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| | Monday, 20 May, 2002, 18:00 GMT 19:00 UK Monty upbeat in defeat Montgomerie and Woods went to a third play-off hole Colin Montgomerie said he was pleased with his performance at the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open in Heidelberg before he even started Monday's final round. Montgomerie suffered from a back injury all week and eventually lost in a sudden-death play-off to world number one Tiger Woods. With his participation in the final round in doubt, the former European number one was satisifed with the way he responded.
Woods took the title at the third extra hole when the Scot hit his second shot from a fairway bunker into a lake short of the 18th green. Montgomerie could only then manage a double bogey, meaning Woods was able to record his third German Open victory with a par. "If I had been two under par rather than leading I wouldn't have been here," the Scot said before starting his final round. After the play-off, Montgomerie said: "This morning I was about to pull out. I couldn't play. I was very close when I was on the range.
"In the circumstances I'm very proud to go out there and shoot 69. That was a good effort considering my physical condition. "I had no idea what I was going to score. I thought at the start of the day that 80 was reasonable and maybe 75, but 69 is very, very good. "In the play-off my back was getting far too sore and that's why I was hooking it. But at the end of the day the best man won." Woods paid tribute to Montgomerie after the victory. "He is a great champion, whether he has won a major or not," said Woods after his third victory in the event in four years. "Monty was obviously not exactly feeling his best, but he is a true champion and fought the entire round."
Montgomerie is now hoping to be fit for this week's Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth. He won three successive titles at Wentworth from 1998-2000. Justin Rose, who finished in third place, one shot behind Montgomerie, was also pleased with his performance. "A 67 was a good effort and I was proud of the way I played after bogeying the second. "It whets my appetite for Wentworth and this will help my chances of getting into the US Open," he said. | |
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