The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Monty turns back the clock
Colin Montgomerie has gone back to his partner in the glory years for his bow in the Senior Open at Royal Birkdale.
Fifer Alastair McLean, who caddied for Monty in all eight of his European Tour Order of Merit wins, is back on the bag this week.
COLIN MONTGOMERIE has gone for familiarity among the unfamiliar surroundings of restarting his career at age 50 and gone back to his partner in the glory years for his bow in the Senior Open at Royal Birkdale.
Fifer Alastair McLean, who caddied for Monty in all eight of his European Tour Order of Merit wins, is back on the bag at Birkdale this week as the Scot aims to win one of the majors that eluded him in the regular game.
Monty admits that now, more than ever before, he will be judged — and indeed judge himself — on how many of the five Senior majors he wins while he is playing among the over-50s.
In the meantime, he’s looked for reassurance and, as a result, he and McLean are back together for a third time.
“He was jet-skiing off the coast of North Carolina (where McLean now lives) and I thought that was a bad misuse of his talents,” said Monty.
“It just felt right for us to get back together. Alastair caddied for me for 11 years as a professional, all my Order of Merit wins, we know how to do this together.”
The pair split first in 2002 but reunited in 2004, just before Monty’s last great year on the European Tour, when he took the Vardon Trophy for an eighth time, won the Dunhill Links and was second in the Open.
They separated again in 2007, just before Monty’s last European Tour win.
“We got a bit stale, and if you spoke to Alastair, he’d say the same thing,” continued Monty. “But we had the most successful player-caddie relationship in Europe bar maybe Bernhard Langer and Pete Coleman.
“We’ve been very close over the years, I feel it’s only right and proper that we should try and win majors as we came very close before. I would love to finally win one, not just for myself, but for Alastair as well.”
Monty seems much more relaxed among the Seniors, where he has been welcomed by contemporaries and fans in his first three events on the Champions Tour in the USA.
“They used to shout ‘Go Home Monty’, now it’s just ‘Go, Monty’ which is nice,” he said. “But there’s actually more emphasis on winning a major out here. The expectation (on him) is actually quite high.
“But while I knew the standard out here was strong, it’s still been an eye-opener. The competition is a hair’s breadth from the PGA Tour.”
To cope, Monty has not only gone back to his old bagman but to his old style.
“I fell into the trap like a lot of guys aged 45 to 50, trying to hit the ball too hard,” he said.
“You play on the main tour with Nicolas Colsaerts, he’s hitting eight-iron in and you’re hitting five-iron, and you feel, I should at least hit a hard six.
“You end up making bogeys rather than playing to your strengths, which is what I’m doing now, hitting my fade, fairways and greens, and all that.”
For Monty it’s a five-year plan — if he retains his fitness — and this man never seen near the range is now even practising more because he’s enjoying playing so much.
The quality is shown by breadth of the field here, although Kenny Perry, winner of both the Senior Players and the US Senior Open, has opted to race his track car in an event back home.
“He’s playing the best golf of his life and, if I’d won two majors the way he had, I’d definitely be going for a third,” continued Monty. “But everyone’s different.”
Freddie Couples is defending the Senior Claret Jug, Bernhard Langer seeks to add to the title he won in 2010 while Mark O’Meara is attempting to win where he won the Open Championship in 1998.
The American, who also finished second in the 1991 Open at Birkdale, has been made an honorary member of the club.