Golf
Montgomerie says he’s ‘quite depressed’ by issue that’s ‘great for PGA Tour’
Colin Montgomerie admitted he’s unhappy with the strength of the DP World Tour as top European talents continue to make the move stateside for better competition and prize money
Colin Montgomerie has slammed the DP’s World Tour’s decision to let some of Europe’s best players defect to other competitions, explaining that the move has left him “quite depressed”.
The 61-year-old Glaswegian has 31 European Tour wins to his name – including three consecutive Volvo PGA Championships from 1998, 1999 and 2000. And in his prime, he would constantly face the likes of Sergio Garcia, Nick Faldo, Ian Poulter, Padraig Harrington and a wealth of other household names.
Nowadays, the Tour has seen some of its best players migrate to stateside competitions and the LIV Golf League, leaving the European circuit with few and far between talent compared to the rest of the world. And despite a 2020 deal between the DP World Tour and PGA Tour which resulted in a wealth of sponsorship and investment, Monty isn’t keen on the Race to Dubai pathway which allows the top ten players of the competition to enjoy a season with the PGA.
Speaking with Golf Magic, Montgomerie said: “Yeah, I’m getting quite depressed now, as I speak on behalf of my old tour, the European Tour. Yes, it’s weakened; there’s no denying it. You can paint it up as much as you want. You could paint it rose-tinted, whatever you want to do, but come on. [In] any business [if] you give away your top 10?
“Top 10 in your business every year is going to be weaker, isn’t it? So [it’s] great for the PGA Tour; I can’t believe they accepted it, to be honest, because they’re taking spots away from Americans, but good on them to get them. Unfortunately, Europe, Europe has suffered, and the European Tour will suffer because of it.”
Monty went on to reflect that he was facing some top talents in his day but said that the sport has weakened since then – adding: “I was competing against Faldo, Langer, Seve, Olazabal, Woosnam, Lyle, you know, these people; now you get one in the top 50 If you’re lucky entering the tournament, and one in the top 75 normally. It’s not the same, and it has weakened.”
Due to its monetary prizes, LIV Golf has managed to attract some of the best golfers from across Europe, including the likes of Garcia, Poulter, Jon Rahm and Lee Westwood – who play alongside Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka. Meanwhile, the PGA Tour sees top European talents like Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy go up against Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler and Tony Finau – leaving the DP Tour struggling to compete.
Explaining how the DP World Tour could help bring back big-name players, Montgomerie said that GB should use their first-class links courses – citing how “the course is a big advert” for bringing in players. He added: “What we have, in Britain, we should be showcasing more.
“We’re lucky that the Senior Open is going to Carnoustie, which is great for us. The ladies are at St Andrews, which is great for them this year. You know we’ve got Trump Aberdeen, which is a superb facility. We need more of that. We need more of the courses. The courses are going to really establish the field.”
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