Monty rings the caddie changes once again

European Tour: Colin Montgomerie has appointed a fellow member of Royal Troon as his second new caddie in under four months.

Colin Cotter will step into the shoes of Steve Rawlinson, who only started working with the seven-time European number one at the Wales Open in June.

Rawlinson was told at the end of the Lancome Trophy in Paris on Sunday it was their last event together.

And Montgomerie has turned to Cotter, not a European Tour caddie but a member of Royal Troon like his new employer, for the next two or three events while the Scot considers a permanent appointment.

Montgomerie has not won since the Volvo Masters last November, a title he shared with Bernhard Langer when their play-off was halted by bad light.

His last outright success in Europe was the Scandinavian Masters 25 months ago.

Having ended a 10-year partnership

with Alastair Maclean in May last year, the Ryder Cup star signed up Andy Prodger, but then decided to ask Rawlinson if he was available.

Women's Tour: A million-dollar Women's World Cup is on the way, starting in February 2005.

Information technology company Acer have agreed a three-year sponsorship deal, and a venue has already been found, the spectacular Peluza estate near the town of Knysna on South Africa's Garden Route.

Like the men's World Cup, now part of the World Golf Championships series, countries will compete in pairs, and Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales will all be able to send separate sides rather than compete as Britain and Ireland.

Again like the men, qualifying is likely to be based on a world ranking system.

"A percentage of the event's proceeds will go to the Acer girls' golf programme, an initiative that is geared to empowering women worldwide," said Acer managing director David Drummond.

The Solheim Cup, won for the third time by Europe in Sweden on Sunday, is currently the biggest team event in women's golf.

But two of the top three players in the world at the moment, Australia's Karrie Webb and South Korean Se Ri Pak, are obviously not involved in it.