home

jobs

	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

VOLVO MASTERS ANDALUCIA

November 10, 2002

Bernhard Langer

Colin Montgomerie

SOTOGRANDE, SPAIN

GORDON SIMPSON: Before it's nearly breakfast time let's get started. Congratulations on sharing the trophy. As you said, it's quite appropriate -- tell us your thoughts on winning for the second time this year.

BERNHARD LANGER: Well, there was no way we could continue. We got to the 18th tee and it was so dark, you definitely had -- I had problems with the depth. I couldn't see how far I was standing from the ball and I saw that Colin felt the same way. We were even trying to bring a buggy out there with lights, but it was really getting ridiculous. There was only two options, either come back tomorrow morning, which probably would have been somewhat of an anticlimax to this great championship, or, you know, share the victory, as I did a few years ago, with Seve Ballesteros at the Trophee Lancome. I think we both agreed that it was the appropriate thing to do, and Ken Schofield said that it would be okay to do it, and that was it, really.

GORDON SIMPSON: Colin?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I agree entirely with Bernhard. There was no way we could play. When Ken Schofield came on the radio, very quickly Bernhard took his hand off and I took my hand off, and we shook hands. There was though delay at all.

I think it was very appropriate this year that we did share this wonderful trophy. Along With the Volvo PGA, our flagship event, this is right up there. This is the best field we have and it's super that we can play on this wonderful course. I think it's appropriate this year, in a Ryder Cup year and Ryder Cup victory year for Europe that my partner and I should share this trophy. I won this trophy ten years ago and Bernhard won it eight years ago and it's good that we have comeback on form, the pair of us and victorious again.

To everybody, but especially to the Volvo Masters, the Valderrama greens staff, they do a hell of a job to get this course in the condition that it is, and it's a delight to play. Let's hope that we are here for many more years.

GORDON SIMPSON: We'll take questions, please.

Q. Can you explain about the rules and what you were talking about at the end, what happened with that?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, I was asked to go to the tour productions van to have a look at an incident on the 10th green where the ball appeared to move; and had I addressed the ball or had I not addressed the ball, that was the key question. We found out between John and I that I had not actually addressed the ball and therefore could end up in a playoff. But I was told by John Paramor that they had to look at this video, on the 12th fairway walking down to the 12th green; and it was on my mind, obviously because you're not quite sure. I knew I had not hit the ball, but had I actually formally addressed the ball; and the answer was no.

So, it was fine, and John, I have a lot of respect for John. He's very, very tough but at the same time, he's very, very fair. And I was able to continue in the playoff.

Q. So it was addressing the ball and not hitting a moving ball?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I did neither.

Q. What was suggested that you had done was addressing a moving ball; is that right? That's how you understand?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: That's what I understood, yes. And I had not officially addressed the ball.

Q. What was your unhappiness when you went in off the 18th green?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: My unhappiness was over being told on the 12th hole. But now I appreciate John's idea in that, in that it would have possibly changed my approach to the game coming in.

So, John was quite right in actually letting me know immediately. Say I was two ahead, right, not knowing it, and made a 5 at the last, though I did anyway. But made a 5 at the last and didn't play to the score. So, he was only right in informing me earlier, other than later. So he was right on that.

Q. Did it affect your approach to the playoff?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: To the playoff, no. No, not at all.

Q. Was it on your mind?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Totally. I knew I had not made an infringement, but we had to make sure that it was clear-cut, but it was okay.

Q. When you had to go to the TV, did you accept that it was all part of that?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I accept the Rules of Golf, any rule of golf.

Q. Did he cite rule 14 or rule 19?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: (Laughter.) I don't care if it's -- is it rule 35? It is, isn't it? I don't care if it's rule 35, to be honest.

You're more up on the rules than I am. But he didn't cite the particular rule, no.

Q. You said if you came out tomorrow there was a danger of a sense of anticlimax, is there that feeling anyway, ending in a tie in a playoff?

BERNHARD LANGER: Not really. A lot of press was here. A lot of spectators were here. The atmosphere was like a great championship until the very end, until the last putt that was made.

We could come back tomorrow morning; I don't know who might come out here. Television probably would have a hard time to cover it. They all need to go someplace. Everybody is really planning to go someplace, aren't they? There would not be that many spectators and the whole deal.

Q. So is there a sense of anticlimax not having the results tonight anyway?

BERNHARD LANGER: We do have a result.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: We do have a result. And actually with my playoff record, I'm delighted. (Laughter.) I'm actually taking this as a complete win here. This is fantastic. I think I'm 0 for whatever it was -- 0-for-7. Okay, well we can add this one to the win column which is a delight.

BERNHARD LANGER: You go into history winning your first playoff. I go into history having shared two first place.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: We'll go down in history. We will.

Q. Having done this before, does your previous shared wins feel as good as the others?

BERNHARD LANGER: It did. Really, if I remember correctly, I had to be somewhere on that Monday and Seve had to be somewhere, whether it was a company day or another, we had to travel somewhere around the world. It would have just made everything very complicated and very difficult, besides all of the reasons I just mentioned a minute ago, with television and writing press and sponsors and the golf course.

You know, this course is probably fully booked tomorrow morning, I would imagine in. They would not be happy about us chopping it around there for a couple of hours.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: And if you want to play, good luck to you.

Q. Is there a sense of relief, both winning your first tournament this season?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No, I'm not out for that at all. I'm just glad that I've started to perform again. I'm keen to go after some injuries through the year and I'm glad that the Ryder Cup was a great success, for us, as well, Bernhard and I. I think it's most appropriate that we do share this trophy.

BERNHARD LANGER: It's always great to win. There's nothing that compares to winning. Obviously, I have not won this year, but it's great to win, whether I win it on my own or whether I share it with Colin.

As I said earlier, I could not think of a better guy to share this with, and I do mean that. We've had a wonderful Ryder Cup week where both of us were never down in any of the matches. I think it's very appropriate to win one of the greatest tournaments that we have on our tour together.

Q. You've ended the season on a high, with the Ryder Cup, now here, you apparently seem to be fit again. You admired your name on the Volvo Order of Merit coming in; is an eighth one there?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Of course it is, if I perform. I haven't performed consistently well as I did for seven years. I've performed okay in fits and starts. May was good and September was good and October wasn't bad, but at the same time, there's other months included and that's what I was doing for seven years. I was doing that for 80-odd months, I was performing consistently well.

BERNHARD LANGER: He'll be playing with Hogan equipment the next three years; he'll be winning three more voice mails. (Laughter.)

Q. You've both said this is a great tournament, and it clearly is, do you not think it should have been brought to a finish?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It was brought to a finish.

Q. Nobody won.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: But nobody lost. It was brought to a finish. I think this is the most appropriate way, this tournament, this year, and this way should have finished between Bernhard and I. I didn't want to beat him and he didn't want to beat me. I think it was very appropriate the way it was finished this year. Very appropriate, and I think it's only right that we share this trophy, and then we go on and hopefully we'll start an hour earlier next year.

Q. Will you be back to defend next year?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: God willing, we both will.

Q. Who gets the trophy for the first six months?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: There's another trophy being made.

Q. Should they have started earlier today?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: That's not for me. I'm not -- but of course, you would have this had -- you would have had a final result if we had started an hour earlier, possibly. But the way we were going --

BERNHARD LANGER: It's all done by television, isn't it.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Television dictates. But the way we were going, I think we would have been out there for a while.

GORDON SIMPSON: Gentlemen, well played, both of you. You deserve it. Thank you.

End of FastScripts....

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297