Colin Montgomerie will adopt a gung-ho Ryder Cup approach at the truncated Scottish Open after his hopes of qualifying for a 22nd straight British Open took a nosedive.
The former Ryder Cup captain needs a top-five finish at Castle Stuart to stand a chance of claiming the final qualifying spot for non-exempt players for the year's third major, which starts at Royal St. George's on Thursday.
However, with the Scottish Open now reduced to three rounds because of torrential rain and thunderstorms in the Highlands which wiped out play on Saturday, Montgomerie finds himself five shots off the pace with a maximum 27 holes remaining.
''I'm running out of time, especially with it being a three-round event now,'' he said. ''I've got to think Ryder Cup play now. I've got to think about not leaving a putt short, I've got to think about putting for a half over the next 27 holes. They have to go.
''My chances are reduced. I needed 72 holes.''
More than six centimeters of rain fell in the space of five hours early on Saturday, causing landslides on some parts of the links course. Further storms broke throughout the morning and afternoon, preventing any play on the third day.
It's the first time the Scottish Open has been shortened to 54 holes - and it couldn't have come at a worse time for Montgomerie.
''Those leaders in the clubhouse (Graeme McDowell, Scott Jamieson and Peter Whiteford) now are laughing, they're having a big laugh at us. I would be,'' he said. ''The golf course will be very different to when we started. It'll be longer, placing of the ball will be an issue.
''I've been up in this area for a long time now and we have courtesy-car drivers who are 65 years of age and haven't seen the likes of this before. None of us have. We are very unfortunate to have this, especially with 11 p.m. daylight. This is extreme to say the least. It's incredible. It's a freak condition.''
While Montgomerie resorted to ''messing around at my hotel'' during the prolonged rain breaks, other golfers went further afield.
''I hear Ernie Els is over at (nearby) Skibo Castle this afternoon on the archery, learning how to arch,'' Montgomerie said of the South African, a double Scottish Open winner and three-time major champion. ''Hope he doesn't hurt himself while he's away.''
