Montgomerie headed to Florida

2008-03-09

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By Mark GarrodSpecial to PA SportsTicker

ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- Colin Montgomerie will be in Florida rather than South Korea next week after being offered a place in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

The eight-time European No. 1 was scheduled to play in theBallantines Championship on Jeju Island - the European Tour''sfirst-ever visit to Korea - and would then have flown straighton to Miami for the following week''s CA World Championship.

However, Montgomerie has cut out that mammoth journey and willspend the next two weeks on the east coast of America as hetries to climb from his current 59th place in the world rankingsinto the top 50 in time for next month''s Masters.

More world ranking points will be up for grabs in Orlando thanKorea, but the competition will, of course, be tougher.

Tiger Woods is trying for a seventh successive tournament win -and will do so in an event and on a course where he won fourtimes in a row from 2000-03.

Two other previous winners, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els, whoare second and third in the rankings will also be in the field.

The European contingent includes Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, IanPoulter, Sergio Garcia and Germany''s rising star Martin Kaymer,who won in Abu Dhabi in January before finishing as therunner-up to Woods at the Dubai Desert Classic.