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THE BARCLAYS SCOTTISH OPENJuly 9, 2011Colin MontgomerieINVERNESS, SCOTLAND COLIN MONTGOMERIE: We are very unfortunate to have this for everyone concerned, for yourselves, the media, the sponsor, I feel sorry for Barclays, everybody concerned, the greens keeping is it a. A landslide, this land has been here forever and it's never happened. This is extreme to say anything. It's incredible and it's a shame for everyone, and unfortunately I am one of them, half the field that have to come back and forth, I hear Ernie Els is over at Skibo Castle this afternoon on the archery learning how to arch; I hope he doesn't hurt himself as he gets in the way, but he's doing that. There's a number of players that have finished their round that are doing nothing but coming back and forth. We were up at 4.30, with that horrendous thunder clap that woke us all up in this area at 4.15 this morning. It's unfortunate for everybody concerned and I feel sorry for everybody. Q. Have you managed to get out and actually see the damage on the golf course? COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No, we are advised not to, it's dangerous, we are advised not to go down to the first because it's dangerous to go down there. So we have been asked to stay at the top. The car park as we know are enclosed, the players' car park -- a number of players need to be towed out of the mud. A freak condition. Q. What do you do with your time, one time and then another -- are you ready to get out on the golf course? COLIN MONTGOMERIE: You have to -- it's like The Ryder Cup was. You are told, okay, I had to tell my team to go back to the hotel room as I did for about four hours on that Sunday morning, and I'll give them a two-hour shout if you like, a two-hour window to come down and prepare themselves but this is the same. We came here, we all arrived here at 5.30 this morning, ready to go, breakfast for 6.00 and prepare ourselves for a 7.00 kickoff and now what is it, 5.00 now. So there's a good ten hours of wasted time, if you like, just hanging around. We went back to the hotel room, we just messed around really. There's nothing to do and we are all getting a little bit bored and it's unfortunate for us. The golf course will be very different than it was when we start playing. It will be longer, of course. Softer, longer. The greens, whether they have been cut or not, I'm not sure. You can't imagine that happening. And placing of the ball will be an issue because it will gather mud on the fairways now and we are not allowed to place the ball, so it's very much of a problem for the later starters. Q. Now, for you it's a huge week with The Open Championship next week, has that been on your mind more so with the fact that you're playing nicely this week and really this is your last chance to get into The Open? COLIN MONTGOMERIE: The only time I thought about the open really was when I got to 6-under after 17 holes the first day. I bogeyed the 9th -- unfortunately I missed the fairway but the first time I've been thinking about it was after 17 holes the first day when I got one behind the lead and be obviously I would love to play. I've been 21 years at The Open without a break which is a proud record because without winning The Open you have to find a way of qualifying somehow, and I found a way of qualifying for 21 years in a row and I don't want that record to break. I'm running out of time, especially with a three-round event now. I'd much prefer it to be four, so give myself a chance to get up there, but now it's three round. I've got to get to 8-under tonight. I'm 6-under right now and I have to get to 8-under minimum tonight and then score a very low score tomorrow. I've got to think Ryder Cup play. I've got to think about not leaving a putt short at all. I've got to think about putting for a halve. Every putt I have now is for a halve over the next 27 holes so there for there's no point leaving a short for a halve, so they have going and I have to try and get there, because I'm a great believer, if you're not playing, you can't win. And I believe Royal St. George's is quite fast running and gives me my best opportunity of doing well nowadays. Q. What do you think of this venue? COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I think it's a great venue, super venue and delighted to hear we are back here for a couple more years. I think it's a fantastic venue, just most unfortunate that its first year has been hit by this horrendous freak weather. But I'm sure when we come back again, we'll find it the way it should be. It's a gorgeous area of the world and very proud to be Scottish. But unfortunately this week, it's just so happens that the golfing gods have not shone on us at all and it's been very, very miserable. Q. Disappointing that it's the first to finish in 54 holes? COLIN MONTGOMERIE: First one in history? I thought Loch Lomond was reduced once. I know we can't go into Monday because of the qualifying situations at The Open and what have you. I know the Masters can go into a Monday finish; Atlanta finished on Monday because there's no qualifying for the Masters, so I understand that. So it is unfortunate we can't get all the round in, and 54 holes, you don't expect that to happen here. Q. Have you ever been involved -- COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Not with 11 o'clock daylight. This is the most daylight we've ever had -- that's more thunder -- I can't see get out there at 5.00 to be honest with you. Q. Have you ever been involved in a 54-hole tournament? COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Often. And 36 holes. There was one in Cannes once where a Swiss guy won. He said he was going to win anyway after 72, so that was all right, but he won and I don't know where I finished there, but 36 was our weakest. I think anything under 36 isn't classed as a tournament at all. 54 is not great. It's a shame. But those leaders in the clubhouse now, 11-under, they are laughing. They are having a big, big laugh, aren't they, at us. I don't mind whoever it is, I would be as well, if I was one of them. They are really enjoying themselves. Q. Do you think your chances of getting into The Open are greatly reduced? COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Reduced. I needed 72 holes to get to that stage. The scoring yesterday morning was fantastic and unfortunately the scoring as you've seen yesterday afternoon, even before we were called off wasn't as good. And that sixth hole for instance, yesterday I could reach with two woods, well, an hour previous, Westwood hit a driver wedge. I know he's longer than me but he's not that much longer than me. So it does make a big difference, and unfortunately we have been hurt by it, but there you go. That's the state. Q. Have you -- COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Come on, Monty, you're the captain, get on with it, do something about it. But I can't, and I can't see -- incredible. End of the world stuff. Q. Do you have an easy shot? COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I don't have an easy shot. I hit my second shot at the 10th and it was on line with the pin and it hit a big slope just short of the pin on the 10th and it bounced left into the hazard. It's about that far in the hazard. It's not a difficult shot, it's an easy up-and-down. In fact, looking at it last night just as I fancy holing it -- but of course I couldn't mark my ball so I don't know where my bloody ball is. I'll drop one. The hazard is still there, it's probably come up and shot on to the green. But it's one of these things. I need to be 8-under tonight, minimum, 8-under tonight. I need to up-and-down that, which should -- shouldn't be a problem and then get two birdies tonight, minimum, to give myself half a chance tomorrow, if we play. Q. To go to three rounds -- COLIN MONTGOMERIE: There's no other because of the qualifying for The Open you see. I think if The Open didn't have Monday qualifying, there's no reason why we shouldn't play here Monday. Q. There's no qualifying in the Monday -- COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Isn't there a Monday now? Isn't there a Monday of the event still? Q. No. That was last week. COLIN MONTGOMERIE: That was last week, was it? Q. Monday's free. COLIN MONTGOMERIE: What do you guys say? What do you guys predict? Are you guys -- but you guys have opinions, as well, that's what we pay you for, come on. Q. It's not enough. COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Okay, not enough, but come on. Do you think we should go to Monday? Half a million first prize? I do. Now that I didn't know there was a Monday qualifying, forgive me, I thought there was a Monday thing. You know, there used to be; if there isn't a Monday to get down to The Open Championship after The Scottish Open, we should be playing here Monday. Q. Surely it's kind of almost disrespectful to this tournament? COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say that. Obviously the Tour have been in touch with Barclays and they have okayed this. I don't see what's been happening committee-wise, but you would think if the Masters can do it, the Open can do it. Q. Does Thomas need to have a word with the Tour as the Chairman? COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I don't know. Speak to him. But I would like to see this 72 holes, yes, there's no doubt this should be 72 holes. Q. However many you can get in on Monday, might be 36 -- whereas if you play Monday you can go to 54? COLIN MONTGOMERIE: On a decent day we can play here until 11 o'clock at night. You could easily -- I know the continue is bad. That's probably part of their decision, that we don't want to hold the players back till Monday and then find it's bad. So they have decided to make an early decision. That's probably why the decision's been made. Q. I think they said they won't schedule a new round but they will conclude a round on Monday. COLIN MONTGOMERIE: That's the Tour, Monday. You can complete on Monday. You can't start on Monday, of a major or something. But I mean, people can get down there, Christ, I mean -- well, I've never played, really, to Wednesday anyway. Another day off. Q. Only 52 in the field in The Open at this stage. COLIN MONTGOMERIE: They are probably on their way. Q. Scott Jamieson is not in The Open -- COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Possibly, with him leading I suppose, he'd probably take it as it is. To me, I need as many holes as possible. It depends on, you know, someone is going to win here. Someone is going to win and be delighted. You know, it's a shame. It's a big event, this, a very, very big event, huge event. A shame. First time here, 54 holes -- I never realised it's the first time ever we had 54 holes. A shame. Nearly 40 years. Never mind, there you go. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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