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
