Colin Montgomerie is one of the most quintessential European DP World Tour pros of the last 30 years and undoubtedly one of the greatest European Ryder Cup players of all time, which gives him a certain leeway when he speaks about some harsh truths facing his home circuit.
Playing this week in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, as well as the following two weeks on the flat-belly Tour before returning Stateside to the PGA Tour Champions, Monty bemoaned the “one-dimensional” nature of the modern game.
- “I should be past being surprised by how far these young players hit the ball. They all seem to play the same game and in the same way. There is a one-dimensional quality to it that was never the case back in my day,” Monty told GolfDigest.com’s John Huggan. “I know I sound like an old fuddy-duddy, but golf never used to be one-dimensional. It’s not the same now. It’s all about brute force.”
Monty’s comments seem to fall in lockstep with those of a predecessor of his — Jack Nicklaus — from just last week when Big Jack railed against the golf ball going too far.
What’s more, Monty then went on to give a grim prognosis for what’s ahead for the European Ryder Cup squad, a team he played on eight times and captained to victory in 2010 at Celtic Manor.
Colin Montgomerie bemoans modern ‘one-dimensional’ pro golf and Europe’s Ryder Cup future https://t.co/23mqGf83iU
— John Huggan (@johnhuggan) January 18, 2022
- “We haven’t lost at home since 1993. That’s 30 years by the time the next one comes around. But 2023 is going to be difficult,” he said. “Look at the World Ranking. If everyone plays to their potential, the likelihood is that we are going to lose. Ten of their 2021 team will play again next time. And they will want to win away from home. Because they haven’t done it for so long. And I must admit I look at what might happen at Bethpage in 2025 and shake my head. We might as well not turn up for that one. I wouldn’t want to be a rookie on that European team. For the first time in a long time, I think we could be headed for three losses in a row.”
By now, we know that Ryder Cups aren’t won on paper, and perhaps now more than ever, a home-course advantage is massive.
Sure, we’re still some 20 months away from Italy and a lot can happen in that time, but Monty’s comments can’t be seen as much other than music to the ears of American fans.
