Colin Montgomerie believes the rise of Rory McIlroy to world number one and the return of Tiger Woods means golf’s greatest age is about to begin.
The Scot who was at Gleneagles on Monday to launch the ”Monty’s Montly Medal” event to raise funds for the battle against cancer says the forthcoming opening major championship of the year, the Masters in the first week in April, is the ”most anticipated and exciting major we’ve had for a long time.”
”We’re probably looking at the best time golf’s ever had,” said the former Ryder Cup captain. ”The Masters this year is to be savoured, with our European top four, Mr Woods and Mr Mickelson, plus there’s bound to be someone coming out of the pack because there always is. It’ll be fantastic.”
Monty watched as Rory held off Woods to win the Honda Classic and assume the top of the world rankings, and believes it did nothing but rack up the expectation and anticipation.
”Tiger made a hell of a push with his final-round 62 and it was back to the Woods of old,” he said. ”We were all giving him the putt at the last that’s what we used to do and it’s good that we’re back to that feeling he’s going to do something spectacular.
”Two years ago, Rory would not have dealt with that, but now he’s winning and winning with ease. He’s playing so well tee to green right now he’s allowing himself the freedom of ‘I’m two ahead, I’ll just play in’ and it was fantastic to see.
”We were all concerned after the Masters last year that he might suffer for what happened but, as we saw, he managed to deal with it within a month.
”He’ll probably go back as World No 1 now and there will be added pressure on him, but he deals with that now, he copes with the expectation.
”I’m sure Luke Donald will come again and fight to get No 1 back, but he’s dealing with a very special talent, a once-in-a-generation talent. It shows how tough it is Luke just had two bad tournaments, and he’s no longer number one.”
Monty agreed that McIlroy and his younger contemporaries were not afraid of Woods, but that might not continue.
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”If Woods progresses further in this comeback then you’ll see more fear,” he said. ”Tiger was maybe unlucky that he had someone as good as Rory. Wth someone else it might have been different.
”Tiger started nine shots behind and got to two behind, which was pretty good. His lowest final-round score in a PGA event as well, so things are clearly starting to happen. He just ran into someone who was too good and too far ahead.
”But if Rory has a bad time at Doral this week you have Woods with nothing to lose there’s no ranking points coming off him this week. If he wins this week he’s third or fourth in the rankings himself.
”I’m so glad about Tiger being back for golf. We’ve missed him as a competitor, as a marketer for the game, for the media and TV. Now that he’s performing and contending again it’s great for the game.”
While admitting to his game being rusty after several weeks without an event, Monty will return to action himself at Andalucia in two weeks and is observing the Ryder Cup race with great interest.
”I’ll make myself available in all aspects so the European team can defend the cup, on or off the course, for Jose Maria (Olazabal) and when it’s here at Gleneagles,” he said.
”If it were picked tomorrow Paul Lawrie would be in the team and all credit to him. Martin Laird as well has been showing real signs, and I still believe that Stephen Gallacher can be a Ryder Cup player in the future. Scotland hasn’t had representation on the team since 2006 and we don’t want to continue that.”
The victorious 2010 Ryder Cup captain is hoping for a big response to Monty’s Monthly Medal, which it’s hoped will raise £50,000 to the building of a Maggie’s Centre in North Lanarkshire through the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation, the charity he formed in honour of his mother who died from cancer 21 years ago. The project is just £200,000 short of a £1m fundraising target.
The top 72 players from Scottish clubs participating in the event will get the chance to play with Monty at the final in August.
Photo by David Davies/PA Wire