Colin Montgomerie

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Colin Montgomerie

Personal Information
Birth: 23 June 1963,
Glasgow, Scotland
Height: 6' 1"
Nationality: Flag of Scotland Scotland
Residence: Oxshott, England
Career
College: Houston Baptist University
Turned Professional: 1987
Current Tour: European Tour (joined 1988)
Professional wins: 37, European Tour 30, others 7
Majors: None
Awards: European Tour Order of Merit winner 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005

Colin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE (born June 23, 1963) is a Scottish professional golfer often referred to by his nickname 'Monty'. He has had one of the finest careers in European Tour history, having won a record eight Order of Merit titles including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999. He is renowned also for both his extraordinary Ryder Cup performances as well as the dubious distinction of being the greatest player never have to won a major championship after finishing runner-up on five occasions.

Contents

Although Scottish by birth and ethnicity, he was raised in a town called Peniscrown. He was educated at both Leeds Grammar School and Strathallan School, which is in Perthshire. His father would later become the secretary of Royal Troon Golf Club, one of Scotland's most famous clubs. Montgomerie became one of the first British golfers to go to a United States college, attending Houston Baptist University. In later years, many top young British golfers (e.g., Luke Donald) would follow Monty's path to United States universities. Monty soon realised Houston Baptist University was not for him and escaped by "shinning down the drainpipe outside his dorm."

He won three important Scottish amateur tournaments — the 1983 Scottish Youths Championship, the 1985 Scottish Stroke Play Championship, and the 1987 Scottish Amateur Championship. He also played for Scotland twice in the Eisenhower Trophy (1984 and 1986) and for Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup twice (1985 and 1987).

Montgomerie turned professional in 1988, and was named the Rookie of the Year on the European Tour that season. He quickly developed into one of Europe's top pros, making his Ryder Cup debut in 1991. He finished first on the European Tour Order of Merit every year from 1993 to 1999 (a record for most consecutive Orders of Merit) and has thirty victories on the tour, including the 1998, 1999, and 2000 European PGA Tour Championships. He has finished either second or tied second in five major championships, the 1994, 1997 and 2006 U.S. Opens, the 1995 PGA Championship and the 2005 Open Championship. No other non-major winning player has recorded as many second place finishes. He first reached the top 10 in the Official World Golf Rankings in 1994 and was ranked number 2 at his peak. His form fell away in 2003 and 2004, partly due to marriage problems, and his ranking slumped to the eighties, but he came back strongly in 2005, winning a record eighth European Tour Order of Merit and returning to the top ten in the World Rankings. [1] Late in 2005 he became the first man to win 20 million Euros on the European Tour - topping the European Tour's all time highest earners list. In February 2006 he agreed to a clean break divorce settlement of £15 million, in return for his ex-wife giving up any claim on his future earnings. [2]

While Montgomerie holds the dubious distinction of being widely considered as the best golfer never to have won a major championship, he is heralded as one of the greatest competitors in the history of the Ryder Cup. Montgomerie has played on eight Ryder Cup teams (1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006) and has never been defeated in a singles match at the Cup. In 2004, he had the honour of sinking the putt that ensured Team Europe an outright victory in the Ryder Cup, minutes after Lee Westwood sank the putt that ensured Europe would retain the Cup.

Montgomerie captained the Great Britain & Ireland team in the first four stagings of the Seve Trophy, losing in 2000 but winning in 2002, 2003 and 2005.

At the end of 2004, Montgomerie was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year's Honours. He represents the Turnberry resort in Scotland, where there is a Colin Montgomerie Golf Academy.

In 2006, Montgomerie came close to his first major win at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. After his 60 foot putt for birdie dropped in dramatic fashion at the 17th, he suffered a double bogey 6 at the par-4 18th after changing from a 6 iron to a 7 iron for his 2nd shot from the middle of the fairway to account for increased distance from adrenaline. He hit it fat, and short right of the green into the deep rough. He could be heard on TV right after striking the shot, "What kind of shot was that?!" He finished in a tie for second with Jim Furyk who bogeyed the 18th, and Phil Mickelson who also double bogeyed the 18th to lose the tournament by a shot to Geoff Ogilvy.

Montgomerie also came first in the Volvo Bonus Pool every year from 1993 to 1998. The Volvo Bonus Pool was an extra tranche of prize money awarded at the end of each European Tour season from 1988 to 1998 to the regular members of the tour who had had the best performances over the season.

  • 1983 Scottish Youths Championship
  • 1985 Scottish Stroke Play Championship
  • 1987 Scottish Amateur Championship

Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
The Masters DNP DNP T37 T52 CUT T17 T39 T30 T8 T11
U.S. Open DNP DNP 3 T33 2 T28 T10 2 T18 T15
The Open Championship T48 T26 CUT CUT T8 CUT CUT T24 CUT T15
PGA Championship DNP DNP T33 CUT T36 2 CUT T13 T44 T6
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
The Masters T19 CUT T14 CUT CUT DNP CUT
U.S. Open T46 T52 CUT T42 DNP T42 T2
The Open Championship T26 T13 82 WD T25 2 CUT
PGA Championship T39 DQ CUT CUT 70 CUT CUT

DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
DQ = disqualified
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.

Amateur

Professional

  • Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1991, 1993, 1995 (winners), 1997 (winners), 1999, 2002 (winners), 2004 (winners), 2006 (winners)
  • Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Scotland): 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 (winners), 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000
  • World Cup (representing Scotland): 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997 (individual winner), 1998, 1999
  • Four Tours World Championship: 1991 (winning team)
  • The Seve Trophy (playing captain of Great Britain & Ireland team): 2000, 2002 (winners), 2003 (winners), 2005 (winners)
  • UBS Cup (representing the rest of the world): 2003, 2004

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