VERSAILLES (France) - COLIN Montgomerie shot his best round of the year at the French Open on Saturday and immediately fired out a warning that he could be a factor in the British Open at Turnberry starting in 12 days time.

'I was eighth there in 1994, and The Open gives me my best opportunity if it's fast-running,' said the Ryder Cup captain, after a six-under-par 65 in the third round at Le Golf National. The 46-year-old only just squeezed into the weekend right on the cut after a closing triple-bogey seven on Friday but it was an entirely different picture when he tackled the third round.

Runner-up here last year in what was his last top 10 finish, Montgomerie birdied the fifth and then sunk a 97-yard pitch for an eagle on the sixth to get back into red figures. Back nine birdies at the 10th, 14th and 17th brought him in at five under par for the tournament and gave him a shot at a top 10 finish once again on Sunday.

'I've now got to move up as high as I can - I don't need the money, but I need the points,' Montgomerie said.

The Scot's world ranking has fallen to 211th, and he is down at 94th on the European money list. He has not been that low since he turned professional in 1987. Currently quoted at a disarming 300 to 1 to win at Turnberry, Montgomerie's best Open was as a distant second to Tiger Woods at St Andrews in 2005. Last year at Royal Birkdale he was a lowly 58th. Still, he insists that anything is possible.

'For me as a Scot and Ryder Cup captain there are two huge weeks coming up at Loch Lomond (Scottish Open) and The Open and a 65 today around one of our best courses - I need a score like that for confidence going into the next two weeks.'

There were similar words of self-encouragement from Ireland's Padraig Harrington who missed his fifth straight cut here on Friday and headed back home to play in his national PGA Championship at the European Club.

The Dubliner will bid at Turnberry to become the first player since Peter Thomson of Australia in 1956 to lift the Auld Claret Jug for three straight years. But he has had a miserable time of it, on the scorecards at least, since deciding at the start of the year to enact changes to his swing aimed at making him more consistent off the tee. He admits it has taken longer than he had expected to get the hang of the changes but insists he is not about to hit the panic button.

'I have another week,' he said before beating his retreat from Paris. 'I was never comfortable on the greens this week. I am hoping that's all it was. I just putted terribly all week and didn't gain any confidence. Obviously that is reflected in the score. I need to hit plenty of chip shots, wedge shots and putts over the next couple of weeks, that's for sure.

'I could go out next week and shoot 20 under par at the European Club and think that I am on top of the world. I'm not too worried about the way they set up Turnberry. I would be more worried about how I am. I can manage any challenge as long as I can manage myself.' -- AFP