Clarke, Montgomerie call timeout

The two men who fought a battle to the wire in a bid to top last year's European Tour money list have both called a mid-season "time out", but for quite different reasons.

Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke - co-incidentally - have decided not to play tournament golf for another three weeks and won't return to competitive action until the Benson and Hedges International at The Oxfordshire next month.

Montgomerie, who won that particular money joust and topped the Order of Merit for a sixth straight season, has decided that he needs to recharge his batteries after a six-tournament stint in the United States during which he failed to break his US Tour bogey.

"I haven't finished in the top-10 once in six starts, which is unacceptable for someone of my level," said Montgomerie. Indeed, the Scot is seriously considering curtailing his US schedule next year. "It hasn't worked out, so why put myself through this? I have got to think about it, and see what's wrong."

Montgomerie has had 55 starts on the US Tour during his career, but has yet to win. He did win the individual tournament at the World Cup in Kiawah Island in 1997, and also won the Andersen Consulting world matchplay last year, but neither was an official US Tour event.

His best performance in America in his latest visit was actually at the Masters where he was tied-11th.

But at least Montgomerie is having the satisfaction of contending in tournaments. Clarke has endured a dismal start to the year and he has decided that rest is vital if he is to restore confidence for the rest of the season.

Clarke, number two on Europe's money list last year, will also take a three-week break from competition before returning at the Oxfordshire on May 13th-13th-16th for the defence of a title he won so impressively last year. But his form thus far in the season is a dramatic contrast to his swashbuckling endeavours of last year, and Clarke claims he needs to work on a number of things over the next few weeks.

As things stand, Clarke (in fifth place) is very much in line for a second Ryder Cup appearance at Brookline in September but the player and captain Mark James will be anxious for an upturn in form.

So, neither Clarke nor Monty will be in Barcelona this week for the Peugeot Spanish Open at the El Prat club, when Sergio Garcia makes his professional debut and US Masters champion Jose-Maria Olazabal will be seeking his sixth tour win on native soil.

Six Irishmen are in the field for the Spanish Open. Padraig Harrington, a previous winner of the event, returns to the tour after a three-week break, and he will be joined by Paul McGinley, Eamonn Darcy, Philip Walton, John McHenry and Des Smyth.

Nick Faldo resumes playing on this side of the Atlantic in his quest to force his way into James's Ryder Cup team. Indeed, he won't return to America until the US Open at Pinehurst. The other category one players in Spain are Olazabal, Seve Ballesteros, Costantino Rocca and Bernhard Langer. Meanwhile, Olazabal confirmed yesterday that he will be playing in the Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth on May 28th-31st when he attempts to repeat his 1994 Augusta National-Wentworth double. The prize fund for the Volvo PGA has been increased to €1,820,000 (£140,000).

In all, there will be no fewer than seven winners of major championships at Wentworth next month, with Ballesteros, Olazabal, Ernie Els, Faldo, Sandy Lyle, Langer and Ian Woosnam all chasing the €303,350 (£237,000) top prize. Montgomerie is scheduled to defend the title he won last year, while all 12 members of the winning 1997 European Ryder Cup team will compete.

Incidentally, the three Volvo-title tournaments - the PGA, the Scandinavian Masters and the Volvo Masters - will have total prize money of €4.6 million (£3.59 million) and a bonus pool will be split among the top five players on a merit scheme based on the three events during the season.

Meanwhile, the Irish players on the European Challenge Tour have a free week as that secondary circuit - which visited the Ivory Coast where David Higgins won a £10,000 prize for a hole-in-one - isn't due to resume until the Valencia Challenge in Spain next week, while the Asian Tour is also on a week's break.

Ian Woosnam and Mark James have confirmed their presence in the Chris de Burgh-Audi Pro-Am which will take place at The K Club on Monday, May 3rd. Among the sporting celebrities due to play are Eamon Coghlan, Alan Lamb, DJ Carey and Eoin Liston.