COLIN MONTGOMERIE overcame his frustration at shooting 84 in the International Open on Sunday to make a great comeback to beat Italian Costantino Rocca in the Andersea Consulting World Championship of Golf on the same Oxfordshire Club course yesterday.
Montgomerie, making his debut in the tournament, won this first round - match in the European section by one hole after being two down after seven holes.
He will now meet Germany's Bernhard Langer, who beat Jesper Paraevik of Sweden at the 20th hole in a match that finished 76 minutes after the first three matches had ended.
Barry Lane, who won the overall event outright last year when it was first held, was beaten at the first hurdle yesterday, losing by one hole to Miguel Angel Jimenez. The Spaniard will now face Sam Torrance, who defeated Mark James two and one.
Following his round, Montgomerie, admitted it had been hard to come back to the same venue 24 hours after his disaster. "I broke the speed limit going home last night as I thought about my 84," he said. "And I didn't sleep much last night thinking about going back to the same place."
Montgomerie looked as if he might have another disaster as he stood on the eighth tee two down against Rocca and struggling to find his rhythm.
At that point he was one over par but the Italian three putted the eighth and then had two shots in a bunker at the ninth to lose both holes; and Moatgomerie was back on terms.
The next seven holes were halved but at the long and difficult 17th, Montgomerie hit his third shot five feet from the flag, holed the putt for a birdie to go ahead for the first time. He then halved the last for victory.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)