Monty declares his chances gone

    ESPN Golf Online news services

    CARNOUSTIE, Scotland -- Colin Montgomerie wrote off his British Open chances on Friday after he slumped to a disappointing 76 in the second round.

     Colin Montgomerie
    Colin Montgomerie snapped at a fan on No. 3 and a camera crew on No. 4.
    Coming after his encouraging first-round 74, it was a huge disappointment for the man who just cannot get it right for the big ones.

    "I'm out of the tournament now, I'll just have to look forward to the U.S. PGA," he said.

    Montgomerie will make the cut with his total of 8-over 150 -- he has missed five of the last seven British Open cuts -- but his long wait for a first victory in a major must continue.

    Much as he tries to play it down, the failure is like a running sore. Europe's top player for the last six years came into the championship at the very top of his game having won the Loch Lomond on Saturday with a final-round 64.

    He said it enabled him to tee off in a more relaxed mood than for many years and, as always, he was being touted as a real challenger.

    Bookmakers had him in a pack behind Tiger Woods and David Duval and elevated him to second favorite behind Woods after Thursday's round.

    "Hopefully I can remain as relaxed over the next three days," he said at the time.

    A day later, he was back to his familiar grumpy self and refused to speak to the media after his round. His only comments came at the scorers' tent when he said he failed to capitalize on a great early draw.

    "The wind didn't spring up until the ninth hole and by then I was 3-over and struggling," he said. "I didn't play well and and I got no luck. These things together add up to a 76."

    He said he final putt, which missed by a whisker on the 18th green, summed up his round.

    "It was in. It just had to get there and it was in," he said. "It got there and it broke left and I don't know how it did. I'm just playing for numbers now unfortunately, and I was very disappointed with today's performance."

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