	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

ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP

September 29, 2011

Colin Montgomerie

ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: We'll start Carnoustie tomorrow morning, we are first off tomorrow which is good with Retief. Looking forward to, that and see how we can go. Only one mistake today which is a silly 3-putt at the 13th hole after I birdied the 12th, my third hole.
So that was the only mistake of the day. So delighted with that and to make an eagle and three birdies was good, yeah.

Q. Your playing partner is playing well today, as well?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Michael was fine. He did extremely well. He's a cancer survivor. That's what he calls himself, and every day is a good day and he wakes up and it's a great day for him and it's super to see him back here and battling through.

Q. Very good. Do you speak to him much about the work you've been doing?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, you see his wristband he has. He has an Elizabeth Montgomerie wristband on, so that's super. Whether he'll take it off when he gets home or not I'm not sure but it's good he's got it on for at least these three days anyway which is super (laughter).

Q. You won when he was your partner.
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I did indeed, 2005, managed to beat Kenny Ferrie on the last green; so we did well there. As soon as he was playing, we sort of met up and made sure that we could play again together which was super.

Q. Have you felt the irony, Colin, of the weather that we have got here in Scotland, exactly one year on from a certain week in Wales?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It's amazing, isn't it. (Chuckling) Basking in 27 degrees right now and, in fact, we had the Year to Go celebration two years ago and it was perfect. It was 21 degrees if you'll remember, and just so happens that we got very unlucky, or very lucky, whatever they say. Instead of three days golf, we managed to get four out of it, and it worked out in the end.
But yes, the Welsh have never sold their country on weather; neither have we, but it's nice when it does happen like this and it's super for everyone involved. I see Herb Kohler, the owner of the hotel and it's nice to see, for Johann Rupert's sake as well, he's had some dismal days here in October and it's nice to have a good one in the back of September.

Q. I'm sure a lot of very fond memories have been stirring around this time of year, given that it is effectively the first anniversary?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It is. When I heard that OlazÃ¡bal was going over to Chicago, it brings back memories of the year to go and what happened with him that year, and amazing. We just wish him well. He was over there playing with Davis Love around the course, and working strategy out himself already, I'm sure, and that's why he's not here.
But at the same time, we wish him well, and yes, it does bring back very, very good memories. And it's nice to meet up with most of the team here that are playing here this week. We have got a great field here. All credit to them for making the effort, Luke Donald especially, for coming over from the states. I think we have got most of the 12 guys that were playing there, playing here, which is super.

Q. Is The Ryder Cup accompanying you everywhere still?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It does most of the time. Yes, I'm off to the Middle East when I finish here on Sunday night. I've got three days out there, corporate work out there in Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and it's accompanying me there on the trip. People see me come through airports with it and it's lovely, sort of a silver case, and they think that can't be, can it, can it? Is it? Can't be. And it is, yes. So if anybody sees me with it, yes, it is The Ryder Cup, yeah.

Q. Does it get like special upgrades and stuff like that? Does it have its own gold card?
COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I'm not supposed to leave it out of my sight tore insurance purposes. So it goes with me. It goes in the cabin with me and I'm not supposed to leave it out of my sight but it does go in the locker above me when I'm flying with it but it's always upgraded. The Ryder Cup deserves it, believe me.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297