For most of his 71 majors Colin Montgomerie was good enough to win multiple times, but the cantankerous Scot’s temper cost him dearly.
Yet he managed to win 31 European tour tournaments, the fourth best success rate of all time:
Seve Ballesterous tops the list with 50 wins over two decades.
Bernhard Langer is second with 42 wins over 23 years.
Then Tiger Woods with 40 over 17.
Montgomerie with 31 over 19.
Nick Faldo with 30 over 20.
Ian Woosnam with 29 over 16.
Ernie Els with 28 over 20.
Jose Maria Olazabal with 23 over 20.
And Lee Westwood with 23 over 19, and likely to add to that total.
So Montgomerie certainly had the firepower to win majors, but his best finishes were five times runner-up – the bridesmaid of international golf.
In the 1994 US Open, ‘Monty’ and Loren Roberts lost the play-off to Els.
In the 1995 PGA Championship, ‘Monty’ lost the play-off to Australian Steve Elkington, his only major.
In the 1997 US Open, ‘Monty’ at 3-under lost by shot to Els’ 4-under.
In the 2005 British Open, his 9-under was well short of Tiger Woods’ 14-under.
And in the 2006 US Open, ‘Monty’ and Phil Mickelson, playing at the back of the field, both double bogied the 72nd hole to gift-wrap the title to Australian Geoff Ogilvy, his only major.
But as soon as he turned 50, Montgomerie’s life changed.
He upgraded his attitude and made friends with the big crowds instead of fighting them, and the results have been staggering.
Montgomerie has won three senior majors on the trot.
Last year he captured his first – the PGA Seniors – with a four-shot win over American legend Tom Watson. He backed that up with a play-off win over Gene Sauers to capture the US Open Seniors.
Early on Monday morning, ‘Monty’ retained his PGA Seniors with a four-shot win over Esteban Toledo.
From none out of 71 to three majors out of three, how Monty’s life has dramatically changed.
“I’m making up for lost time,” was how the now likeable Scot described his success.
The equation was simple on the demanding Pete Dye course, French Lick, Indiana – stray and pay severely.
‘Monty’ didn’t stray often carding only seven bogies among 15 birdies to finish at 8-under.
Toledo was four shots adrift with 16 birdies, eight bogeys, and two doubles.
Woody Austin finished third at 3-under with 11 birdies, and eight bogeys.
Brian Henniger had 15 birdies, six bogeys, two doubles, and a triple for his 2-under.
Scott Verplank also finished at 2-under with 12 birdies, eight bogeys, and a double.
In the field of 156, that only five golfers broke par undermined how tough a course it was over the four days.
Making Colin Montgomerie’s three-peat major success all the more historic.
An “unshakeable” Scottie Scheffler has claimed his second Masters green jacket in three years, carding a four-under-par 68 to finish four shots clear of…
A day after setting a tournament record in the Masters, Tiger Woods has suffered an unwanted milestone at Augusta National. Woods insisted he could…
Tiger Woods is on the prowl for a sixth green jacket after penning another glorious chapter in his storied career with a record-breaking 24th…
Bryson DeChambeau has laid some demons to rest with a stunning back-nine birdie barrage to seize the first-round lead at the weather-hit Masters. The…
A year after being persona non grata at Augusta National, Australian golf legend Greg Norman is back at the Masters, declaring "the boss is…
Australian golf star Min Woo Lee has revealed he will play the Masters with a broken finger after suffering the freak injury in the…
