ANYTHING Ian Woosnam can do Colin Montgomerie can do better, especially when it comes to flamboyant protest about the state of a golf course. While the Welshman contented himself with a blistering attack on the greens at Collingtree Park after the second round of the One 2 One British Masters, the Scot yesterday took the biggest dispute of the season a stage further by holding up the third round while he harangued tournament director Mike Stewart in his own office.

Montgomerie was so exasperated with the greens and his failure to make a single birdie in the first nine holes, that after driving off the 10th tee he marched 75 yards across a service road into the administrative block and straight into the startled Stewart's office.

Neither would reveal what was said behind closed doors, but the European number one and the Tour's Senior Tournament director were certainly not passing the time of day. What I said is between me and him," said the Scot. "If I cannot speak to the Tournament Director I cannot speak to anyone.

Montgomerie did break his birdie famine at the 14th and 15th, but then finished with an unwelcome hat trick of bogeys and signed for a 77 and a five over par total of 221 that left him only the slimmest chance of victory. He starts today's last round ten shots behind leader Robert Allenby, and four adrift of Woosnam who overtook him at the head of the Volvo Ranking with his fourth victory of the season in Germany last week.

That unpromising position prompted Montgomerie to admit that he had come close to walking out of the £700,000 tournament, the first qualifying event for the 1997 European Ryder Cup team.

"I reiterate everything Ian said," he declared. "The players, media, sponsors, caddies, we shall all be grateful when Saturday afternoon comes and we can all get out of here. We have all come close to walking out me Costantino Rocca, many others, but you enter the tournament so you finish it.

August in England is when courses are in their best condition but we have this. It is such a shame for a showpiece tournament, its 50th anniversary, and new sponsors. We will all be thrilled when Saturday afternoon comes.

So will Allenby if he hangs on to first place and collects the biggest prize of his career, as well as his third victory of the season. Already winner of the English and French Open titles, the 25 year old from Melbourne holed a 12 foot putt at the 18th for the fourth birdie of a 71 that gave him a five under par total of 211.

"There is always going to be a lot of whingeing but we have all got to put up with it," he said. "I shall just carry on doing what I have done for the last three days and that is play smart, aggressive golf." It has given him a one shot advantage over Spaniard Pedro Linhart, whose 67 was easily the best of a day which ended with only two players under par at the 54 holes stage.

Linhart (33) has American parents, but was born and now lives in Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. He became a naturalised Spaniard two years ago and will become the 13th new winner on the European Tour this year if he can surprise everyone today. Linhart won on the Challenge Tour last year, but his best performance this season is to finish fourth behind Padraig Harrington in the Spanish Open in Madrid.

Miguel Angel Martin and Rocca are both on level par 216, with Woosnam in the group sharing fifth place. Eamonn Darcy, who was out early, was one of only three players to shoot 69. It put him on a three over par 219 alongside Philip Walton who had 71.

Darcy prospered through the simple philosophy of not trying to read the mottled greens. "I just concentrated on getting the ball close enough for a tap in," he said. It worked well enough to give him four birdies, and he had only one three putt, at the 10th, where he was too strong with his uphill putt and left himself a nasty downhill three footer. Walton eagled the ninth.

. Nolan Henke shot a five under par 66 yesterday to maintain a two stroke lead after the second round of the $1.2 million Greater Milwaukee Open, and Tiger Woods made the cut in his first tournament as a professional. Duffy Waldorf, who tied for second at last week's World Series of Golf, shot his second 65 to climb into second place.