Doak bounces back from missing


the cut in Maderia to lead in


Seville with a six-under 66

What a difference a week makes of the European Tour! Last Friday, Chris Doak from Greenock missed the cut by 13 shots in the Maderia Open after rounds of 79 and 82.
This evening, the 31-year-old PGA No 1 from Greenock, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, leads the Open de Andalucia de Golfe 09 with a bogey-free round of six-under-par 66 at sun-drenched Seville in Spain.
Doak, the Tartan Tour supremo but ranked 1,329th in the world, posted six birdies in his round at Real Club de Golf de Sevilla.
The Northern Open champion won last season's Tartan Tour Order of Merit, then came Qualifying School success at the seventh attempt and he is delighted just to be competing on The European Tour.
He said: "Getting my card was fantastic - you just have to keep going."
Last week's Scottish "hero," Callum Macaulay who came through the field on wheels over the last nine holes to finish second, in contrast, reverted to "normal" with a two-over-par 74 ... but he started with a pair of 74s last week so no sweat there.
Although Paul Lawrie had a sad 77, all in all it was a great day for Scots with a cluster of them around the top of the leaderboard.
A special week for Colin Montgomerie could become even more memorable after he began with a five under par 67 in Seville.
To mark his 500th European Tour event as a professional the new The Ryder Cup Captain has already been presented with a cake, an engraved ice bucket and some champagne.
But his seven-birdie display means Montgomerie is now eyeing up the possibility of a 32nd victory - and his first for nearly two years.
"People say that being The Ryder Cup Captain will hurt my game, but I think it will do the exact opposite," he said after a round which left him in joint second place only one behind fellow Scot Doak.
"I think it will improve my performances over this next year and a half.
"I'm very relaxed on the course, less uptight. I've thought about the captaincy every minute of every day since I was appointed, but it's nice to show I can still compete out here at 45 and I look forward to going forward from here."
During his amazing run of seven successive Order of Merits in the 1990s it was often said that other players were affected by a "Monty Factor" whenever his name appeared on the leaderboard.
"I don't think it is so much the case now. That was worth probably a shot a tournament and remember out of my 31 wins 20 were by a shot, so it was a great deal," added Colin whose brain box is full of more European Tour statistics than any golf writer can conjure up from a reference book.
Montgomerie, however, has had only three top ten finishes in almost 18 months - and none since he was runner-up to Pablo Larrazabal at last June's Open de France ALSTOM.
Four birdies in his first six holes were the perfect early boost and after going in the water for a bogey six at the long 16th he made a 15 footer on the 18th to turn in 32 and started the front nine by holing from twice as far.
"I started the Johnnie Walker Classic with a 67 and I finished the Dubai Desert Classic with one. Things are looking up.
"For me it's quite simple. If I have 25 putts I score 67. If I have 28 I'll score 70. That's the way I play - I've always said that if I putt well I will be in contention.”
At 137th in the world not even a win would get Montgomerie into the Masters Tournament in two weeks - except, that is, if Augusta National invite him.
Alongside Montgomerie are another Scot, Steven O'Hara, Spain’s Juan Parron and France's Jean-François Lucquin.
O'Hara, a Walker Cup teammate of Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell and Nick Dougherty in 2001, is still waiting for his first Tour victory.
But the 28 year old is back now at the course where he had his first top ten finish five years ago and in his final four holes he had two birdies and also an eagle on the 16th - three better than Montgomerie.
Lucquin is the player who beat rising star Rory McIlroy in a play-off for the Omega European Masters in Switzerland last September.
"That makes it even more special," he said after three birdies in his last four.
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