Montgomerie belittles U.S. Ryder Cup team
By PATRICK McMANAMON / Scripps Howard News Service
SOTOGRANDE, Spain -- Colin Montgomerie offered some fighting
words as the opening day of the Ryder Cup approached, words that
might make this friendly competition between nations intensely
competitive.
Speaking to The Herald, a Scottish newspaper, Montgomerie had
some intriguing thoughts on just about every member of the U.S.
team that is trying to take the Cup back after losing it in 1995.
He also, indirectly at least, offered a challenge to Tiger
Woods.
Montgomerie's theme: As Friday's fourball matches tee off,
the pressure is on the United States.
"They are the big continent," Montgomerie said. "They
have a lot more to lose than us."
Montgomerie said Davis Love III and Justin Leonard are the
best U.S. players, that Woods would be dangerous if the Cup were
held at Augusta. Every member of the European team "90 percent
wants to play Woods," with a slight element of doubt mixed
in.
Asked how he might fare against Woods -- a realistic possibility
given the two are among the top players on each team -- Montgomerie
said: "I rather fancy my chances."
He gave Woods credit for his record-setting 18-under performance
at the Masters, but then said "his record in other majors
(besides the Masters) is not that good."
Montgomerie made a point to say he had outperformed Woods in
three of four majors. And he was right. Montgomerie finished second
in the U.S. Open, tied for 24th at the British and 13th at the
PGA. Woods finished 19th, 24th and 29th.
But Woods buried three Europeans he was paired with at the
Masters, and all three are on the European team. In the first
round, Nick Faldo shot 75 and Woods 70. In the third round, Woods
shot 65, Montgomerie 74. And in the final round, Woods shot 69
and Constantino Rocca 75.
Montgomerie also talked about the rest of the U.S. team.
Regarding Tom Lehman, Leonard and Love, Montgomerie said "beating
them does not mean as much."
Phil Mickelson is "not accurate off the tee" and
"can hit it anywhere."
Jim Furyk has a nice swing, but Montgomerie wondered if it
would stand up under pressure, adding "being fourth or fifth
on the U.S. Tour is not the Ryder Cup."
Asked as a European what U.S. golfer he would like to see have
to make a short putt to win the Cup, a situation Bernhard Langer
faced in 1991, Montgomerie didn't hesitate and named Scott Hoch.
Hoch missed a putt of less than two feet to lose the 1989 Masters.
Montgomerie added, though, that Mickelson and Brad Faxon were
"not up to it yet" either.
Call it gamesmanship, a psyche job, bravado. Whatever, the
comments made their way to the U.S. side, where captain Tom Kite
tried to downplay them. Publicly at least.
"I don't pay a whole lot of attention to what was said,"
Kite said. "We'll find out."
Montgomerie now has made himself a focal point of the Cup.
He's one of Europe's best players and winner of the European Order
of Merit for a record five years in a row.
But distractions bother him and affect his play. His chance
to win the U.S. Open vanished when he waited for minutes to hit
a short putt because the crowd near him was too unruly for his
taste.
In addition, he did not play well in the British Open at his
home course, Royal Troon.
With those factors in mind, European captain Seve Ballesteros
made sure to give Montgomerie a message this week.
"I talked to Colin very clearly," Ballesteros said,
"and said to him, 'Don't feel that you have an obligation
to win all the points. Just play, relax, enjoy it. And if you
win, it's great. If you don't, it's not going to be the end of
the world.' "
Montgomerie will be paired Friday morning in the final fourball
match with Bernhard Langer.
His opponents: Woods and Mark O'Meara.
"We're going to have the opportunity," Kite said,
"to find out whether Colin was accurate in his assessment
of Tiger's game."
(Pat McManamon is the national sportswriter for Scripps Howard
News Service.)
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