ALL OVER BAR THE POUTING; Ryder Cup captaincy the only buzz left for Major nowhere man Monty.

Byline: KEN LAWRENCE

WHEN the glad-handing stopped, reality kicked in for Colin Montgomerie and that familiar old scowl was back.

As his second, bitterly disappointing round came to an end at Hazeltine National yesterday it only became clearer that his role as Ryder Cup skipper may well offer the last big thrill of his career.

Monty has taken to leadership of the European team like a duck to water.

He has said and done all the right things, showing the kind of statesmanlike qualities not always associated with him when he was in his pomp as a player.

He has forgiven Sandy Lyle for suggesting he cheated in Jakarta and throughout the build-up to the last Major of the year he had a nice day every day, USPGA officials eating out of his hand.

Come Thursday, that is, because by the time he stalked away in the evening he was already three over and the charming smile was gone.

The Scot may become a great captain but as a competitor he no longer figures.

His opening 75 was followed, as the heat and the wind combined to turn ugly the longest ever Major championship course, by the 78 that meant he'll have plenty of time over the weekend to wear his other hat as the leader of next year's challenge against the USA.

Pride

Monty never was going to grow old gracefully as a competitor - he has too much pride to quietly accept he has become an also-ran.

And before the tournament started he insisted he has every intention of going on until he is 52 before retiring.

The 46-year-old said: "I'm exempt for every European Tour event right through to 2015 and that would take me to 52. So at that stage I'll still be playing in Europe on the fully-fledged European Tour.

"If I feel that I would like to play in the odd senior event I might take that up.

"But at this stage I have no intention of playing seniors golf and I will finish my career when I'm 52 on the European Tour."

Monty, who practised solid for three weeks before arriving in the Twin Cities of Minnesota and Minneapolis, remains eternally optimistic about his chances of a career revival.

He said: "I'm glad that they hold their tradition of inviting the European Ryder Cup captain, otherwise I wouldn't be here as a player.

"Hopefully I'm here not just to compete in this tournament but to contend. I spent two weeks working at Valderrama because they have small greens there, like here.

"My game has not been good this year, that's obvious when you look at where I am on the Order of Merit and The Race to Dubai.

"But this is a fair golf course, no matter how long it is."

However, while he at least made three birdies in the first round, yesterday there was only the drudgery of going through the motions as he collected a handful of bogeys. A bad season had just become worse.

His best finishes this year are two 13th places, the last time he actually won was at the Smurfit Kappa European Open in 2007. Three years ago, but for a last hole calamity, he would surely have won the US Open.

The decline, despite that victory since, began then and has been steep in contrast to the fortunes of Vijay Singh, who is also aged 46 but four months younger.

Magic

Singh stared the tournament with a 69 and maintained that challenge yesterday with a level-par 72.

While Monty has become an also-ran the Fijian refuses to allow age to diminish him .

During the last two years Singh has won five big tournaments. The difference in them is not just about form.

One still believes he can take on Woods, Harrington, Mickelson and the rest. The other, especially on courses as long as Hazeltine, only really talks a good game now. That is not to say Monty won't be back.

He surely has the talent to recover, yet his duties as Ryder Cup captain involve more than just cheerleading and the Scot will be determined to make everything perfection.

No European leader will have taken his duties more seriously than him but his concentration on recovering the old magic is certain to be affected.

He loves his new job it is likely to maintain his downward spiral.

Monty was not the only Scot to suffer yesterday. Glasgow's Alastair Forsyth made a good fist of his first round on his third USPGA foray, carding a one-over 73.

He had hoped to use the kinder conditions of yesterday morning to fire himself into the last two rounds but also couldn't buy a birdie and a 75 left him fighting to make the cut.

CAPTION(S):

GOING STRONG: Singh fired 72 MAJOR FAILURE: Montgomerie's struggles continued at Hazeltine yesterday as he struggled round in a disastrous six-over 78