Monty Still Sounds Moody

He’s up, he’s down, he’s happy, he’s miserable, he’s Colin Montgomerie, the hometown hero who is still in the race at the British Open, but just barely. And that would make him happy if he wasn’t so unhappy.

Montgomerie started the third round two shots off the lead and ended it five shots down after his round of one-over 72 Saturday at Royal Troon that included a missed putt and a deflating bogey at the 18th, only minutes after he had doffed his cap to acknowledge the cheers of the crowd that chanted his name.

Monty was miffed when he missed that putt.

“It was an exceptionally good putt and I am sure if you look at an action replay, it might actually go in this time,” he said. “I hit it exactly where I wanted to and how it missed, I don’t know.”

There has been a lot of pressure on Montgomerie, whose father was the longtime secretary at Royal Troon, and he said it was not much fun.

“No, not at all, and anyone who says this is fun is joking and they’re having a laugh,” he said. “This is not fun and this is not enjoyment. This is a job and a horrible one.”

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Skip Kendall, the leader after 36 holes, shot a 75 and fell to a tie for ninth with Montgomerie and Mike Weir. He knew he didn’t get off to such a great start when his tee shot at the first hole went left and the ball rolled underneath a metal fence.

Kendall, who shot a 66 Friday, wants to rekindle old memories.

“Hopefully I can do what I did yesterday, tomorrow,” he said.

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For some reason, and Mark Calcavecchia has no idea why, he plays well at Royal Troon. It’s where he won his only major, the 1989 British Open, and the last time he was here, in 1997, he tied for 10th.

After making the cut with a birdie at the 18th, Calcavecchia shot a two-under 69 Saturday, and hopes he can sneak into the top 20.

He said he has nothing but respect for Royal Troon.

“It’s tough just because of the wind and the bad bounces you can get,” he said. “You have to accept what happens to you. You’re going to get some bad bounces. The very next hole you might hit a bad shot. You can make two bogeys in a row and the whole thing comes crashing down. It’s just a very mentally taxing golf course.”

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Mark O’Meara shot a 68 and saved par at the 18th after a bunker shot with an awkward stance of one foot in the sand and one foot out.

Said O’Meara, 47: “Stretching helps a lot, but I’ve got to tell you, the old body doesn’t feel quite the same.”

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When Ben Curtis missed the cut, he became the fifth British Open defending champion to miss the cut in the last 50 years. The others: Paul Lawrie in 2000, O’Meara in 1999, Calcavecchia in 1990 and Tom Watson in 1976.