Monty speaks out about Els' absence from Volvo Masters

"The Order of Merit meant a lot to me and it obviously does not to others," said Colin Montgomerie earlier today at the Volvo Masters.  The comments were directed to those European Tour players, specifically Ernie Els, who are playing in the Barclays Singapore Open this week, rather than the final event on the European tour, the Volvo Masters.  "This is our flagship tournament - our Tour Championship if you like - and it's a shame that all the players who qualified aren't here," said Monty, an eight-time winner of the European Tour's Order of Merit.  "This should have been their priority. I would never, ever miss this."  Els, who is currently atop the standings of this year's Order of Merit, defended his position today, saying that he made a three-year committment to the Singapore Open last year.  He showed frustration with the European Tour for scheduling the tournament the same week.  Other players missing the Volvo Masters to play in the Singapore Open include Angel Cabrera, Lee Westwood, Michael Campbell, and Nick O'Hern.