Monty gives his years of experience to Scots trio
A trio of Scots golfers who struggled to make ends meet this time last year are eyeing a prize-pot of close to £5.5 million at this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Robert MacIntyre, Grant Forrest and Liam Johnston graduated from the Challenge Tour barely three months ago with stars in their eyes.
Now they are ready to rub shoulders with Europe’s elite in the first of eight cash-rich Rolex events in the company of compatriots Stephen Gallacher, Richie Ramsay, Scott Jamieson and David Drysdale.
That number could rise to eight if another Challenge Tour graduate, Aberdeen’s David Law moves up from second reserve.
But they’ll do so with a warning from former eighttime European Tour No. 1 Colin Montgomerie ringing in their ears.
Monty is the country’s most successful-ever European Tour player with a haul of 31 titles.
But the 55-year-old former Ryder Cup ace knows from experience just how tough it is to establish yourself on the main tour.
And he has this advice for the newcomers: “Forget about instant stardom and just focus on keeping your cards.
“First and foremost it’s about getting into the top 110 in the Race to Dubai at the end of the season and then taking it from there.
“We all had to do that and it’s tough, believe me. Not many have come through over the past decade, so it’s good to see four graduates on this occasion and we wish them all well.
“They’ll need luck because coming from the Challenge Tour they won’t be able to play every tournament.
“So when the opportunity arises you need a wee bit of good fortune to grab your chance and run with it in an effort to establish momentum.
“The starting point for me was when I realised that I had kept my card after the Italian open in 1988.
“I’d finished 21st at Tour School the previous year but didn’t get into the PGA Championship at Wentworth, the Dunhill Masters at Woburn and some other big events.
“So I had to play in some of the smaller tournaments knowing I needed to make around £10,000 to keep my card back then.
“When I finished 12th in Italy early in the season, tying with the Australian Rodger Davis, he looked down the list and said: ‘Oh, it’s nothing, £2,100 for 12th place’.
“But I remember saying to him: ‘To me, that’s like £1 million,’ because that pushed me above the £10,000 mark.
“I’d gone from 21st at Tour School and was now in the top 125 who kept their cards, as it was at that time.”
In the event, Monty ended his rookie season in 52nd spot on the money-list and never looked back, claiming his maiden win at the Portugal Open the following season.
But he recalled: “It was in Italy that I realised that I was going to keep my card and that was the hardest part – and still is.
“If you are playing 35 tournaments, you should really keep your card. That’s a hell of an opportunity, certainly better than the fellow who has to perform in four events.”