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VOLVO MASTERS ANDALUCIA

October 27, 2004

Colin Montgomerie

SOTOGRANDE, SPAIN

GORDON SIMPSON: Colin, welcome back to Valderrama, and I see from the records, you're the only man in the field I think this week who has won around this track.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Really?

GORDON SIMPSON: Does that give you a little bit of an edge?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: That's very surprising. Is that right? I've won twice here.

Q. One and a half.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Oh, really?

GORDON SIMPSON: You like it, though, don't you?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, I do. I like it. I like it around here. I think it's a great, great golf course. And quite rightly ranked No. 1 in Europe. I think it's a fantastic condition. We've come to expect the condition of the course and we shouldn't, really. There's a lot of money and a lot of effort that goes into the time and preparation of his golf course. And we should not expect it all the time, and it is fantastic this year. The greens have got more substance to them. They are firmer, quicker, and even with the rain we've had, so the course is in excellent condition and will set up for another great finale to our European season, which of course has been victorious, really, you know. It's fantastic that -- how many Ryder Cup players are playing here?

GORDON SIMPSON: Everyone.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: All 12, that's great. That's nice that all 12 players are here and competing together and should end up for a great event.

Q. It's a thinking man's golf course, isn't it?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It is.

Q. Is that why you think you've triumphed in the past?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I think so. And I'm delighted to have Alastair back, as well because we think the same way together. As you say, it's four rounds of golf around here. Very rare does the leader on Thursday go through and win. We only have two people have won here twice possibly and to win, you have to have everything here, and that's why I really look forward to this event more than any, really, on the European Tour every year.

Q. How are is your form coming in?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I'm trying to get my distance control again. I didn't putt well at all last week. My putting was very poor. So we're back onto greens that I like here and hitting the ball well, so I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Q. You pinpointed this a couple of weeks ago as your main target for the rest of the season.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: As you well know, I have a record that I'm very proud of. I've won worldwide the last, I don't know how many years, 14 years or something once a year, at least. And I kept that record in Singapore, but this would be an icing on the cake if I can do well, well here. You can't say you're going to win. If I play well and somebody does better, good luck to them, you know. But I've got no control of what they do. I'm in control of what I do and I'm in control of everything right now, so I'm quite happy.

Q. Some players say they play better when they like a course.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes.

Q. Is that for you the same?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Sure. Standing on the first tee, I feel I'm 1-up, all right. It's always nice to have that feeling. Better than being 1-down.

Q. Do you play any courses now that you don't like?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, no, I wouldn't really go, no. I'm not in that frame. The need isn't there for me to play courses that I don't really want to be at or don't like. Yeah, you're right.

Q. Defending champion is not here, the Order of Merit winner isn't here, does that devalue the tournament in any way in your mind?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Not at all. Not at all. This is a finale of our European Tour, this event. As I say, I'm delighted that 12 of the Ryder Cup Team are here, out of 12, and that's super. The Order of Merit is different now than it was because I'm not the winner. (Laughter.) It's less European in flavor, and I'm not taking away from Ernie Els' achievements this year or Retief's over the last few years, but it's less European in its feeling now. And I'm sure if the leader or the winner of the Order of Merit was European, he would be here, so it just has a less European feel to it than it had. We in Europe are a more international tour now and it's proving it that with the last few winners of the Order of Merit.

Q. Without them here, does it make it easier to win?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: You take the second-ranked player out of the world out of the field, and I don't know what Retief is, No. 6 or 7. Of course it makes it easier. And I wish a number of other players wouldn't come, actually. I think it would be great. I don't know, there's only 54? Well, I just hope 53 don't show, no competition; the more the merrier.

Q. Do you think if you had not changed to Alastair when you did, that the changes you've made since would have happened?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I've done better. I've done better with him. I've been more confident on the golf course with him and I'm convinced that I wouldn't have played the last three holes in the Ryder Cup 1-under if it wasn't for him with me on a Sunday afternoon when it was all-square on the 16th tee. Because it was right on the line, and I think because of him with me and the confidence he gave me, I think that was -- enabled me to play the last three holes 1-under.

So yeah, I think the finish to the year has been better for me and I owe a lot to him because of that.

Q. I gather you had a chat with Seve last week and he convinced you about trying to play in the next Ryder Cup.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: He was -- yeah, we had lunch after we finished -- after I finished at Madrid, on Sunday. I was in no rush, I was staying in Madrid on Sunday night and driving down here Monday. I stopped off and had some lunch. He was there, and he came to my table and we had a chat. I think he's missed competitive golf. He's a competitive man and so am I. We thrive on competition, and you can see that in both of us, and I think he's missed it over the last few years. And he said that "you're a long time away from the game in that way and keep playing as long as you possibly can, because you're a long time from retire," if you like. Talking about his age and my age when he captained the Ryder Cup here, he was 41. My age now. People tend to forget how young he was when he captained here.

So I think I'm only two years older than him, but he said, as everyone has said, if the players as they did this year want me to play in the Ryder Cup, well, it's very difficult not to, not to go with them as they did this year, because Bernhard mentioned that to me.

Q. Many of us know it's been a long year for you, which most people would say.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: In many ways, yeah.

Q. After this week, that's it for the winter, but Guy is sending you around the world for another five or six weeks.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, he's sending me around the world.

Q. What's the motivation for you in that.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, the motivation for it is to keep competing and to be honest with you, you know, if I stop now, it's a long, long winter.

So I'm off around the world probably twice I think before Christmas. I've got a lot of travel to do, and I look forward to it. You know, I have an invite into Tiger's event at the end of the year which was great for me to be so lowly-ranked, if you like, in the world and still be able to get invited into these tournaments is great. You know, it shows a little bit of respect from the American side, as well, for me, which is great. So I'm going there.

Q. When did that come, that invitation?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Just recently.

Q. Which would be when, in the last week?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah. So it's been a good end, a good end to a very interesting year.

Q. That's where I put it --

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Shall we put it as diplomatic as that? It's been interesting, okay.

Q. Do you feel at the end of the year, that with everything that's going on your self-esteem is fully restored in your own mind?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I wouldn't say that. I'm a lot stronger than I was and I'm looking forward now to 2005 and competing again and getting into the Top-20 in the world where I feel I belong. And that's the goal and the only way of doing that is to practice hard and to spend the winter getting prepared for the new year. But I'm a lot happier. You see that in me. I'm a lot more confident than I was, say, four or five months ago and a lot happier and a lot more content and I'm getting on with it, yeah.

Q. Do you think it you would have come to the same conclusion without the chat with Seve about the captaincy, were you coming around to that thinking anyway; that it's too soon?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I was just saying it was lunch with Seve. I haven't sort of taken he said, okay, because Seve said it, you know, it's sort of the gospel if you like. But at the same time, someone in his position, you know, you listen to him and Bernhard was the same, you know. You listen to people. It's interesting to listen to people. People don't listen to people enough, I don't think, and they think they know it all but it's interesting to have different views and different opinions.

Q. So you're not 100% fixed in your head?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No, not at all. Not at all. I just happened to have an opinion from Seve, really, had a view.

Q. Looks like the weight is still falling off your bones.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, I'm not putting it on anyway, that's for sure. I'm happier that way. I'm more confident in myself. My self-esteem goes up with my weight loss and I feel better about myself. And as I say, getting on with it, yeah.

GORDON SIMPSON: Enjoy the week, Colin, thank you very much.

End of FastScripts.

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