Monty knows the score

Colin Montgomerie needs a top-three finish in the Singapore Masters starting tomorrow to guarantee a place in next week's Players Championship in Florida.

Montgomerie is 51st in golf 's world rankings but he has to get into the top 50 to make sure of qualifying.

"The Players Championship has been written into my schedule for the last 13 years so this week is very important to me," the Scot said.

"I have to do well to try and get into that, but the main reason for being here is to try and win the tournament.

"This week is a challenge for me and I like challenges. I've had a few in my day. So we'll see how we go."

One of his main rivals this week will be Zhang Lian-wei, the defending champion.

Zhang, a self-taught player, is also looking forward to becoming the first Chinese player to compete on the US Tour in May.

He is due to tee up in the Memorial Tournament in Ohio and has also been given an invitation to the St Jude Classic in Memphis.