Well, the 2013 European Tour season has already begun, with two events (the Nelson Mandela Championship and Alfred Dunhill Championship) in South Africa having already been staged, won by Scott Jamieson and Charl Schwartzel, respectively. The Tour has been on an extended break and will resume during the second week of January, with the Volvo Golf Champions at Durban Country Club in Durban, South Africa. This winners-only tournament of champions is open to all winners from the previous season, including the two events from the 2013 schedule, and players under the age of 50 with 10 or more European Tour wins. One of those players who's eligible courtesy of his 10+ wins on Tour is Colin Montgomerie. Recently, it was announced that "Monty" would be elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2013.
The last we saw of Monty on a golf course was in the first round of the Hong Kong Open in late November, where he withdrew after the round due to a foot injury. It was the end to a forgettable season for the 31-time Tour winner, with only one top-10 (tied-4th in the Johnnie Walker Championship) and the lowest amount of on-course earnings since his first full season on Tour in 1988. To say that he wants 2013 to be a bounce-back year would be an understatement. He has never qualified for the season-ending Dubai World Championship since it replaced the Volvo Masters in 2009, comprising of the top-60 players on the Race to Dubai list. He has not played in a major since the 2010 PGA Championship (he was exempt due to his role as Ryder Cup captain). I'm sure that those are two things that he would love to change during this upcoming campaign.
Montgomerie turns 50 on June 23rd, making him eligible for Senior golf. Although he had previously stated that he wouldn't play Senior golf, he has slightly altered those comments. He will begin his career on the over-50s circuit at the 2013 Senior Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. While continuing to compete regularly on the European Tour, he has also acknowleged that by virtue of being voted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, which grants all inductees with a Champions Tour card, he may play some events on that Tour, as well as on the European Senior Tour. However, I feel that his heart still lies on the highest level of professional golf. While he may not play his normal 20-25 events beyond the 2013 season (his European Tour exemption runs out after the 2015 season), he will be doing his best to win another event, something he hasn't done since 2007. I also think that with the 2014 Ryder Cup being staged at Gleneagles in Scotland, just five minutes from his house, he will have extra incentive to give it one last shot to make a ninth Ryder Cup team. That is, assuming he's not named captain! He's a long shot for the back-to-back captaincies, but the situation is right for him to lead Europe again.
Even though Monty will be competing in at least one Senior Tour event in 2013, his schedule will not change too much. He'll be doing his best to qualify for the Majors and get back into the world's top-50. It all comes down to his putting: if he can average 29-30 putts per round and continue hitting fairways and greens like we have grown accustomed to him doing, 2012 will seem like a blur. When December 31st rolls around, he will be ranked 526th in the world. Unfortunately, I don't know if he's been able to play much golf since his withdrawal in Hong Kong with the foot injury, so he may be a little rusty by the time the Volvo Golf Champions comes around in two weeks. However, that event has no cut and every competitor is guaranteed a paycheck so it's probably the best way to get his season underway.
So here's to a successful 2013 season for Monty on all fronts: golf, business, and family.
Articles pertaining to his 2013 season:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/seniorgolf/9761749/Colin-Montgomerie-I-want-to-win-a-major-on-the-seniors-circuit.html
http://www.thecourier.co.uk/sport/golf/monty-wants-tour-stars-to-commit-to-wentworth-1.62052
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Monty withdraws from UBS Hong Kong Open
Colin Montgomerie has withdrawn from the UBS Hong Kong Open, the European Tour website announced at the start of the second round. Monty opened up with a 74 (+4) in the first round. According to multiple sources, he was suffering with a foot injury and has returned home to Scotland. According to multiple sources, he was suffering with a foot injury and has returned home to Scotland. On a course that measures only 6,700-odd yards, Hong Kong Golf Club is a course in which Monty has won (2005) and it is one of the few that suits him. So I know it must've been hard for him to withdraw, but he's got to take the safe option and get fully fit for next season.
It's incredibly frustrating to see him have to withdraw from a tournament that he loves and that he can do well at; even though he was +4, I still thought that he would fire a low round and make the cut, maybe even get back into contention. This isn't the first event that he has failed to complete; he has even withdrawn from or taken his entry out of the following tournaments this season: Trophee Hassan II, KLM Open, BMW Italian Open, Portugal Masters, and now the UBS Hong Kong Open.
His withdrawal has kind of taken the wind out of my sails, unfortunately. As he gets closer and closer to the age of 50, every tournament that he enters, for me, means that much more. He is exempt on the main Tour until 2015, and will continue to play past 50, but who knows what his playing ability will be then. To be honest, outside of his tied-6th finish at the Johnnie Walker Championship, this may have been his worst season on Tour. His best finish in a stroke play event was tied-44th in Germany. His putting really let him down all season and that's something that he really needs to work on in the offseason (from now until the Volvo Golf Champions in the early part of January).
As I have stated in other articles, I would've preferred him to play in one of the early-season South African events in December (but part of the 2013 schedule) before the Volvo Golf Champions, but the chances of him doing that are slim. He'll hopefully play four events in a row to start his 2013 campaign (Volvo Golf Champions, Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, Commercialbank Qatar Masters, and Omega Dubai Desert Classic). I have long thought that if he could get his putting under control, he could get back into the world's top-30 or higher. With the way that he hits the ball, he's a top-10 ballstriker on Tour. If he really dedicates himself to working on his putting and short game, this season will become a distant memory.
Unfortunately, his world ranking, currently at 495th, will drift way past 500 before he tees it up again. However, four good finishes in the four HUGE tournaments with lots of world ranking points and prize money will vault him up the world rankings and Race to Dubai. He needs to play his best golf in these big tournaments. Obviously, he will participate in the US Open and Open Championship qualifiers when they come around (assuming he's not exempt due to world ranking or R2D ranking). He hasn't played in a Major since the PGA in 2010, so it's been too long. He was well-placed in both qualifiers after the first 18 holes this year, but faded on the next 18. Let's hope he doesn't have to qualify because he'll be inside the top-50 in the world (or the top-20 in the R2D after the BMW PGA for a place in the Open)!
As I finish this entry and close the book on what has been a very frustrating year for all Montgomerie fans, we can only look ahead to next year. I'm obviously excited for the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, next week which comprises of the top-60 in the Race to Dubai, but I'm already looking ahead to the Volvo Golf Champions, the first event of 2013. I'll still watch the South African events (two in December to the begin the 2013 schedule), but I'll always be looking ahead to the second week of January.
Another important thing to note is that, at next week's Tour finale, the entire 2013 European Tour schedule will be released. I'm particularly interested in the "European" portion of the schedule (if there are any new events) because I don't want to see the Tour becoming less and less of a "European" Tour due to the financial situation in Europe.
So, there are many questions to be answered between now and January 10th (start of the Volvo Golf Champions). I'll post any updates as to why Monty withdrew from the UBS Hong Kong Open or any articles pertaining to him from now until the 10th. I think we all know that Monty can compete with the best players in the world, it's just a matter if he actually believes it. Let's hope the first four tournaments of 2013 are a springboard to a memorable season!
It's incredibly frustrating to see him have to withdraw from a tournament that he loves and that he can do well at; even though he was +4, I still thought that he would fire a low round and make the cut, maybe even get back into contention. This isn't the first event that he has failed to complete; he has even withdrawn from or taken his entry out of the following tournaments this season: Trophee Hassan II, KLM Open, BMW Italian Open, Portugal Masters, and now the UBS Hong Kong Open.
His withdrawal has kind of taken the wind out of my sails, unfortunately. As he gets closer and closer to the age of 50, every tournament that he enters, for me, means that much more. He is exempt on the main Tour until 2015, and will continue to play past 50, but who knows what his playing ability will be then. To be honest, outside of his tied-6th finish at the Johnnie Walker Championship, this may have been his worst season on Tour. His best finish in a stroke play event was tied-44th in Germany. His putting really let him down all season and that's something that he really needs to work on in the offseason (from now until the Volvo Golf Champions in the early part of January).
As I have stated in other articles, I would've preferred him to play in one of the early-season South African events in December (but part of the 2013 schedule) before the Volvo Golf Champions, but the chances of him doing that are slim. He'll hopefully play four events in a row to start his 2013 campaign (Volvo Golf Champions, Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, Commercialbank Qatar Masters, and Omega Dubai Desert Classic). I have long thought that if he could get his putting under control, he could get back into the world's top-30 or higher. With the way that he hits the ball, he's a top-10 ballstriker on Tour. If he really dedicates himself to working on his putting and short game, this season will become a distant memory.
Unfortunately, his world ranking, currently at 495th, will drift way past 500 before he tees it up again. However, four good finishes in the four HUGE tournaments with lots of world ranking points and prize money will vault him up the world rankings and Race to Dubai. He needs to play his best golf in these big tournaments. Obviously, he will participate in the US Open and Open Championship qualifiers when they come around (assuming he's not exempt due to world ranking or R2D ranking). He hasn't played in a Major since the PGA in 2010, so it's been too long. He was well-placed in both qualifiers after the first 18 holes this year, but faded on the next 18. Let's hope he doesn't have to qualify because he'll be inside the top-50 in the world (or the top-20 in the R2D after the BMW PGA for a place in the Open)!
As I finish this entry and close the book on what has been a very frustrating year for all Montgomerie fans, we can only look ahead to next year. I'm obviously excited for the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, next week which comprises of the top-60 in the Race to Dubai, but I'm already looking ahead to the Volvo Golf Champions, the first event of 2013. I'll still watch the South African events (two in December to the begin the 2013 schedule), but I'll always be looking ahead to the second week of January.
Another important thing to note is that, at next week's Tour finale, the entire 2013 European Tour schedule will be released. I'm particularly interested in the "European" portion of the schedule (if there are any new events) because I don't want to see the Tour becoming less and less of a "European" Tour due to the financial situation in Europe.
So, there are many questions to be answered between now and January 10th (start of the Volvo Golf Champions). I'll post any updates as to why Monty withdrew from the UBS Hong Kong Open or any articles pertaining to him from now until the 10th. I think we all know that Monty can compete with the best players in the world, it's just a matter if he actually believes it. Let's hope the first four tournaments of 2013 are a springboard to a memorable season!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Colin Montgomerie Chooses not to Play in Portugal
Although Colin Montgomerie was scheduled to play in the Portugal Masters, he withdrew his entry on Tuesday. There have not been any reports as to why he decided not to play, but I have a few ideas of my own: firstly, due to the fact that he averaged 31.5 putts per round over the four days of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, he may have wanted to spend the week practicing on not just his putting, but his overall game as well; secondly, his calf injury may have been aggravated at some point during the Dunhill Links, so he may have been advised not to play this week so that the calf could heal properly (knowing how competitive Monty is, I have a feeling his injury didn't play a part in this); lastly, there may have been an issue in the family that he needed to attend to, which would be the right decision to withdraw.
Monty is not scheduled to play in Australia at the ISPS Handa Perth International next week, or the BMW Masters in China the week after (although he is exempt to play in the $7 million limited-field event, so it is a little puzzling why he isn't playing). He is not eligible for the WGC-HSBC Champions in China. Most likely, he will tee it up at the Barclays Singapore Open the week after the WGC event, and then one of his favorite events of the year at the UBS Hong Kong Open the week after.
Monty finished in a tie for 55th (-7) in Scotland but, once again, he could've been in contention if he had putted better. Averaging 31.5 putts for four rounds on links courses (Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, and St. Andrews) is not going to get it done. He hit 61/72 (84.7%) greens in regulation, probably good for top-10 for the week in terms of greens hit. Last year, he finished tied-21st at -10. Monty has said that links courses give him the best opportunity to contend. Due to his low ball flight, links courses allow him to pick up some extra yards on the fast-running fairways.
As it's looking now, he'll have to do something unbelievable to get to the DP World Tour Championship, the season finale where only the top-60 players on the Race to Dubai are qualified. He was languishing at 134th after the Dunhill, so top-5's in Singapore and Hong Kong are imperative to give himself a chance. Surprisingly, Monty has never played in the tournament since the Race to Dubai was created in 2009.
It will be interesting to see what Monty will be working on during the month of no competition. Let's hope he doesn't neglect any part of his game while practicing. Putting, short game, and building confidence are the most important things that he has to work on. Personally, I'll be satisfied with a top-35 in Singapore; the weather is a huge adjustment for all the Europeans and it will be his first tournament in a month, but let's hope he's not rusty as he will hopefully have been practicing quite a bit over the break! Hong Kong is where I will be very surprised if he's not top-25; the Hong Kong Golf Club is a par 70, 6,734-yard classic, old golf course. Hitting the fairways is paramount, which is Monty's strength. If you're not hitting them, you will struggle. The course is not long, so the distance factor that he faces most weeks will not be an issue. He was the champion there in 2005 and finished tied-46th last year, but closed with a 67 in the final round.
In terms of his world ranking, he's ranked 462nd (by the time he resumes playing, he might be outside the top-500). If I were him, I would set some goals: by the end of this season, be inside the top-400; by the end of the Middle East swing next February, be inside the top-250; and by the time the BMW PGA Championship comes around next May, be inside the top-150. Those are very lofty goals, but a win will take care of everything in one blow. I would highly recommend playing one or two of the early-season South African tournaments in December before the Volvo Golf Champions in Durban, which is the first tournament of 2013. This would hopefully give him a leg-up in the Race to Dubai and may prove to be a great way to close out 2012.
As I put a close to this post, I want to say that as a Monty fan, I am hoping for a good end to 2012, and an even better start to 2013 as he continues to climb towards the top-50 in the world, a summit which he still believes that he can reach. The difference is putting. If he can improve his putting, that goal can become a reality. I certainly hope for his sake that it does happen and I know that he will do everything in his power to reach that summit.
Monty is not scheduled to play in Australia at the ISPS Handa Perth International next week, or the BMW Masters in China the week after (although he is exempt to play in the $7 million limited-field event, so it is a little puzzling why he isn't playing). He is not eligible for the WGC-HSBC Champions in China. Most likely, he will tee it up at the Barclays Singapore Open the week after the WGC event, and then one of his favorite events of the year at the UBS Hong Kong Open the week after.
Monty finished in a tie for 55th (-7) in Scotland but, once again, he could've been in contention if he had putted better. Averaging 31.5 putts for four rounds on links courses (Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, and St. Andrews) is not going to get it done. He hit 61/72 (84.7%) greens in regulation, probably good for top-10 for the week in terms of greens hit. Last year, he finished tied-21st at -10. Monty has said that links courses give him the best opportunity to contend. Due to his low ball flight, links courses allow him to pick up some extra yards on the fast-running fairways.
As it's looking now, he'll have to do something unbelievable to get to the DP World Tour Championship, the season finale where only the top-60 players on the Race to Dubai are qualified. He was languishing at 134th after the Dunhill, so top-5's in Singapore and Hong Kong are imperative to give himself a chance. Surprisingly, Monty has never played in the tournament since the Race to Dubai was created in 2009.
It will be interesting to see what Monty will be working on during the month of no competition. Let's hope he doesn't neglect any part of his game while practicing. Putting, short game, and building confidence are the most important things that he has to work on. Personally, I'll be satisfied with a top-35 in Singapore; the weather is a huge adjustment for all the Europeans and it will be his first tournament in a month, but let's hope he's not rusty as he will hopefully have been practicing quite a bit over the break! Hong Kong is where I will be very surprised if he's not top-25; the Hong Kong Golf Club is a par 70, 6,734-yard classic, old golf course. Hitting the fairways is paramount, which is Monty's strength. If you're not hitting them, you will struggle. The course is not long, so the distance factor that he faces most weeks will not be an issue. He was the champion there in 2005 and finished tied-46th last year, but closed with a 67 in the final round.
In terms of his world ranking, he's ranked 462nd (by the time he resumes playing, he might be outside the top-500). If I were him, I would set some goals: by the end of this season, be inside the top-400; by the end of the Middle East swing next February, be inside the top-250; and by the time the BMW PGA Championship comes around next May, be inside the top-150. Those are very lofty goals, but a win will take care of everything in one blow. I would highly recommend playing one or two of the early-season South African tournaments in December before the Volvo Golf Champions in Durban, which is the first tournament of 2013. This would hopefully give him a leg-up in the Race to Dubai and may prove to be a great way to close out 2012.
As I put a close to this post, I want to say that as a Monty fan, I am hoping for a good end to 2012, and an even better start to 2013 as he continues to climb towards the top-50 in the world, a summit which he still believes that he can reach. The difference is putting. If he can improve his putting, that goal can become a reality. I certainly hope for his sake that it does happen and I know that he will do everything in his power to reach that summit.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Calf Injury Too Much For Monty, Retires From Italian Open
Articles concerning calf injury: http://www.scotsman.com/sport/golf/calf-injury-a-major-blow-for-colin-montgomerie-1-2525633, http://msn.foxsports.com/golf/story/italian-open-colin-montgomerie-withdraws-injured-091312, http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/golf/bmw-italian-open-trio-of-scots-struggling-with-injury.18871549
A torn calf muscle forced Colin Montgomerie out of the BMW Italian Open on Thursday, having been able to only play 9 holes in his first round. He was 1-over, with two bogeys and one birdie. It was not an encouraging start, considering he has not made the cut at Royal Park I Roveri in the last three years. He was wearing a special sock that keeps the blood flowing in the calf and was, also, wearing special shoes which helped alleviate some of the stress on it. Apparently, while hitting a bunker shot on the 2nd hole, he aggravated the injury and did well to fight on until finishing his front nine, shooting one-over, which considering the circumstances, is very respectable. He withdrew after nine holes, and now all he can do is rest it.
His confidence was probably sky-high after his tied-6th finish at the Johnnie Walker Championship, his first top-ten of the season, where his previous best finish in a full-field event had been tied-44th (he finished 31st at the limited-field Volvo Golf Champions). Unfortunately, he followed the T6 up with a tied-64th at the Omega European Masters at picturesque Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland. According to reports, he suffered the calf injury in the final round at Crans.
He is languishing at 132nd in the Race to Dubai and is ranked 405th in the Official World Golf Rankings. I certainly realize that while Monty is 49-years-old, those numbers are completely unacceptable. Age, I don't believe, plays a factor in this. He is hitting the ball as good as he ever has, according to Ewen Murray on a Sky Sports broadcast at the Alstom Open de France. The bottom-line is that his putting is downright atrocious, averaging 30.9 putts per round (good for 205th on Tour). In today's day and age, that is not going to cut it with the amount of depth the European Tour and world golf has right now. He is 9th in fairways hit on Tour and 127th in greens in regulation. He is 228th in driving distance, meaning he is going into greens with long irons or woods, while most players are using short irons or wedges, helping them to be more accurate. While this is a reason that he's 216th in scoring average (72.96) on Tour, it all comes down to putting. There have been a few times this season where he has hit all 18 greens and only scored 3-under. Granted, he's under par, but he should be at least -6 or -7. Let's hope that he can practice on his putting while resting his calf and not just spend the recovery time laid up and not practicing.
Unfortunately, a torn calf muscle needs at least eight weeks to fully heal. That would mean Colin would have to wait until either the Hong Kong Open or the Barclays Singapore Open to tee it up again. However, something tells me that he'll be back for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in three weeks. He has said that he is still extremely competitive, which was part of the reason that he went against doctor's orders and played in Italy. It is for this reason that I feel that he will tee it up in Scotland in three weeks or, at the very latest, at the Portugal Masters the following week. The injury just needs time to properly heal, but three weeks might be enough to make it tolerable.
So let's hope that Monty can recover from this injury and get back to playing his best golf by finishing this year out strong and coming out with a bang in 2013!
A torn calf muscle forced Colin Montgomerie out of the BMW Italian Open on Thursday, having been able to only play 9 holes in his first round. He was 1-over, with two bogeys and one birdie. It was not an encouraging start, considering he has not made the cut at Royal Park I Roveri in the last three years. He was wearing a special sock that keeps the blood flowing in the calf and was, also, wearing special shoes which helped alleviate some of the stress on it. Apparently, while hitting a bunker shot on the 2nd hole, he aggravated the injury and did well to fight on until finishing his front nine, shooting one-over, which considering the circumstances, is very respectable. He withdrew after nine holes, and now all he can do is rest it.
His confidence was probably sky-high after his tied-6th finish at the Johnnie Walker Championship, his first top-ten of the season, where his previous best finish in a full-field event had been tied-44th (he finished 31st at the limited-field Volvo Golf Champions). Unfortunately, he followed the T6 up with a tied-64th at the Omega European Masters at picturesque Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland. According to reports, he suffered the calf injury in the final round at Crans.
He is languishing at 132nd in the Race to Dubai and is ranked 405th in the Official World Golf Rankings. I certainly realize that while Monty is 49-years-old, those numbers are completely unacceptable. Age, I don't believe, plays a factor in this. He is hitting the ball as good as he ever has, according to Ewen Murray on a Sky Sports broadcast at the Alstom Open de France. The bottom-line is that his putting is downright atrocious, averaging 30.9 putts per round (good for 205th on Tour). In today's day and age, that is not going to cut it with the amount of depth the European Tour and world golf has right now. He is 9th in fairways hit on Tour and 127th in greens in regulation. He is 228th in driving distance, meaning he is going into greens with long irons or woods, while most players are using short irons or wedges, helping them to be more accurate. While this is a reason that he's 216th in scoring average (72.96) on Tour, it all comes down to putting. There have been a few times this season where he has hit all 18 greens and only scored 3-under. Granted, he's under par, but he should be at least -6 or -7. Let's hope that he can practice on his putting while resting his calf and not just spend the recovery time laid up and not practicing.
Unfortunately, a torn calf muscle needs at least eight weeks to fully heal. That would mean Colin would have to wait until either the Hong Kong Open or the Barclays Singapore Open to tee it up again. However, something tells me that he'll be back for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in three weeks. He has said that he is still extremely competitive, which was part of the reason that he went against doctor's orders and played in Italy. It is for this reason that I feel that he will tee it up in Scotland in three weeks or, at the very latest, at the Portugal Masters the following week. The injury just needs time to properly heal, but three weeks might be enough to make it tolerable.
So let's hope that Monty can recover from this injury and get back to playing his best golf by finishing this year out strong and coming out with a bang in 2013!
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