MONTY WELCOMES £4,000 FINES FOR
SLOW PLAY BY LOCKERBIE, ROCHA

from THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE

Colin Montgomerie welcomed the two £4,000 fines for slow play handed out to two players in the Quinn Direct British Masters at The Belfry on Thursday - and called for much more action to be taken.
England's Gary Lockerbie and Brazilian Alexandre Rocha were playing in the first group of the day and were put on the clock by European Tour chief referee John Paramor.
Montgomerie was among the afternoon starters and took almost four hours 50 minutes to complete a two under par 70, which left him seven behind Swedish leader Martin Erlandsson, and he said: "It's a problem every week. Four hours should be the limit to play a round in a three-ball - fine everybody that takes over that."
Rocha was the first to fall foul of the regulations, taking 89 seconds over his second shot to the second hole (his 11th) when he was allowed only 55. Then Lockerbie took 12 seconds too long over his second shot to the fourth hole.
REPEATING OFFENDERS
The normal fine would be £2,000, but the two had already had more than 10 "bad times" during the season and so the punishment was doubled.
It still did not approach the Tour record. England's Simon Khan was fined £8,000 during the Irish Open two years ago.
Montgomerie was among the afternoon starters and took almost 4hr 50min to complete a two under par 70, which left him seven behind Swedish leader Martin Erlandsson.
He added: "We're given too long to play the course. I was brought up on a three-hour game of golf and the pace of play out here is too slow."
Rookie pro Lloyd Saltman had the misfortune to be in the same threesome as Lockerbie and Rocha.