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VOLVO MASTERS

October 26, 2005

Colin Montgomerie

SOTOGRANDE, SPAIN

GORDON SIMPSON: Well, Colin, welcome back to a place you're very familiar with. And as you'll see, we're announcing your shot of the month, RBS Shot of the Month Award today.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I see that.

GORDON SIMPSON: I think that shot possibly helped you win the tournament and helped you get to this position that we're in today with that Order of Merit.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, when you go left at 17, you all know when you go left at 17 at St. Andrews, it's not great. So I hit a great shot in there, especially when Kenny had hit a very good shot in there himself. I'm glad to have won that.

Anyway, that's very nice, and thank you for another tray.

GORDON SIMPSON: Good to see the media getting the right result, isn't it?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, I need some glasses now and I'll be away.

GORDON SIMPSON: Anyway, to this week, Michael Campbell said he'd like to see the seven wonders of the world. Would it be the eighth wonder of the world to you if you could pull this one off?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Did he? That's great. It would be a great honor to do this again, and I'm glad it's here and I'll be giving everything that I know in the game to achieve that goal. I know that I'll be giving everything that I can. I'll be trying on every shot, every putt, and that's all I can do. I can't predict the future. I can't predict what other people can do. I have no control over what other people do. I have control of what I do, and I will be in full control of what I'm doing.

Q. Is it important that you play with Michael, is it important to have a match play mindset when you go into it?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Not at all. I have one objective. I've come here to try to win this tournament. Forget the Order of Merit for a second. There's a lot of Ryder Cup points in this tournament and a lot of World Ranking points in this tournament, and I come here as I try to enter every tournament, to try and win it. That's where I'm here, to try to win the Volvo Masters. That's why I'm here and that's the goal for the week. And if I do that, then everything else will fall into place.

Q. It's ten years since you had a race with Sam for the title.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It is.

Q. How does this one compare to that?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, as you probably know, I had to finish ahead of Sam. Sam finished third. So that was a bit of an ordeal, to say the least and I managed to that, just.

This is slightly different. I have a fair lead, and so it's slightly different. It's not up to me to me as such it's up to my competitors. So it's like a different type of form, but as I say, I just have to be in control of what I do.

Q. After you won yours seventh, you told us you were quite happy with that, but given the fact that you've had to come back from a low position in the World Rankings and had a couple personal problems, would you wear the t shirt more proudly this time?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, I think when you've when I won for the third time possibly against Sam, and then four, five, six and seven were almost expected, certainly from yourselves and from me, and it was almost sort of an expectation was very high. So therefore, to finish second even would have been a failure at this stage. When you're five years away and then you come back to this position again, I think it means an awful lot more than any of the other ones even put together.

Q. Michael was saying just now that he had not paid attention to the statistics and the ifs and the what ifs and so on and so forth. If I know you, you know every last position and point and every

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: You do know me, yes.

Q. You do?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes.

Q. So which are the most important ones, simply that you win?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: As I said earlier, forgetting that for a second, if I win the tournament, that's that, it's all done and dusted, right, and that's why I'm here. I'm here to try and win the tournament. I'll enjoy playing with Michael. I have a lot of respect for Michael, he's had a great year and has come up in a similar type of way to me. I think we both missed out on the Match Play (Accenture) and both missed out on The Masters. Our seasons kicked in, his kicked in a little bit earlier than mine in qualifying for the U.S. Open and winning the thing, which was an amazing effort and all credit to him.

I'll enjoy playing with him tomorrow. But I won't be looking at his game and he shouldn't be looking at mine. We should be looking at our own, our own games and trying to do as well as we can in the tournament for its own sake.

Q. He also said that if he had to choose between seven Order of Merits and a major, he'd choose a major. Your view on that?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, he's got a major and he hasn't got an Order of Merit, so he hasn't got a choice. Neither have I. (Laughing).

Q. However?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I don't look back and think the career is not full without a major. I'm very happy with what's gone on. And to win a league championship seven times in a row; I have a trophy that Ken Schofield awarded for me back in 2000, I believe, and is says: "A record that will forever remain unique on the top of it," and I'm very proud of that.

Q. At what stage during the year did your game turn around, or your mental state turn around so much, that you thought that you might get back to this position here at the end of the season, a turning point?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: A turning point was The K Club two weeks before the Open where I, if you like, backed in to a second place spot. I was never in second place. I holed a 4 footer at The K Club at the ninth green to make the cut on the mark, and I finished second. And I backed into that in many ways. There was a lot of happenings going on around, and I finished my round and I was finishing higher and higher up the leaderboard without doing anything. I think that helped me in many ways. It gave me confidence go forward and to progress, and it helped me in the British Open, as well.

So I think in a roundabout way, I think The K Club was a major turning point for my year, and that would be the first week in July.

Q. So as late at that?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Nothing much was happening much before then to be honest, not much. There was a few Top 10s at the early end of the year, but that was a bit of a key point, yeah.

Q. In terms of last year, you won in Singapore.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes.

Q. That wasn't a turning point as such compared to the K Club?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No, that win wasn't taken on, if you like. In 2004, I had a lot of happenings after that. I believe that was about March 2004 and a lot was going on at that stage. I couldn't unfortunately take that forward.

I'm taking things forward now, and it's a lot clearer and a lot happier and a lot better.

Q. Michael also said that he went through a period well, he went through a bad period from around about a year ago to the early part of the year and he sat down and analyzed it and said he almost convinced himself to go out and play good golf again and determined to do it. Do you ever go through sort of anything like that, getting back to where you are now?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, yes, a lot of determination is required, and I was the only person that can do that. So of course there's the determination and the will and the ambition to get back to somewhere where you were. I'm not saying I'll ever achieve where I was, but it's nice to be on the way back, yeah. And whatever happens this week, whatever happens, I'm going home and I'm going to celebrate this year, whatever happens here.

Q. It's Volvo's 100th tournament sponsorship worldwide, and I think you have more of their titles than anyone else, just some thoughts on what they have brought to the party and can do in the future?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Sure. I was very fortunate, I turned pro the late end of 1987, and the first Volvo Masters appeared in 1988 when I played there, and I played in every one of them.

And Volvo brought a great deal to this party, as you say. And I think that in prize money alone, it's a 100 million Euro or something, an incredible amount of money Volvo have put into this game over those seven years. And we as a Tour, and not just ourselves but The Challenge Tour, as well, and The Senior Tour, I believe, have a great debt to pay to Volvo. They have been brilliant for us, and it's only fitting that the one tournament that remains on the Tour that's sponsored by Volvo is this one. Yes, I've won nine Volvo events over the years, and it's a privilege to do so.

Q. If you were to win this one, would that mean more than any of the previous ones?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Not particularly as a Volvo event, no. I just would love to win the Volvo Masters again and that would assure myself of the Ryder Cup spot and that's another goal I have, obviously. I'd like to get in that team as quickly as possible.

Q. When you get a t shirt, will you wear it?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No, I'm not really into tee shirts, I'm afraid. I don't wear my other seven, either. I had a Chelsea shirt made; I did. I was sent one.

Q. With your name on the back?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: With my name on the back and a 7 on the back of it. So I might have to change that. Might ask them.

Q. You said that you will celebrate whatever happens this week. (Smiling.)

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes.

Q. In the previous years here, for example, the year with Seve, you could have won and you didn't, and you did win the Order of Merit, but you did win the golf tournament and you found it impossible to celebrate the greater success because of the disappointment. Is that an example of how you've changed, maybe in a better place to putt things in perspective?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, I think that's true. I had actually won the Order of Merit before the tournament had started, that was 1994, I believe and I had won the order or before the tournament had taken place. Of course, I was in the last group with Seve and all sorts of things were going on. (Laughter). It took a long time to play that day. And obviously, going out in the last group, and I think I was one behind him or something, and of course you want to win the tournament. That's why I'm here, that's why I'm her this week as well. First and foremost I'm trying to win the Volvo Masters. As I said, Order of Merit will take care of itself. That's why I'm here and I'm focusing on that as well.

But, yes, I am in a better frame, a much better frame to celebrate, and I celebrated my open performance, and that was a second place. I very much celebrated my dunhill links win because, as I said, that was very, very important to me.

Q. How did you celebrate the dunhill links?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, it wasn't a Freddie Flintoff situation, but it was on its way.

Q. You drove home, for one thing.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, I drove down the road, so I couldn't have done a Freddie Flintoff, my God.

Q. How would you describe yourself now with this tournament?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: How am I?

Q. In yeah.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: In what way?

Q. Anticipation, I suppose.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: This is great. Isn't this wonderful? This is. It's great for you.

Q. For us?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It is, it's great for you. You're delighted I missed that putt in San Francisco. (Laughter).

This is good. This is great. This is what it's about, competition and I thrive on competition. I'm a very, very competitive being and I thrive on competition; and this is competitive, this is good and I'm looking forward to the week ahead; and I'm glad it's on this course and I'm looking forward to the whole thing.

Q. Does Hugh Mantle have an important role to play this week?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No, I need to talk to people, I need to talk to him, I need to talk to others around, and I need to be, not given confidence; I'm confident. But there's other things that are around and other things that have to be dealt with, and it's good to have people like that, professional people like that, that can help, and he's helped me since 1993 and that's been a while now. This is coming up new, all of these so called sports psychologists they call themselves, but this is a very professional situation, a very professional outfit we are, and we've done very well together.

Q. Does he give you a final thought before the round or anything like that?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Final thought, no. No, I know what to do.

Q. Of the time that you and he have spent together, how much will be spent talking about golf and what you've got to do?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, good question. Yeah, this week, good question, limited to be honest, limited. I've got to be prepared to go on the first tee. That's his job, that's my job, and we prepare me for going on the first tee in the right frame, whether that's talking about golf or cricket, I don't know. But I will be prepared, believe me, on Thursday morning, or Thursday at two o'clock.

Q. Does he help with getting over emotional situations?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, certainly, yeah, very much so.

GORDON SIMPSON: Colin, good luck tomorrow. Thank you very much.

End of FastScripts.

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