In admitting that merely qualifying for next week's Open Championship would represent one of his greatest ever successes, Colin Montgomerie yesterday came close to accepting that his long pursuit of a major is almost at an end.
For two decades Montgomerie has been considered a serious contender at every Open, but last year’s winning Ryder Cup captain said all the pressure is now off him as he playfully poked fun at his age, fitness and, in particular, current world ranking, while expressing mock pride in having broken back into the top 300 in the world.
However, the answer was a serious one when he was asked where it would rank among his achievements if he could claim the last available slot at next week’s Open by finishing as the leading player in the top five this week who is not already qualified.
“If I can qualify for the Open . . . if I can finish in the top five, it would be right up there because of the strength of the field here,” he said.
“It’s difficult, very difficult, so I’ve got to perform really to the top of my ability. It’s the last throw of the dice here, and 21 years in a row I’ve played in the Open and, not having won it, you’ve got to find a way of qualifying somehow. I’ve done that 21 years in a row and I’m proud of that.
“So I’d like not to have that record broken, but it’s a challenge, believe me, but I’m looking forward. I’ve got a good draw with Luke Donald, No.1 in the world, and Peter Hanson, two of my Ryder Cup team. I’m looking forward to playing alongside them and hopefully they can pull me along to bigger and better things.”
There was some self-deprecation when he acknowledged that the bookies quoting him as 200-1 to take the title this weekend was no more than should be expected.
“I came here in ’99 [needing to qualify] and that was realistic. It’s realistic now. I’m playing better than that, I know I am, so I wouldn’t put myself at that level, but at the same time, yes, it’s realistic where one is on a list of achievements over the last three years,” said Montgomerie.
“It hurts sometimes, but I’m playing better than that, so I don’t take it into much consideration.”
Rather more typical was his assessment of his chances at Sandwich should he somehow battle his way into the field.
“Very few people find a game at a major championship,” he noted. “You have to sort of bring it with you and I’ve had a couple of decent performances, so if I can finish in the top three or four places and qualify for the Open here of course I would go down there having a shot . . . definitely, yeah.”
That irrepressible self-belief has been reinforced by what has happened at recent Open Championships.
“A fast running course like Royal St George’s gives me nowadays, at 48, my best opportunity,” Montgomerie reasoned. “The way that Greg Norman performed at Birkdale [in 2008] and the famous occasion where Tom Watson performed at Turnberry [in 2009] shows that it does give an opportunity for those who don’t have a certain length off the tee more of an opportunity, so I would love to be able to play.”
However, when asked whether he was prepared to subject himself to the sort of fitness regime that is allowing many leading sportsmen to extend their playing careers, he said: “There’s a serious side to this.
“An awful lot of people have been injured in gyms over the years . . . I’m not one of them.
“They are really tight athletes and things go wrong. I’ve been playing this game professionally for 25 years now, but I feel, flexibility wise, as if I’ve only been doing it for 10.
“I don’t feel any differently than when I was 18, flexibility or otherwise. I’m very fortunate that way. Playing 21 Opens in a row, by definition, means you’ve been healthy for 21 years in a row.”
Usain Bolt may be reconsidering his training regime as you read this . . .
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