Lee Westwood's return to the top of the world order may have prompted disparaging comments from the other side of the Atlantic but Colin Montgomerie last night launched a robust defence of the Englishman's right to the throne, writes Nick Rodger.
Westwood’s win at last weekend’s Indonesian Masters, allied to Luke Donald’s failure to win The Heritage tournament on the PGA Tour, meant the 38-year-old reclaimed his No.1 position from Germany’s Martin Kaymer.
Without a Major title to burnish an otherwise stellar cv, Westwood’s rise back to the top has led to US commentators questioning the validity of his lofty stature but Montgomerie, himself no stranger to the dreaded ‘best player never to win a Major’ tag, is very much an advocate for the merits of consistent golf.
“Lee Westwood is the best golfer in the world right now. He is,” declared Montgomerie, who was speaking at Archerfield Links in East Lothian yesterday where he was promoting his Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation cancer charity. “He deserves his place, there’s no question.
“If I had won the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond in 1997, I’d have been No.1 without winning a Major. It goes on performance and over two years, Lee has more points than anyone else. What that’s proving is consistency. Luke Donald’s the same. It’s not just about winning one big tournament.”
European golf boasts six golfers in the world’s top-10. With all four Majors currently belonging to European Tour members, and the Ryder Cup back on this side of the ocean, Monty is relishing the global powershift.
“What are they really complaining about? Is it the fact that they are not getting as many points for their events and we are? Well the domination was in America the last 10 years and they were getting more points than we were. Now the PGA at Wentworth this year will damn near be a Major championship points-wise because we have six out of the top 10 in the world. Wentworth is open to the top 50 in the world so they are more than welcome to come.”
Montgomerie will return to action at next week’s Spanish Open but, away from the cut-and-thrust, the Scot is immersing himself in another challenge.
The Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation, set up as a legacy to his late mother, yesterday joined forces with the SGU and the SLGA in a bid to raise over £1m for the creation of two new Maggies’ cancer centres in Lanarkshire and Aberdeen.
The new event, dubbed ‘Monty’s Monthly Medal’ and sponsored by Aberdeen Asset Management, will be open to all club golfers in Scotland with the leading 80 players qualifying for a grand final in September, with Monty playing a hole with each of the finalists.
“To see these centres built would give me more satisfaction than anything I have achieved in my career and I wish we had them 21 years ago when Mum was diagnosed,” he said. “When I was younger, my weeks off the tour would be spent practising. Now I am dedicated to this.”
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