Augusta admits that Japanese TV cash beat Monty

Colin Montgomerie did not receive a special invitation to compete in the Masters here because the Augusta National Golf Club placed commercial gain ahead of competitive form and commitment.

Augusta National prides itself on maintaining the rich traditions of golf, yet club chairman Hootie Johnson admits Shingo Katayama was granted precedence over Montgomerie because of television contracts in Japan.

Ahead of today's opening round, Johnson said: "We have a long relationship with Japan. The game of golf has a relationship with Japan. They have been the most populous golfing nation for

many years. We do have a big broadcast over there and that does influence us."

Johnson, who previously courted controversy with his spat with women's rights campaigner Martha Burk, added: "Colin will be back to the Masters tournament one way or the other, surely."

That will be of little consolation to the Scot, who went to the ends of the earth in order to try to win back a place in the world's top 50 that would have guaranteed a 14th successive start in the season's first major.

Affected by a high-profile divorce away from the course and a loss of form on it, Montgomerie

had almost dropped out of the world's top 100 by the end of last year.

Determined to play at the Masters, a tournament he believed he could win, the Ryder Cup star this season travelled to events in China, the Far East, Australia, the United States and Dubai in an effort to gain vital ranking points.

Shooting a 60 in Indonesia along the way, he nearly made it. This week Montgomerie lies 53rd in the rankings, while Katayama, who was knocked out in the first round of the World Match Play Championship and withdrew from two other strokeplay tournaments, is just a lowly 71st.