THE SENIOR OPEN PRESENTED BY ROLEX

July 20, 2022

Colin Montgomerie

PGA Centenary at Gleneagles

Press Conference

Q It's a special week. How much do you look forward to it?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I do, I do. I saw my nemesis there for breakfast, has the same birthday as me, June the 23rd. But that's the only thing we share right now. Obviously, 1992, when you finish 7-under for the last five holes, to beat me there, was fantastic for him, and great for Gleneagles, and puts it on a map again.

And it's great that we're both playing here again, and it's delighted to be here.

I think it's a great course for us Champions Tour players, Legends Players seniors to play the Kings Course. It's got a lot more character than the PGA course or the Ryder Cup course down the road there, a lot more character.

And I think it's in fantastic shape. They've done a great job, and we all look forward to playing.

Q As you say, it's a course you know well. What do you think of the changes that they've made to this course?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, there's not so many changes around the greens. The greens are all the same. There's just a couple of new tees that they thought that we're hitting the ball 40 yards further. So they thought they put the tee back on 12 and the tee back on 18 40 yards. The trouble is that I'm hitting the ball the same distance as I did in 1992, which is not 40 yards further.

So I'm in trouble, and a number of us are, trying to get over the couple of saddles on 12 and also the famous saddle coming down the hill on 18 there. So depending on wind directions and stuff, you have to play accordingly.

But apart from that, the course is as we remember. There's some good shots to be hit. You're rewarded for good shots. Bad shots will accumulate, which is good, that's what we want.

And, yeah, we look forward to. Really do. And now we've been practicing, yeah, and the weather has calmed down, which is incredible to say that, isn't it, in Scotland? You know, the weather has calmed down.

But it's good. We're all looking forward to it.

Q Colin, you used to live around here. Did you play Gleneagles?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I didn't. Every time I've come home, whether it be here or in London, I don't really play much golf, to be honest. When I come home from, say, three or four weeks in America, the week off at home is haircut and dry cleaning, I'm afraid. It's not playing golf, you know. So I don't really play much when I'm home.

So I never really did. I came up, I practiced a little bit, I must admit, down at the bottom at the academy there. Hitting up the hill from the bottom, it was quiet. But at the same time, very, very rarely. Very rarely.

So, no, it's not as if I know the course any more through my Bell's days, Bell's Scottish Open days than Bernhard Langer or Vijay or some of the guys that used to play regularly on the European Tour, yeah.

Q It's strange to see you in the heart of the country, it's a bit linksy --

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes.

Q And probably plays a little bit linksy, doesn't it?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It does now. It does. There's some certain fairways that are difficult to hold because of the undulation and the rolling nature of them. It is as dry as we've ever seen here. I mean, this is unbelievable, this spell of weather we've had.

So it is playing linksy. It is playing shorter, provided you can stay on the fairway. The pins are getting tougher out here on the Senior Tour. They're not where people think they are, in the middle of the greens. They're in the corners, and it's going to be -- you know, yeah, you got to find a fairway to start with to get some -- to get some control with your second shots.

So, yeah, it's -- there's a lot more to this course. This is a fine golf course, and always was. And it's great. As I said earlier, it's great that we're playing here. I think it's fantastic we're playing here. As soon as I heard Gleneagles, I thought, oh, no, not the -- I mean, with all respect to it, not the PGA Centenary Course. It's a hell of a walk. I mean, to walk from the second to the third, you need -- I mean, Christ, you know, you're knackered.

So I'm rather glad it's not there and it's back to traditional golf here, yes.

Q It comes hot on the heels of The Open at St Andrews. Just that feel-good factor that golf in Scotland continues here this week?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, it's super, isn't it? The three great weeks, with the Scottish Open, obviously, and The Open Championship, which was a massive success, and now here. And then, of course, we've got the ladies in a couple of weeks. And, of course, over at Muirfield. So we've got five weeks out of, what, seven that we're in Scotland, which is fantastic.

And finish off with two big ladies events, especially the AIG Women's Open being at Muirfield for the very first time. And that will be fantastic to witness.

Q Just elaborate a bit on the women turning up at Muirfield. I mean, did you always think that might happen?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No. Nobody did. (Laughing.) Come on. Nobody thought that would ever happen. And here we are. The first R&A event happens to be a women's event, which is fantastic, you know, even beating The Open there, which is superb.

And, yes, it's well overdue, as the ladies, when they played a few years ago, and now at Muirfield, and they played at St Andrews. And times are changing. And all the better for it. And they'll love Muirfield. I think the setup will be fantastic for them.

And, yeah, I hope they have a great time there, and deservedly so.

Q You've always been honest about your game, giving us your opinion about the game. What are your thoughts on what's going on at the moment?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, it's different, isn't it? It's changing, isn't it, you know? Here we are in this changing world.

But at the same time, I'm not here to discuss anything to do with -- or discuss the PGA TOUR, which I'm a member of, or discuss the DP World Tour, I'm a member of, or discuss the Legends Tour, which I'm a member of. And I don't want to discuss anything that I'm not a member of, and never will be.

Yes, you want to talk about Ryder Cup captains and all this other stuff, but it's all speculation until somebody's announced. And until somebody's announced, nothing really to say on that matter.

Yeah, I can't -- I can't speculate. It's all hypothetical. It's up in the air right now. And it's all speculation. So I don't want to speculate.

Q So you haven't had any offers?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No offers. No offers. Quite rightly, too, actually. No offers. No, no, I'm 59 now, and no offers. And even if there was an offer, I'd stay in my -- stay -- stay put.