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The post Here’s Colin Montgomerie’s major-heartbreak advice for Mito Pereira appeared first on Golf.

When Mito Pereira watched his PGA Championship title hopes drown in a creek to the right of the 18th fairway at Southern Hills, golf observers — as often happens in such cruel, indelible moments — looked for historical comps, or other instances of 72nd-hole major heartbreak. Dustin Johnson at Whistling Straits (grounded club). Van de Velde at Carnoustie (rolled-up pants). Mickelson at Winged Foot (fore left!).  

Often forgotten in that last example is the fact that Mickelson wasn’t the only player to kick away a golden opportunity at Winged Foot. Colin Montgomerie, who famously never nabbed a major title in 75 career starts, also had an excellent chance to win.

After jarring a 75-footer for birdie on 17 that tied him for the lead and splitting the fairway with his tee shot on 18 that left him 172 yards from the stick, Montgomerie seemed destined for, at worst, a playoff. But then he hit his approach shot short and right into a gnarly, clumpy lie, from where he couldn’t chip the ball close. Three putts later, he had closed with an ugly double bogey, and at six over for the week, one stroke shy of eventual winner Geoff Ogilvy’s total.

Tournaments

Montgomerie is back in the field at another major this week — the KitchenAid Senior PGA, at Harbor Shores, in Michigan — and on Wednesday he was asked if he had any advice for Pereira, in terms of how the Chilean might get over his dispiriting finish at Southern Hills.

Montgomerie did. In short, he said, it was one swing. One hole. One tournament. Pereira has many other big moments ahead of him. He is 27. At Winged Foot, Monty was 42.

“A young player, younger than I was and that was one of my last opportunities,” Montgomerie said Wednesday. “It won’t be his.

“All I’ve got to say to him is be patient, and I say that to anybody coming through. Be patient. It’s a hell of a long career and just be patient with it, and take — if you can — take as many positives as possible. I know that’s a bit cliche, you take the positives and everything.

“After 71 holes, he was ahead and that’s a hell of an effort. After 72, he wasn’t, but after the first [71] holes to be ahead is a bloody good effort and he should try and take as much positives as possible.”

To his credit, Pereria already seemed to have at least some of that perspective. “I finished third on my first major this year,” he said that evening. “I think I have to really just hold [on] to that.”

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How long Pereria might also feel the sting of not winning is another matter. Montgomerie was asked how long it took him to recover from Winged Foot.

“I’m not over that,” he said. “Never will be. Sleepless nights. Get up five times thinking about it every night.”

He was joking, but he wasn’t. In Monty’s autobiography, he described that week as “the major near-miss which can still wake me up in the middle of the night.” He added on Wednesday, “If somebody said to me, one shot left, if you want one shot again, obviously it’s that one.”

But on the flip side, Montgomerie said: “I’ve had a hell of a career. I’m very, very fortunate. I’d take nothing back. People say would you trade your money lists for a major? No. … I’ve had a great time at this, and I wouldn’t trade anything for anything. So that went pretty quickly to be honest. I got on with the next one.”

Pereria no doubt will aim to do the same, beginning this week at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He has a 12:45 p.m. starting time Thursday alongside Tom Hoge and Viktor Hovland. Back to work.

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The post Colin Montgomerie explains how to hit his ‘old school’ fade appeared first on Golf.

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Colin Montgomerie is a man who has mastered his craft: Hitting a low fade. He always has and always will. He’s done it his entire career, and it’s propelled him into the Hall of Fame.

“He never deviated away from what he did. He just got better, and better, and better at his DNA and at who he was,” Paul McGinley says of Monty, adding that he’s the player most golfers should try to copy. “He never had a huge amount of clubhead speed, but he was repetitive. He never tried to do anything different.”

At the Berenberg Invitational charity golf tournament this week, which raises money to help fight the devastating effects of pancreatic cancer, we caught up with the European Ryder Cup legend to learn more about his baby fade. He came back with a handful of brilliant pieces of Monty advice to help the rest of us.

You can watch the full video below, or scroll past it for a quick summary of it.

1. Swing more up and down

Monty says he’s a man of the old school, which means he prefers swinging up and down. That helps Monty feel like he’s swinging to the left of his target, which is an important key for him, he says: When his arms get too far around and behind him, they never come back out in front of him, which leads to blocks and mega-misses to the right.

“They get their arms behind [their body] and never get back,” he says of recreational golfers.

It’s important to clarify that there is such a thing as overdoing it. Swinging too far left — AKA, over the top — can result in some wicked slices. Monty hits tiny little fades, which he says is created by his sensation of cutting across the ball ever so slightly, while never letting the clubface get too open.

2. Get your weight forward

Along those lines, Monty says that he sees many players swinging too far around their body, and getting stuck on their right side on the downswing. He wants you to shift your weight forward onto your front foot for a descending blow.

“A golf swing should be walking though the ball, that’s where power comes from,” he says. “Not going behind you, there’s no power in that.”

3. Swing long

And speaking of power, Monty says the key is swinging long and loose. To do that, Monty says to lighten up your grip pressure at address. You’ll grip harder during your downswing, but if you start off light, you’ll be able to swing the club longer.

“It takes the tension out of the forearms,” Monty says. “The lighter I grip it, the longer I can swing it, and the longer I cans swing the club, the more time I have. And a golf swing with time, is a good one.”

Well said, Monty.

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Colin Montgomerie calls it “probably the best shot I’ve ever hit.” For someone with 54 worldwide wins — 31 of which came on the European Tour — that kind of statement makes you stand up and take notice.

“Monty” has pulled off plenty of shots over the course of his illustrious career, but it was a driver off the deck on the final hole at the 1996 Dubai Desert Classic that tops the list. It was a heroic second shot that landed softly on the green and led to his 10th European Tour title.

“[Miguel Angel Jimenez] had out-driven me and was about ten yards further on,” Monty recounted in 2019 to the European Tour. “He showed me his cards, if you think of a poker game. He took out his three-wood which meant he was going for it.

“I had a six iron in my hand originally. But I said to my caddie Alastair, ‘If he goes for it and makes birdie, we could be on for a play-off.’

“Into the wind, the only club I could reach with was my driver…”

On the 25th anniversary of the tournament-winning shot, Montgomerie showed off a sole photo of the original Callaway Big Bertha driver on social media, along with a side-by-side shot of the classic driver and a 2021 Callaway Epic.

The image is a stunning reminder of how far driver technology and design has come in the last two-plus decades. When Montgomerie went for the green in two with driver in 1996, Big Bertha had just turned 5 years old and was in the process of changing the equipment landscape.

Up until the early 1990s, most drivers were still made from persimmon and roughly 190cc in size. Big Bertha was a radical departure from the conventional design, boasting a stainless steel body and face at the same size in an attempt to increase distance.

Drivers

To put the head size into perspective, many of today’s 3-woods range from 170-200cc.

Over the last 25 years, drivers have dramatically increased in size from 190cc to 460cc — the current USGA limit. Face technology has changed as well with the introduction of titanium.

For some, the changes in driver technology might make Montgomerie’s shot even more impressive. For others, it might be the opposite. No matter which camp you fall into, we can all agree it’s still one heck of a shot given the circumstances.

Want to overhaul your own bag for 2021? Visit the expert fitters at our sister company, True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news and information, make sure to check out our recent Fully Equipped podcast in the Spotify link below.

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There is no secret to the golf swing, no perfect way to do it. But there is a secret to playing good golf, as Butch Harmon says: It’s about finding something that you can do repeatedly.

That truth shone through once again in this short-but-sweet interview with Irish Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley, who holed the winning putt for the European side in 2002 before captaining them to success in 2014.

In the interview, which you can watch in full below, McGinley said he would “love” to be 22 again because he’d take all the things he learned and know what to do differently. Mainly, he wouldn’t try to be something he’s not, and instead set about perfecting what he already is.

“The first thing I would do would be to identify what my DNA is as a golfer,” he says. “What are the characteristics of my good shots that produce the ball flight that I want? That’s my DNA as a golfer.”

This all sounds very buzzwordy, but it’s important and similar to what Butch says. Figure out what kind of golfer you are. Do you hit fades? Draws? Do you have power or are you shorter yet straighter? Figure that out and lean into it. Don’t chase something you’re not; perfect the tools you were given.

And in McGinley’s mind, there’s one player who did it better than anybody else.

McGinley says: Learn from Monty

With 31 European Tour titles, eight Order of Merit titles, an eye-watering Ryder Cup record along with three senior tour majors (and counting!), Colin Montgomerie boasts a career most golfers would dream of. And he’s the player McGinley says he admires the most.

“He hit a baby fade, and that’s what he did,” McGinley said. “He didn’t have a huge amount of clubhead speed, but he was repetitive. He never deviated away from what he did. He just got better, and better, and better at his DNA and at who he was … he never tried to do anything different. He never tried to hit a big draw, he never tried to get more distance.”

McGinley says that while it’s great to admire the Tigers, the Rorys and the DJs, it’s not always the best model to follow for the rest of us.

“We’re not all blessed that way,” he says. “A lot of us are a lot more blessed the Monty way.”

And so, he says to follow Monty’s example. Understand what you are, and perfect it. You’ll be better off in the long run.

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The post 57-year-old Colin Montgomerie lost 40 lbs and looks better than ever appeared first on Golf.

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It didn’t take long for Colin Montgomerie, once he became eligible for the PGA Tour Champions, to establish himself as one of the best players on the senior circuit. The eight-time European Order of Merit winner won seven times (including three majors) between 2014 and 2019, and he’s not ready to stop there.

With the impromptu offseason halting the schedule, Monty is one of those dedicated players using the break as an opportunity to improve himself. The most impressive change was some hard work in the gym: 57 year-old Monty shed about 40 pounds and looks a shadow of his former self. On the right is a picture of him from July 2019; on the left from this past weekend.

Monty said his weight loss has helped him gain some distance, which is also in part due to some swing changes he’s been making with his coach Kevin Craggs. As you can see in the below before-and-after sequence, Monty’s arms are moving more around his body nowadays; turning his arms rather than lifting them up too high and causing him to get steep.

Now, his arms are actually in a position that more closely mirrors where he was at the peak of his powers.

All in all, great stuff from Monty, and hopefully we’ll see it lead to some winning results when he’s back competing.

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The PGA Tour is planning to return from its coronavirus hiatus on June 11. 

Colin Montgomerie doesn’t think that plan will work. 

“To think about starting up in June is very optimistic, to say the least,” the longtime pro told the Scotsman. “All sorts of different scenarios have to come into play, but I just can’t see it.” 

High among Montgomerie’s issues is coronavirus testing. 

In announcing when the PGA Tour would resume play following a hiatus that started in mid-March, commissioner Jay Monahan said the Tour would need to test players, caddies and others involved in tournaments before events could start and would “need to do so in a way that’s not going to take away from the critical need that we’re currently facing.” The Guardian recently reported that the Tour would need up to a million tests to complete its season, though a Tour spokesman denied the figure. 

Frontline workers need the tests first, Colin Montgomerie said.

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“If they are going spare, then by all means,” he told the Scotsman. “But you do feel that somehow those million tests could be used for frontline workers more than for us. Everyone is not getting tested yet, and frontline staff around the world should be tested first before we get anything.”

Montgomerie was also concerned with the different levels of government. Cities and states across the country have enacted different restrictions due to the coronavirus, and Andy Pazder, the Tour’s chief tournament and competitions officer, said the Tour would work with all local, state and federal health regulations.

Montgomerie sensed confusion. 

“In America, the federal government doesn’t seem to know what the governors are doing and they don’t seem to know what the local mayor is doing,” Montgomerie told the Scotsman.

Another issue, Montgomerie said, was how international players would be able to travel to the U.S. under coronavirus travel restrictions. Andy Pazder, the PGA Tour’s chief tournament and competitions officer, has said there are about 25 Tour players and 35 caddies who face that situation, and that the Tour is “paying very close attention to if and when those restrictions are changed.”

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“I can’t fly to America,” Montgomerie, a native of Scotland, told the Scotsman. “Even if I wanted to self-isolate over there for two weeks, I can’t do that, as I’m not allowed in. That has to lift before anything, really.”

Montgomerie also wondered what would happen if anyone associated with the Tour tested positive. 

When the Tour announced its return, Tyler Dennis, the Tour’s chief of operations, said “that question is not something I can answer yet, but it’s something we’re evaluating closely.” 

“We are first to go and, if it does spike up or go wrong – if one of the players contracts this virus or one of the caddies or volunteers among the 600-odd people they say have to be on site at these tournaments even without a crowd – what happens then?” Montgomerie said to the Scotsman. 

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The post Colin Montgomerie says European Ryder Cup success is result of ‘moral code’ appeared first on Golf.

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The Ryder Cup opinions continue to flow. Now on the mic: Colin Montgomerie.

In an interview with Reuters this week, Monty made it clear that, whether or not players really like each other at team events, the issues should be handled in private. He believes he and his former teammates followed that code in their successful Ryder Cup years.

“I could be on to you all day about what goes on in the team room in the Ryder Cup and what’s been said and what hasn’t been said, but I would never ever breach that code to say anything,” he said.

“You’re playing for the team and anything that goes on behind those closed doors should stay behind those closed doors. That’s our moral code anyway.”

Monty is no doubt referring to the comments from Patrick Reed in the aftermath of the U.S. loss. Speaking to the New York Times, Reed criticized captain Jim Furyk’s decision to bench him for multiple sessions.

Montgomerie played in eight Ryder Cups and was a member of five winning teams. He also captained the winning Euro side in 2010. Despite all that success, Monty made clear the European team members didn’t all love each other. But they were able to put their differences aside.

“It’s like in any business, any company, you probably wouldn’t socialize with 95 percent of your colleagues at work but once every two years you do, and you get on with it, and you play for the cause, which is trying to get 14-and-a-half points.”

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With just two months left before the Ryder Cup in Paris, the teams are taking shape, and Colin Montgomerie loves the European team’s chances.

Monty spoke to reporters before the Senior British Open this week, and he was asked about his confidence level in the squad Thomas Bjorn will lead in late September. “Very confident. Very, very confident,” Montgomerie said.

This, of course, follows Francesco Molinari’s impressive two-shot win at the British Open at Carnoustie. “Amazing what an Open victory does to a team mentality, and not just him,” Montgomerie said. “It was him and McIlroy, and Rose came through very well, and you put all those three together with Molinari’s win, Thomas is probably looking at the best team that we’ve had assembled for, well, almost ever.”

That is some high praise. Before losing at Hazeltine, the European had enjoyed a dominant decade, winning every match since 2008. But Monty thinks this team might be the toughest of the them all. “When you add up the new boys coming through, they are not rookies anymore,” he continued. “It’s very much world players now. Alex Noren hasn’t played before, but he’s a world player. Jon Rahm, world player. Molinari’s played before, and Tommy Fleetwood, world player.”

Montgomerie may have a point, but either way the September matches are sure to be some of the most highly anticipated in the event’s history. The Ryder Cup begins Friday September 28 in Paris.

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With the U.S. Open in the rearview, Colin Montgomerie stopped by the GOLF.com office in Midtown Manhattan as part of a promotional tour for Loch Lomond Whiskies, which announced earlier this year that it will be the official spirit of the British Open through 2022. (A special Carnoustie edition will be released later this month.) Monty discussed the Phil Mickelson U.S. Open controversy, the upcoming British Open and Ryder Cup, and what he loves — and hates — about New York City.

Afterward he also took your questions live on Twitter, which you can watch below.

We’ve got Colin Montgomerie with us today. He’s here to take your questions…while doing a photo shoot! Ask away! https://t.co/40IRLl9I1M

— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) June 19, 2018

Let’s start with last weekend’s U.S. Open. What was your reaction to the Mickelson situation?

Controversy sells, doesn’t it? Unfortunately it’s a controversial incident. I’m sure the two bodies involved – Mickelson and the USGA – wish it wouldn’t have happened. It happened initially because the USGA got it very wrong, with where they put the pin positions on 13 and 15 on Saturday. He came to 13 and he had a problem. Knowing Phil the way I do and calling Phil a friend, he would love that minute of his life back again. It’ll take a while to get it back. It’s brought on a whole different area – the legality of it, the rules. 1-2 says you can’t hit a moving ball, and I think it was [14-5] that says you can’t deflect it. Well, if you hit a ball, you’ve deflected it.

Did they apply the right rule? Or should Phil have been DQ’d?

It’s very gray. They managed to get around it enough to say it wasn’t a DQ. It was right on the edge. Possibly because it was Phil Mickelson, it wasn’t a DQ, if you know what I mean. Difficult situation. Curtis Strange asked him very tough questions when he finished and Phil was right there with him. Phil was trying to justify it, wasn’t he? He was trying to justify that – “Well, look, I know the rules, I can take a two-shot penalty and I’ll be better off.” You think, “Hang on. No, no, no. Don’t say that.” Just say, “I lost my head. I lost my head completely because it was crazy out there. I’m sorry.” And move on. And I don’t think we’d be talking about it today if that was case.

Ever been so frustrated at a U.S. Open that you thought about taking a swipe at a ball while it was in motion?

I don’t think that’s ever been in the realms. I’ve have balls come back to my feet. I’ve had them go over the back of the green. I’m not as quick as Phil so I couldn’t catch the ball. [Laughs] But at the same time, no, I’ve never felt that. I’ve been frustrated, yes, with the USGA’s positioning on certain formats, with getting a course in position where level par wins. Trying to control the scoring nowadays is much more difficult than it used to be. Now, controlling the score to level par is the problem here. You’re going to have to set up the golf course right on the edge, and that’s what the USGA does.

Did the USGA take Shinnecock over the line?

Chambers Bay was, Oakmont was. And 2004, the last time Shinnecock was played it was over the edge when they were watering green between groups, which had never happened before. I think the USGA will sit down and have their committee meetings and say “All right lads, forget this level par winning this tournament. Forget it. Let the best score and the best player win, whatever the score might be.” The Open Championship did it about 20 years ago, they decided they weren’t going to have a Carnoustie again in 1999, where it was unfair and luck played a huge part in it. They said, “We’re trying to produce the best player for that particular week.” And that’s what the USGA should do. If it’s 10 or 15 under to win, best of luck to them. But to try to control it to level par is very dangerous nowadays. You’ve got set up the course right on the edge and I don’t agree with that.

But the U.S. Open is supposed to the toughest test. Wouldn’t softening the setups diminish this event and strip it of its identity?

I’m not saying don’t make it challenging and don’t make it the toughest test. You can still do that by making it fair. What was wrong on Saturday is it wasn’t fair. There was too much luck involved.

But luck is also part of tournament golf, right?

You need a bit of luck, of course you do. Never have I held up a trophy and said, “Golly, I was unlucky. Look at this trophy, I was really unlucky.” You’re always a part of luck. What Zach Johnson was saying last Saturday is that there was too much luck involved. So, make it the toughest test in golf, but make it fair.

But if you don’t push it far enough, then you get Erin Hills last year, where 16 under wins. Did that feel like a U.S. Open?

Erin Hills wasn’t a great course. It wasn’t suitable for a U.S. Open. It was just a bomber’s paradise. At least Shinnecock is a fantastic golf course, set up badly by the USGA on Saturday.

One other aspect of this U.S. Open that perhaps went to the edge was fan behavior. Ian Poulter was among the players who took some abuse. You had your own tough times at U.S. Opens. What’s it like to play when the fans are against you?

It’s difficult. I remember 2002 when we arrived at Bethpage Black, they had the “Be Nice to Monty” badges, because I was a Ryder Cup threat at the time. Yeah, every shot Ian Poulter hit there was “U-S-A” or what have you. But New York is different than L.A. It’s different than Texas. They tend to be a little bit louder. Boston we found that Brookline in 1999 as well, when it got a little bit out of hand. Yes, you’ve got to put up with it, you’ve got to expect it. Ian got the percentage of abuse, unfortunately. But he’s strong and he did well to cope to a degree. I think it got to him eventually on Sunday, when every shot he hits you see, I hate to say, drink plays its part and they want to be heard. But it’s not easy, playing away from home. I found it in the U.S. Opens as well. You’ve got to be tunnel-focused and your caddie has to play an important part in keeping you on a level keel. It’s so easy to turn around and say something you totally regret. And immediately afterward you said, “What the hell have I done that for?”

You ever do that?

I did once. Congressional, 1997. I was leading Congressional at the U.S. Open and turned around and said something to a spectator. And I regretted it. You’ve just got to be strong. And I was strong from then on. But it’s amazing how that two-second issue caused a problem for a number of years. You’ve just got to be extra strong playing away from home.

Speaking of a home game, looking down the road, the Ryder Cup is a home game for your European side. Meanwhile U.S. players keep winning majors.

The one advantage we have is of course we’re playing at home. The advantage America have is they keep winning the Presidents Cup. They’ve won the last five majors, and the TPC. So, that’s not great from a European standpoint. But, in Thomas Bjorn’s favor is we’ve got four guys that have come into this team and will be playing in France. You’ve got Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm and Paul Casey. That’s a third of the team. You add that third of the team – although some will be rookies, they are also potential major-winners. But that’s a third of the team that’s new and strong. You add that lot to the Stensons and McIlroys and Roses of the world and that’s very positive. And we’re playing at home. And we have this superb record of playing at home, where we haven’t lost a Ryder Cup at home in 25 years. It’s a record we’d love to preserve. We still fancy our chances.

So should Europe be the favorite?

I think on paper, always, you look at the world ranking position, and America goes into these Ryder Cups as favorites. Number 20 should beat number 26, or 18 should beat 30. And that might happen over a year of golf. But for one round, 30 can beat 18, maybe half the time. That’s why it’s so close, and that’s why we do better than maybe most people might think we do. And being at home is huge. There will be big French support and big European support in Paris. Let’s hope, as a fervent European, that we can do it. It’s not going to be easy.

Next to us here at the table is potentially a secret weapon for the European home crowd.

Absolutely! (Laughs) Come on now, they don’t need whisky to fill them up (laughs). But I’m a proud ambassador this year and the next five years that we have affiliation with the Open Championship. We’ve now become the spirit of the Open, and it’s a great affiliation. It’s two of our greatest exports, really. We export golf very well. We’re the only nation in the world that we can classify ourselves as our national sport being golf. And also our scotch whisky is sold everywhere worldwide. And as sales go forward here in America, the biggest market in the world, we’re looking forward to the success.

Looking ahead to the British Open, Dustin Johnson is currently the betting favorite. Is he yours?

DJ got very unlucky at Shinnecock Hills. He played in the last group on Saturday when the course was becoming as difficult as it ever was. You saw Tony Finau and Daniel Berger scoring 66 in the morning, and Dustin Johnson, the best player in the world, shoot 77 in the afternoon. There’s 11 shots. He got very unlucky. Let’s hope it’s a fair test of golf from morning to afternoon that Saturday and Sunday. Playing last is never easy. In saying that, I think Carnoustie is going to be set up very similarly to Shinnecock.

How so?

We’ve had a very dry spring and start of summer in Scotland, so the ball is fast-running as it was in Shinnecock. There will be a lot irons played off the tees. Although the greens will be slower because of the slopes and wind, it’s a very similar style of play. You look at the top 10 names that finished at Shinnecock, you’d expect a number of them to finish in the top 10 at Carnoustie as well.

Is Carnoustie really “Car-nasty,” the toughest Open venue?

It’s the toughest by two shots per round. I think the next one to it could be Troon or Birkdale, but they’re scoring 62s or 63s around that so you never know. Wind is the key element at these links courses. I truly believe Carnoustie is the best of the bunch as a test of golf.

We’re having this chat in our office in New York. What do you most enjoy about our fair city?

New York’s a world city isn’t it? It’s great. It has an emotional, romantic feel about it. It’s got everything about it. Everything.

And since we’re here, I’ll give you a chance to complain like a New York sports fan. Your least favorite thing about NYC?

I wish they’d take away the trash a little bit quicker than they do!

Trust me, we do, too.

But it’s just a place that’s alive. It’s a fantastic place. Coming in from the airport last night at 11 o’clock at night, the traffic was extreme. It was busy. It was alive. However many places you go to worldwide, that skyline – Manhattan – springs a connotation of the world’s city that it is. It’s brilliant.

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