Colin Montgomerie revels in Royal Troon return

Colin Montgomerie would have arrived at Troon at the crack of dawn this morning dreaming of a dream return to the golf course where it all started for him half a century ago.

And then he went and double bogeyed the first. Golf, especially The Open, can be a cruel game and nobody knows that more than majorless Monty.

But to his enormous credit the veteran Scot picked himself up off the floor like a dazed boxer on the receiving end of a telling blow and swiftly clawed his way back into The Open – and, for a brief while, he was sitting pretty at the top of the 1st round leaderboard.

A handful of birdies on the front nine took him to -3 and the grimace on gritty Monty’s face after the opening hole soon developed into a beaming smile. Monty was back home and enjoying every single step and minute of it….and so were the adoring galleries.

He dropped a couple of shots on the more demanding back nine – no doubt the first of the vast majority to do that this week and slipped back into the pack as many of those following him, including American pair Justin Thomas and Patrick Reed, literally made hay while the sun shone. 

But things change and that certainly applies to the elements in this part of the world. Apparently it’s about to turn pretty nasty after today. But that’s golf, that’s The Open. As unpredictable as ever and that’s why we love it…