The gloom rains down on Monty
The weather for yesterday’s final round of the Seniors Open at Sunningdale was wet, windy and miserable. But it was nothing compared to the storm clouds gathering over Colin Montgomerie after he handed the fifth and final seniors Major of year to the little-known American Marco Dawson.
The Scot had been the joint leader going into the final round and his fourth Major victory in two years looked on the cards when he held a two- shot lead over Dawson and arch-rival Bernhard Langer with seven holes to play.
however, his trusty driver lost its aim and he looked down and out l ong before Dawson s ank a spectacular birdie putt on the 18th green to clinch the first significant victory of an otherwise rather undistinguished 25 years spent on the US pro circuit.
Shooting a 67 in the atrocious weather was no disgrace for Monty, even though Dawson and Langer closed their week’s work with 64. But when asked to comment to reporters waiting to hear his thoughts the 52-year-old brushed them aside with the word ‘no’ and marched off to the locker room.
There was an even deeper reason for his moodiness. Victory would have won him a place in next year’s Open Championship at Royal Troon, where his father was secretary.
The irony was that, when the weather had been at its worst at the start of his round, his game had been imperious.
he hit Sunningdale’s par five first green in two and almost made an eagle at the par-three fourth. he picked up two more shots, covering the first nine holes in just 31 shots.
Dawson had never won in 14 years on the US Tour and had only one victory, 13 years ago on the second tier buy.com Tour.
But he showed he was going to be a handful by making birdie at the first and then picking up another shot at the second by holing a tricky shot from a greenside bunker. But it was sand that was to prove Montgomerie’s eventual downfall. Poor drives into bunkers at the 11th and 12th cost him a bogey each time, while his two rivals were making birdies at the holes.
And while the Scot tried to fight back with a birdie on the par-five 14th, Dawson responded by sinking a 22-foot effort to complete his second eagle in the space of six holes.
As Montgomerie sloped off the back of the 18th after finishing with a par, Dawson and Langer signed off with birdies.