Reuters
Wednesday, March 21

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Colin Montgomerie could be forgiven for not being terribly bothered by Tiger Woods' recent drought that saw the world's top player go eight PGA Tour events without a win.

	Colin Montgomerie tied for third at the 2000 Players Championship.

Try going through an entire career without a U.S. victory like Montgomerie has. Now that's a drought.

But once again, Montgomerie has arrived back in the United States smiling and full of hope that his time has finally come, believing golf's richest event, the $6 million Players Championship will be the site of his maiden win.

A force everywhere else in the golfing world with a record seven European Order of Merits and wins in Asia and Australia, including this year's Australian Masters, Montgomerie has never been able to translate that success onto American soil.

But the 37-year-old has come agonizingly close.

He has finished runner-up four times, including twice at the U.S. Open and in the PGA Championship, gaining the dubious distinction of being one of the world's best golfers never to win a major.

But after a third-place finish last year and finishing tied for second in 1996, Montgomerie may have no better chance of breaking his duck than at The Players Championship, considered golf's unofficial fifth major and one of the tour's toughest events.

"I feel I can win here," said Montgomerie following Wednesday's final practice round. "This is a tournament I really do look forward to every year. It's a major championship.

"I don't know who make the rules or who decided four, or five, or six, or how many majors we have in this world, but this is a major championship of all proportion and I really feel I can win here."

Montgomerie said his record gives him reason to hope.

"I've been second, third, I've done OK. I don't have a bad record here," he said. "I have just not gotten that fortune that you need coming down the last few holes. You've got to accept that and go on.

"But the way this course is set up seems to favor me more than most. The fairways are very narrow and you have to hit them and that always seems to favor me."

The menacing Stadium course at the TPC at Sawgrass is rated as one of golf's toughest layouts.

Over the last three years, players have carded an average score of 74.1, the third highest on the PGA Tour behind only the U.S. and British Opens.

The tight, par-72 layout puts a premium on accuracy, punishing those who stray even slightly from its lush fairways.

"I always feel like if you can get around here in 72 then you've done well," said Montgomerie. "The course is playing very, very difficult this year. The rough is high this year and it has not dried out like the way the fairways have, so it is to be avoided at all costs.

"And the wind of course. If it blows around here it can be very difficult."

Woods snapped his losing streak by capturing the Bay Hill Invitational on Sunday with a 15-foot birdie on the final hole to eke out a tense one-shot victory over Phil Mickelson. But Montgomerie gave no indication that he was poised for a U.S. breakthrough with a tie for 50th place.

"I don't take positives out of finishing 50th, but I did on this occasion," said Montgomerie. "My putting was terrible the first three days and I drew something out of the last round.

"It was good to sort of get rid of that poor performance at Bay Hill and look forward to the next two tournaments, here and The Masters."