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HSBC WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

October 10, 2007

Colin Montgomerie

VIRGINIA WATER, ENGLAND

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I started to watch Chelsea but I've always supported Leeds. No, the last five years hasn't been good for Leeds, but this year, it's been okay. Another win last night against the mighty Darlington, three games away from Wembley.
GRAEME HAMLETT: Anyway, we're here for The Match Play, and you have a humdinger of a first round match with Ernie Els.
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: We first came against each other in 1993 I suppose, and that was -- well, '94 in the U.S. Open, and then of course we played each other in the final here in '94 after that, after Oakmont. And then he beat me in the final here, and then of course in '97 we played each other in Congressional and beat me by a shot. So it's nice to have another go, 13 years as you said in the press there, after met each other the first time.
And I'm playing quite well. It's a draw that I don't think either of us wanted the first round but it doesn't matter, it's not easy nowadays. They are very, very difficult games, they all are. Every one will be tight and every one will be a good standard of golf, and you can't get around here expecting to win holes with pars nowadays. You need a lot of birdies, and I know that tomorrow. It's a very tough match, of course it is. I've drawn the highest-seeded player here. It will be very interesting, and I look forward to the challenge of tomorrow. We're last off and I look forward to that. So very interesting.

Q. Do you prefer match play to stroke play?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I do. I much prefer playing it. In fact, if I chose a sport again, I would much prefer to have a sport where it was one-on-one, as opposed to normally 156 in the field, there's 155 competitors against me. In stroke play, you play your ball against the course. I much prefer to play against the man, if you like, the guy against me, and I much prefer that form of golf and I tend to enjoy it more. And therefore, I'm a great believer if you enjoy doing something, you're usually quite good at it. So I enjoy match play much more than I do stroke play to play as a form of the game.

Q. Does it give you more freedom to attack?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, yes, you don't have a card, you don't have a card in your bag, I suppose. But freedom, I wouldn't say -- still, every shot counts. I just tend to -- my record is singles especially is reasonable, especially against the Americans.
But I don't know why, I really do enjoy this form of golf. As I said, if I was to choose a sport, I would much prefer a one-on-one than one against hundreds of others.

Q. What about boxing?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No, that wouldn't be a sport I would choose because I would be crap at boxing. (Laughter). I would, and I can think of other sports, I would be crap at others and I'm lucky to be doing what I'm doing. Tennis I wouldn't be able to get the ball back, a bit slow at that. I'd find something I could do one-on-one. Darts, maybe.

Q. Sumo wrestling?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Okay. Okay. I'll stick to golf. Tomorrow, one-on-one.

Q. Were you working late in the rain yesterday on your putting?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, I worked in the rain yesterday actually. And usually, I'm my best coach if you like normally. I kind of work things out when I have a practice session like that, and I was sort of an hour and a half in the rain yesterday before the green went underwater.
I started thinking about every putt for a half, because in match play, if you have a putt, at all, you're putting for a half or a win. You never putt for a loss. So every putt has to get to the hole, and that's been a problem recently. I've been very negative with my putting and very tentative if you like, and it has not quite worked out.
So in match play, I can be more positive and will be more positive and have to be more positive tomorrow to have a chance against Ernie. I know that if I putt well, if I can finish the day tomorrow having said to myself, I putted well, I have a very good opportunity of winning. If I don't putt well, I will lose tomorrow. That's the basis of the thing. I've got to putt well to have a chance against Ernie.
GRAEME HAMLETT: Have you changed your putter at all recently?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, the odd one or two. You know, my selection of putters come out. But I'm sticking to the one, which is the right thing to do.

Q. How many putters did you use this year?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Too many. If I could, I would change them within a round. Yeah, hasn't been good. My putting has been very, very poor this year. I've always been okay hitting the ball. I've always not really had a problem with that, but my putting has been very poor and just not good enough I'm afraid. So we'll have to do something about it and let's hope we can start tomorrow.

Q. You've listed Ernie's triumphs over you, what about the other side of the coin?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, I won a playoff in the Sun City, that was probably the wrong country to beat Ernie in. I just managed to get the flight out in time before I was arrested for beating Ernie in South Africa! That was good. The presentation was about 20 minutes later and there was nobody else left; It was a silent presentation. Everybody had gone home expecting Ernie to win. That was 1996. I managed to win the playoff at Sun City which was great. And that, I'm afraid, has been my only success against him, so let's hope I can do something tomorrow.

Q. Did you practice at the Wisley, or here?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No, I was here yesterday. Jerry Kelly was there. He fancied having a chat I think. I felt we could have had a chat in drier area really, but he picked the putting green, I don't know why.

Q. You wouldn't have been alone if Vijay were here.
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, I wouldn't have been if Vijay had been playing obviously, so I was the only one on the putting green in the rain. Surprising; shocking!
I needed to do something. I was very poor last week. I putted very, very poorly. I had 38 putts the last day at Kingsbarns, which is ridiculous. To score 73 or 74 or something with 38 putts is absolutely ridiculous. I should have made the cut easily and played well enough. I just missed everything. 16 two putts and two 3-putts, that's ten too many at this level.

Q. Is Wentworth a good place to find your putting stroke?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, we have two tournaments here, one in May, which we all feel is too early almost to bring the greens on at that stage. And Chris Kennedy does a great job of trying to beat nature, if you like, to bring them on. But they are better at this time of year than they are in May.
So the greens are good, there's no excuse for the greens at all. There's only, as I say, eight matches, as well, so there's not 150 people tramping on them. So there's no excuse there.
So, yes, if I can get the thought pattern going at The Match Play, the thought pattern going early on, I have a chance. If I don't, I won't.
GRAEME HAMLETT: Do you think you discovered something yesterday?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I did. I'm quietly confident here. So, we'll see what happens. I just look forward to playing it and I look forward to the challenge of it and look forward to testing myself against one of the world's great players.

Q. It's a match that is going to be receiving gallery support.
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, I think so. I think I'll get the sympathetic vote, if you like, the underdog support, and then we'll see what happens. But being a Wentworth resident I suppose as Ernie is part of the year, and I'm about 20 minutes away, still local. And as you say, Ernie has been adopted here really if you like, and he should take most of the crowd, but we'll see, especially in the afternoon. We're quite early in the morning, but the afternoon crowd tends to get a lot larger than the morning one does.

Q. It's important for you to improve your World Ranking and World Ranking points.
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, it is, it's going the wrong direction. I started this year at the 17th in the world and now I'm suddenly talking to you at 48th, and that's no good. That's a big drop in the wrong direction and it's got to change. Yes, it's quite good I guess, some points here, whether you win or lose but not enough, and I need to start getting that in the right direction. As you said, there's no better time than starting here.

Q. What's your schedule after this?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I have a couple of weeks where I'm doing corporate work, and then I'll play again at the Volvo Masters.

Q. Who is your favourite darts player?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Stop this. You'll be asking me who my favourite Sumo wrestler is shortly and I don't know his name, either, and I certainly can't spell it. (Laughter) I'll stick to what I'm good at.
GRAEME HAMLETT: That's golf, and certainly matchplay golf, so good luck against Ernie, Colin.

End of FastScripts

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