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 Relaxed and ready Montgomerie proclaims himself primed to win 1st major
Posted: Wednesday June 17, 1998 04:17 PM
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Colin Montgomerie promises it will be different this time, even if the outcome is still the same. From his experience at two previous major golf championships in California, he doesn't expect to hear the kind of heckling that followed him around Congressional at the U.S. Open last year. The burden of being the most accomplished golfer in the world without a major feels lighter this year, perhaps because The Olympic Club doesn't suit his game as well as Congressional or Oakmont or Pebble Beach. "I am a much more relaxed golfer than I was a few years back," Montgomerie said. Even so, the 34-year-old Scotsman arrived at the U.S. Open full of confidence -- some would say full of himself -- but Montgomerie will never be confused with Lou Holtz when it comes to assessing his game or his chances. He likes them, especially at the U.S. Open. "All I can do is control what I do personally, and it is usually quite good at the U.S. Open," he said. "Course management is one of my strengths, and these courses demand a very strong course-management skill. That is how I tend to get around U.S. Open courses." And Montgomerie gets around them quite nicely. The trouble is, someone else -- Ernie Els, for one -- seems to get around them a little better. Montgomerie has come painfully close to winning his first major -- let alone his first victory on American soil. A year ago, he fought through an errant driver in the second round and a strong dose of hecklers to tie for the lead through 70 holes. But he dropped a shot on No. 17 when he was distracted by the noise, missing a 5-foot par putt. Els parred the 18th to seal the win, and Montgomerie was in tears. In 1994, Montgomerie had a one-stroke lead going into the final nine of the U.S. Open at Oakmont until he bogeyed three straight holes starting at No. 11. Still, he birdied the 17th from 12 feet and parred the final hole to get into a playoff with Els and Loren Roberts. But he languished in suffocating heat of western Pennsylvania -- wearing all black didn't help -- and shot himself out of the playoff with a 42 on the front. Els won on the first extra hole. His other close calls were in California. In the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Montgomerie was in the clubhouse at even-par 288, but Tom Kite held off the howling Pacific wind for his first major. And at the 1995 PGA Championship at Riviera, Montgomerie birdied the last three holes to get into a playoff with Steve Elkington, only to watch Elkington birdie the first extra hole. "I don't think you learn unless you're in that position again, and hopefully I will get in that position again, and probably do something differently," he said. "I am gaining experience every round, every tournament I play. And hopefully one day, I might just win one of these major tournaments." Whether that day comes at Olympic, its slanted fairways bending around walls of cypress trees and rough reputed to be among the toughest ever at a U.S. Open, is debatable. Montgomerie is one of the most accurate drivers in the game, which is why he is usually in contention at the U.S. Open. But Olympic plays only 6,797 yards, which may eliminate some of his advantage. "There was a lot of irons off the tees, more irons than I thought there was going to be," Montgomerie said. "I hit my 3-wood a long way and straight, so that was the advantage at Congressional. Last year, it was more length and accuracy. Here, it is just accuracy." He's not complaining, though. Tom Watson regards Montgomerie as a "real threat" to win this week, and the Scotsman is not one to argue. "Being in the top five in the world, I suppose I must be one of the favorites to win a tournament," he said. "Especially one that I feel I have the best chance at."
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