Monty: The definitive Ryder Cup interview

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Colin Montgomerie, as everyone who takes even a passing interest in golf knows, never managed to get over the line in a regular Major. His Major, as he has said himself, was the Ryder Cup. His suggestion might to some sound like a convenient way to camouflage his inability to win a Major title, and perhaps even convince himself of his career’s worth. But in fact, while winning Majors undoubtedly remains the ultimate gauge of a career, it is not fanciful to suggest that in 50 years time the Ryder Cup heroics of “Monty” will carry more resonance than winning a Major. Certainly, even in America, you imagine he will be remembered longer than Shaun Micheel or Jeff Sluman, Ben Curtis or Steve Jones…

Click here to watch a video of Monty at The Carrick

It’s not just the amount of points Monty collected, or his extraordinary singles record, or his eight-match, 15-year longevity that gives the Scotsman such synergy with the Ryder Cup. It is because he became the team leader, the man everyone looked toward for points; he was to Europe what Michael Owen was to the England football team and Jonny Wilkinson to its rugby union side. Like Monty, they delivered, too.

He also played in a special era for the matches; he played during a seminal period in the history of the Cup. He began in a team containing all but Sandy Lyle of the European superstars (in awe of them as you will discover) and finished with arguably the strongest side we have ever fielded. In the middle, for two matches, he was carrying the side. Watching Monty in those matches was a reassuring reminder that Europe might actually be able to pull it off against the odds; the distinctive gait, the trademark lift of the driver head before takeaway, the shaft resting on his spine at the finish, even the exaggerated “thank you” to the crowd after a putt dropped. How American players, players with more than one Major to their name, must have been sick of seeing these mannerisms.

And the man himself can remember the finer details like they were yesterday. Many times during the course of our interview he began answering the question before it was completed – all it took was a reminder of an incident and it sparked a myriad of memories. Monty was happy reminiscing, and why shouldn’t he be: the Ryder Cup was his Major, and beginning with a 4&2 defeat on the shores of the Atlantic, what a story it turned out to be. 

Monty: The fearful rookie

On my debut in 1991, I dreaded being embarrassed about my standard of play compared to the likes of Seve, Faldo, Woosie and Langer – only Lyle of Europe’s “Big Five” were not in that team. I very much felt like a rookie, and I greatly feared letting the side down. Everyone talks about how you cannot prepare for how you feel on the 1st tee of your Ryder Cup debut. They are correct. But in my favour was the fact that 1991 was away from home and the 1st tee at Kiawah Island isn’t one of the great tees in world golf. If you’d put me on the 1st tee at St Andrews it would have been very different. So I may even have felt more pressure in the next one, at The Belfry in 1993, when expectation was higher. So the first tee shot was not too bad.

All that said, I can remember it like it was yesterday. I remember it vividly. I remember every shot. We lost 4&2. I had played in two Walker Cups so had some experience of matchplay but this was a different ball game. Talk about a step up the ladder – this was 23 steps up a ladder. Still, I was just as nervous in the Walker Cup as I was in the Ryder Cup – the big difference was I didn’t have the same fear of letting the side down in the Walker Cup as I did in the Ryder Cup.

The miracle of Oak Hill

My next match in America was in 1995, and we were trying to ensure Bernard Gallacher was going to win his third match in charge. But the Team Room was very quiet after Corey Pavin’s seemingly decisive chip-in on Saturday. No question. And so we were feeling for Bernard. This was his last opportunity and we knew that. And the thing is it wasn’t 9-7 to America, it was 10-7, because – with all respect to the guy – Seve was not playing his best golf, and he was out against Tom Lehman. So people talk about the Miracle of Medinah – my god, it wasn’t far off it in ’95. We pulled it out of the hat, and everything went our way. Did we believe we could turn it round? Yes, otherwise we would never have – but it was touch and go.

There was definitely a 6-6 split in those days; it was like the Premiership football these days. There was a top four or five that you felt would win their matches and then there was a middle – now it is a whole different league, as the players all compete at more or less the same level.

I had played in the Ryder Cup twice and I had lost twice, so going to America in 1995 I didn’t have a great record! Knowing how difficult it was to win in America – I mean I think 1987 was the only time previously – we were all overjoyed. The celebrations were great. Seve knew what Faldo had done and Faldo knew what he’d done himself – their hug was special. We were all feeling for Seve and Bernard. So everyone was in a real state of joy and elation. I was just a member of the team, and was delighted to be so – I could just enjoy it, there were no captaincy issues or political nonsense like there has been a couple of times, it was all very simple and so I could enjoy it. It was nice that it was so simple.

Monty 1993

The ‘playing captain’ returns

By 1997 things were different. The team was evolving with more younger players involved and I was viewed differently I think. Certainly, Seve saw me as a team leader and so for instance he put me down at the bottom in the singles in case it got a bit smelly… which it did.

He wanted the likes of myself, Langer and Faldo down there, just in case. This was my fourth Ryder Cup and I was No.1 in Europe by now so there was a different pressure than in 1991, when it was trying not to make a fool of myself – now it was the pressure of expectancy. But I preferred that pressure, no question – I didn’t mind being expected to get points. I was seen as someone who had to get the points. I was grateful for the position Seve put me in and honoured that he thought I was capable of being that player.

Seve was only 41 when he captained the team. The youngest we have ever had, by a mile… and he wanted to play. As a captain you understand that you can’t play – but Seve wanted to. Sometimes it was difficult for him not to be able to directly affect the play.

Famously he came up to me on 17 and almost coached me how to play the shot over the lake. I said something to him that I regret, not least because he is not around now, but in essence I said ‘Seve, I’m OK, I’ve done this before – leave me to it’. He was almost too much; I took little bits from all the captains I played under and certainly one thing I wanted to do was ensure I didn’t stand over the players too much, and allow them to breathe and play their own game.

I only once intervened as a captain in 2010, that was with the Molinaris on the 17th green. Padraig Harrington had called me on the radio to tell me the putt they had broke more than it looks. He called me forward from 16 to pass on the information. I was reticent about going on the green, but I did – thank god, he missed it low! If he had missed it high I’d have shot Harrington!

Baiting the bearpit

It was worse than it seemed in 1999. It was more than a golf event unfortunately. Mark James did a great job with a very young team – remember it was the first team without Faldo, without Langer, without Lyle, Seve, and Woosnam… and it had three rookies. So if we had said we would be 10-6 up going into the singles it wouldn’t have mattered who would have played. I’d have gone with that. So I think he did a great job, but the one thing we didn’t realise, and should have done, is that America wanted it back. Badly. They had lost in 1995 and ’97 and they did not want to lose three in a row for the first time. We should have expected them to come out all guns blazing. We also didn’t take into account the Boston fans are boisterous and it got a wee bit out of hand – so I am glad since 2002 things got better.

I fed off it though. I was No.1 in Europe and I was the biggest threat I suppose. I was targeted I think and it was very much on me. Paul Lawrie noticed it and I said to him “I’m sorry, this has been going on for a few years now”. I made a couple of mistakes for sure; I answered back a couple of times, but it didn’t affect me, it spurred me on. If people were “anti-me” in the Ryder Cup, it made me dig deeper. I wasn’t playing for myself, I was playing for the team.

It affected me more as an individual, but never when I was on a team. I’ve never really enjoyed success as an individual. I’ve never celebrated success as an individual the way I should have done. I’ve had 43 victories, and I don’t know why but I never celebrated them as I did team victories. I only celebrated properly within a team.

As an individual, I think I felt ‘is this the last one?’, I was always thinking ’let’s get to the next tournament and get better’. The Ryder Cup was different; I really felt part of a winning continent and really enjoyed it. Somehow that helped me handle the pressure better, even though in most people’s eyes the pressure was even greater in a Ryder Cup.

Monty celebratesThe Torrance factor

The 2002 side was one that had a lot of good players in it, but some of them were out of form – the likes of Garcia, Westwood and Parnevik weren’t at the top of their games. Then it had a few players such as Phil Price and Pierre Fulke who played in just one Ryder Cup. I think it was 8-8 going into the singles and if Sam hadn’t done what he did to get those singles pairings, I think we might have lost. So he changed the course of that match. I think Sam Torrance was the difference. To win it back again, Sam had to be one of our best three captains ever.

On my own in Detroit

In 2004 my career was at a relatively low point. I was going through personal troubles and my world ranking had slipped. I hadn’t qualified for the team for the first time. I needed to play in the Ryder Cup, but I needed a pick. I had played enough with Langer that he knew what I was capable of under pressure – in America, which is different, very different. Did it save my career from petering out? I think it might have, possibly. It certainly enabled me to win the Order of Merit the next year; I don’t think without playing in the Ryder Cup I would have done that. That convinced me I could still compete, I could still do it. Saving my career? Well, in a very strong way, probably.

Everyone says you cannot find form in a Ryder Cup and they are right. So going into 2004 I was more apprehensive than I had been since 1991. I wasn’t practising well, and I actually had a lesson from Langer himself on Wednesday and Thursday. I was driving the ball poorly and it was a US PGA set-up so it was tough. He had a plan that Harrington and I were going out first after hearing rumours Hal Sutton fancied pairing Tiger and Phil first. So he helped me not just by picking me but by giving me a lesson on hip rotation on the course! We worked on it and he felt confident enough to put me out first. So, yes, I was apprehensive, but I wasn’t prepared to let Langer down or Harrington down – especially Langer. We did OK…

There was less “anti-Monty” from the American crowd that week, probably having read reports about what’s going on in my life. We won 18.5-9.5, so Bernhard pretty much got every decision correct that week. He would have to have done to get that score. He left me out of a series for the first time in my Ryder Cup career since the Saturday at Kiawah. It broke my run – 32 matches I think it was, which broke Seve’s record which I was very proud of – but it was the right thing to do. I’m not sure I would have won my singles otherwise. I was half expecting it myself to be honest.

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