Pebble Beach: Colin Montgomerie`s British Open appearance has been put in jeopardy by a torn calf muscle.
Europe`s Ryder Cup captain reported the injury on Friday after easing to six-under-par 138 with a second-round, four-under 68 in the BMW International, easily making the cut but lying six strokes off the early lead.
Montgomerie, who turned 47 on Wednesday, managed to get round the Eichenried course only by dosing himself with painkillers and the eight-times European number one headed straight to the physiotherapy wagon after his round.
Remarkably, Montgomerie said he had been suffering the injury in his left calf for three weeks. That covers the magnificent round of 62 over Sunningdale New Course 18 days ago that ensured he sealed his British Open spot at St Andrews next month.
Now the Scot has a battle to make his 21st consecutive appearance in the major.
"I`ve no idea how I did it but the muscle has torn, the pain is all through my back and it`s also affecting my Achilles tendon," Montgomerie told reporters.
"You`ve got to be very careful over the Achilles, especially. I`m just about getting round (the course)."
He had sought help this week from a doctor in Munich, used to treating and diagnosing football injuries, he said.
"I`ve been seeing Germany`s under-21 football team doctor; his boss is in South Africa, of course.
"He`s been very helpful because he`s used to dealing with footballers who have this type of injury."
Montgomerie said that playing at St Andrews, where in 2005 he finished second to Tiger Woods in the major, was very important to him.
"After shooting a 62 to get in I don`t want to miss out," he added.
Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal is the early, two-shot, second-round leader in Munich after carding a second successive six-under 66 for a 12-under 132 halfway totals.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.