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THE RYDER CUP MATCHES

September 19, 2004

Colin Montgomerie

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN

Q. For the people sitting at home watching these things, Colin Montgomerie wining the Ryder Cup, the talented player from the European team, what do you think?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It's funny, at breakfast, we were talking, about No. 6 was about the time where we only needed three points to win. So it was about the time it should have been won. Lee Westwood or I were going to, we thought, hole-the-last-putt sort of thing.

And of course, you hope not; that you're hoping that David Toms misses, you give yourself two for it. But he holed a great putt. And I made a great up-and-down myself. He's a fine player and I knew that.

And I had to finish strongly, you know, birdie, par, par was very good. And it's been a fantastic play. It's been a superb week. Bernhard Langer, I knew how good he would be from the word go. But he had good troops with him as well, you know, he did.

And we had, as I said this morning when I walked into the club, we had strength at the top, we had strength in the middle, hopefully and we had strength at the bottom and it's proved that this week.

Q. From a viewpoint outside of the locker room, Colin, it's looked as though attitude is everything with the European team this week. Did you see that?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: From the word go. From the word go. We're a closer-knit team. We're one of the closest teams in international sport; we must be. It's amazing how well we play for each other, and that's huge.

I'm not saying that the Americans don't. They play for the country or whatever, that's right. But we really do play for each other. And it's amazing how we pull for each other from the word go, from the moment we get on that plane on Monday morning how we are as one. It's amazing how our record here is, belies our ranking in the world.

And our support. We got great support here. Most of Scotland and Ireland are here. It's fantastic.

Q. Is this as good a win as you've had in this competition, in your involvement in it?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It's as good a team as we have had. And it does bode well for the future. It's as good a win. We're all individually fantastic, you know, but as good a team as we have had and it all goes well for the next time around.

Q. I know it's not just about you; it's about a whole team. But from your personal point of view you and the Ryder Cup, I mean --

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I'll stop you there. Personally it means nothing, okay. Personally it means nothing. This is all about a team event. Personally it means nothing to me. I've said that many times. That putt was not for me at all; that was to get 14 1/2 points, which we're required to do.

Q. What a day.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: A fantastic day, but not just today. It's been a fantastic week for us all. Bernhard had 12 fine players under his wing, and that's the first time I can really say that. We had strength at the top this morning, we had strength in the middle and we had strength at the bottom. That's first time I could ever say that.

Lee Westwood and I had a chat this morning, he was 5 and I was 6. And it was about that time that we felt we could win. It just happened that it fell on me. But it doesn't matter who holes the putt. It's a team event. We got our points that we needed to get.

Q. You must be able to see that this is some story that you should hole the putt that wins the cup.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, yeah, it is.

Q. Emotional.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, yeah, for me, yeah. More so than most, yeah.

Q. What about this, they're chanting your name. You don't see things like this in golf.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, it's super. We have had great support. The Americans, of course, have had fantastic support this week. But we have had equally good, you know, we have been outnumbered, but we have heard them and we have done very well. Half of Scotland and Ireland are here this week; it's been fantastic.

Q. What another fantastic performance. You and the Ryder Cup go hand-in-hand again.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, I don't know what it is. I spoke to Lee Westwood this morning mand he was 5 and I was No. 6 and it was about that time where we might get the third point, you know. And we did.

It wasn't looking very good early on, it never really does for us. We all came back. Garcia's win was vital and then Darren's half and then Lee's win, fantastic. And I just was one of the people that happened to win. It was great.

It just so happened that -- I was hoping that David would miss his putt, I miss admit that. That's a hell of a putt he holed. And it made me have to hole mine. But I'm glad it caught the left-hand side.

Q. I know you don't see yourself as an individual, but nobody could have written the script that you would hole the winning putt. And as a captain's pick, as well.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It's been a long four months, five months of mine personally, and I don't want to talk about it. But at the same time, it's quite well, quite well-known; and, yeah, I've come a long way in those four months. I am proud of myself right now.

We have got a lot of Scottish and Irish support here. But I must admit I think the Americans have a slight respect for me in this competition. And when David Toms birdied the hole to get back to square, and then hit it in to 8 foot at 14, it wasn't looking good.

And I birdied on top of him and he missed. And that was crucial for the game and also for the match.

Q. I know you don't want to gloat, but you've given them a real good spanking on one of their most difficult courses.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It is, it is a U.S. Open type course. It's their type of course. But I must admit here that we have come here with the best team I've been associated with. Team. All 12.

We started off this morning, and I said that before but we put strength at the top, we put strength in the middle, hopefully that was around me, and we put strength at the end. That's the first time I've ever been able to say that in a Ryder Cup and it's worked out great.

Q. Has this Cup been any more memorable than the rest of the other ones, Monty?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, it's the first one I've gone to bed on my own at night. Thank you.

Q. There's a celebration going on.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: And justifiably so. We came here again as underdogs. It's amazing how well we do. We can't really put it into words, really, you know. If we could, the Americans would have worked it out by now, I suppose. If it was justified. I don't know how it happens.

But yet again, we have managed to play as a team remarkably well the first two days. And that's what gave us this sort of great lead going into today. How we got 11-5, we do not know.

End of FastScripts.

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