Manila

COLIN Montgomerie summoned up the courage to sample another slice of

the high life golfing success brings in the nineties with a helicopter

ride to the scene of what he hopes will be his first victory of the new

season in the Johnnie Walker Classic.

It took only eight minutes for him and fellow passenger Greg Norman,

who is contemplating buying his own 'chopper' to go with his Gulf Stream

jet, arguing that ''it's a business tool,'' to be ferried from their

downtown hotel over seething Manila with its 12m population to the

palatial new Orchard Club.

The #8m clubhouse comes complete with theatre, cinema, Olympic-sized

pool, and ballroom, while outside tennis, squash and even pelota courts

sprawl over 15,000 square metres the full length of the par-5 eighteenth

fairway.

Hitherto no fan of helicopters, the 31-year-old Scot, who

superstitiously always strives to secure seat 1A on passenger planes,

admitted: ''I don't like the way they go up and down in air currents,

but I decided it was preferable after enduring an hour-long ride through

the traffic jams.''

He has been demoted from the No.1 berth he occupied in the order of

merit at the end of the last two seasons by American Fred Couples, who

beat him into second place in the Desert Classic on Sunday, having

benefited from a European Tour decision to include non-members, but the

Scot firmly believes he can be back on top come Sunday night.

A #100,000 victory this week for Montgomerie -- who generously donated

his $10,000 winner's cheque in the Texas Scramble to President Fidel

Ramos's Green and Clean campaign for the 7000 islands of the Philippines

-- would also nudge his Ryder Cup-counting winnings to more than

#280,000 and virtually guarantee his seat on Concorde in September.

With Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Montgomerie, Jose Maria

Olazabal and Ian Woosnam currently occupying the top five places in the

table, the Scot is pleased with the way the team is shaping up: ''It's

important with Bernard Gallacher having virtually just one pick. That

will have to be Nick Faldo, who's playing in America this year, unless

he wins a couple of majors.

''I strongly favour a system by which the whole team was selected, as

happens in football, cricket and rugby. It's important to have your

strongest team, rather than reward someone for playing in 35

tournaments. Our victories in 1985 and 1987 made the European Tour and

it's vital that we win back the cup.''

Captain Gallacher backs the present method of Cup qualifying: ''If

many more followed Faldo on to the American circuit we might have to

reassess matters, but it with big money events on top quality courses

towards the end of the year included and points now available in the

American majors it's the right balance. It wasn't only the cup wins of

'85 and '87 that made the Tour, it also was European victories in the

majors.''

Norman would dearly like to retain his Johnnie Walker title as he

approaches his fortieth birthday on February 10, just to prove he is

will be a major force in the season ahead. ''In 1990 I embarked on a

programme aimed at making me fitter and stronger,'' said Norman. ''Jack

Nicklaus wishes he had started working on his fitness in his 30s instead

of his late 40s.

''I believe if you are fit you can go on competing at the highest

level until you're 55 or 57. Raymond Floyd is 52 and, although outwardly

not that fit, he's a very healthy speciman inside and swinging as well

as ever.''

Montgomerie, who partners world No.1 Nick Price in the first two

rounds, starts among the favourites with Norman, Couples and Ernie Els,

and other Scots in the field include Sam Torrance, Andrew Coltart, Gary

Orr, Adam Hunter and Ross Drummond, all non-qualifiers in Dubai.