Monty,why no major?

[shivas irons]

I know we have discussed Monty on here before but I just wondered what members thoughts were why Monty never got a major as the guy at one time obviously had the game to bag one.For me theres two issues,first is he never played enough golf in the States and never got used to playing the best players in the world,he stayed in Europe and was very dominant but didn't really test himself week in week out with golfs superstars.Now this may be due to he's fear of flying,apparently Monty would drive 60,000 miles a year round Europe to attend events due to he's fear of flying.Next I reckon was he's temperament that went against him,he never seemed to relax on the course and I think this was detrimental to achieveing much more in the game,you look at major winners playing the last holes and they are still very much in control of their emotions,I don't think the same can be said for Monty.I am actually a fan of Montys and used to love watching him play,I know he gets he's knockers for he's attitude sometimes but he's once playing ability cant be denied.Just my thoughts.

 

[Wayman]

I know we have discussed Monty on here before but I just wondered what members thoughts were why Monty never got a major as the guy at one time obviously had the game to bag one.For me theres two issues,first is he never played enough golf in the States and never got used to playing the best players in the world,he stayed in Europe and was very dominant but didn't really test himself week in week out with golfs superstars.Now this may be due to he's fear of flying,apparently Monty would drive 60,000 miles a year round Europe to attend events due to he's fear of flying.Next I reckon was he's temperament that went against him,he never seemed to relax on the course and I think this was detrimental to achieveing much more in the game,you look at major winners playing the last holes and they are still very much in control of their emotions,I don't think the same can be said for Monty.I am actually a fan of Montys and used to love watching him play,I know he gets he's knockers for he's attitude sometimes but he's once playing ability cant be denied.Just my thoughts.

this ^^^^
and the bloke is a goon!

 

[scratch]

I think a combination of bad luck and bottle.

He had a great chance in the US Open at Pebble Beach only for Tom Kite to play some outstanding golf in brutal conditions. He blew another US Open when he bottled a short iron into the 18th and made double bogey. He played great in trying to chase down Woods in the Open at St Andrews but was beaten by the better man on the day.

Deserved a Major but they don't hand them out on that basis.

ps....it's 'his' not 'he's'

 

[Doon frae Troon]

He clearly lost a couple of US Opens due to his fitness.

Re flying.
He loves to drive and that was his 'me/thinking' time.

 

[SocketRocket]

Never seemed easy in his own skin.

 

[JustOne]

Deserved a Major but they don't hand them out on that basis.

^
This.

He just kept getting beaten by someone playing better on the day.
Monte was a great player (regardless of his misery-guts attitude)

 

[Ethan]

Monty was a great player, and has had a better career than Todd Hamilton, Ben Curtis, Rich Beem, Shaun Micheel and others. But this idea of winning a major to make a career is a rather crude indicator. There are players who have won a major who were very lucky to do so - Andy North won 3 events on the PGA Tour, and 2 of them were US Opens - and there are players who have never won one who deserved to win one. But there are more players who deserve to win one than there are majors available. What about Westwood and Donald?

Monty was also less suited to some majors - The Masters favours a high draw, he hits a low cut. The heat of the PGA also doesn't suit his rather generously upholstered physique. So it was always likely to be one of the Opens, and he could have won a few if the breaks had gone another way.

 

[ADB]

I know we have discussed Monty on here before but I just wondered what members thoughts were why Monty never got a major as the guy at one time obviously had the game to bag one.For me theres two issues,first is he never played enough golf in the States and never got used to playing the best players in the world,he stayed in Europe and was very dominant but didn't really test himself week in week out with golfs superstars.Now this may be due to he's fear of flying,apparently Monty would drive 60,000 miles a year round Europe to attend events due to he's fear of flying.Next I reckon was he's temperament that went against him,he never seemed to relax on the course and I think this was detrimental to achieveing much more in the game,you look at major winners playing the last holes and they are still very much in control of their emotions,I don't think the same can be said for Monty.I am actually a fan of Montys and used to love watching him play,I know he gets he's knockers for he's attitude sometimes but he's once playing ability cant be denied.Just my thoughts.

He certainly has some knockers

I'm not sure your argument stands up re: not playing the PGA Tour as his best chances to win have been on American soil. US Open Playoff in 1994 in Oakmont, and 1995 PGA at Riviera shows he was close...in that US Open his fitness was severly tested and he faded in the sun. He narrowly missed in 1997 US OPen and, as widely stated, his sclaffed 7-iron on the 72nd hole of the 2006 US Open finished him off. I always think about that shot when I think of Monty as he was such a great iron player and it was so out of character seeing as he hit a cracking drive to put him in A1 position...he needed to get down in 4 shots from 150yds to get into a playoff, and took 5. I am not sure about mental frailty as he was so successful on the European tour, but I think his general fitness was an influence in not finishing off opponents on American soil.

 

[Val]

I dont think he had the kahunas to close out a major, he had the US open in the palm of his hands back in 2006 (I think) and blew up. The 2 he lost to Kite and Els he lost fair and square and at The Open he was tooo far back to catch Tiger but he gave it a good go.

Fantastic player and no one will dominate the European Tour the way he did ever again due to the $$$$$ on the PGA tour and the emergence of the Asian tour.

 

[cookelad]

He narrowly missed in 1997 US OPen and, as widely stated, his sclaffed 7-iron on the 72nd hole of the 2006 US Open finished him off. I always think about that shot when I think of Monty as he was such a great iron player and it was so out of character seeing as he hit a cracking drive to put him in A1 position...

I think it was Paul Eales who was asked "how do you deal with playing against Nick Faldo?" to which he responded (something along the lines of) It's easy to play against Faldo because he hit bad shots so you know you'll get your chance, the person you don't want to play against is Colin because he doesn't hit bad shots!

 

[sev112]

I think a combination of bad luck and bottle.

He had a great chance in the US Open at Pebble Beach only for Tom Kite to play some outstanding golf in brutal conditions. He blew another US Open when he bottled a short iron into the 18th and made double bogey. He played great in trying to chase down Woods in the Open at St Andrews but was beaten by the better man on the day.

Deserved a Major but they don't hand them out on that basis.

ps....it's 'his' not 'he's'

P.S. it's P.S., not ps

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Combination of poor fitness, poor technique at key moments and bad luck. Had the chances but couldn't close it out. Sad to see him now amongst the also rans in every event and not even making the cut on a regular basis. Surely the end of a fascinating career and an enigma of a man

 

[Doon frae Troon]

P.S. it's P.S., not ps

I had a good laugh at that one!!

 

[shivas irons]

ps....it's 'his' not 'he's'

:ears:

 

[davidg2010uk]

Re 2006 US Open I'm sure i read somewhere he had to hang about ages while is partner looked for his ball before he hit that 7 iron and that put him off his stride. Always an excuse but you have to feel for him getting so close.

 

[shivas irons]

Re 2006 US Open I'm sure i read somewhere he had to hang about ages while is partner looked for his ball before he hit that 7 iron and that put him off his stride. Always an excuse but you have to feel for him getting so close.

He seemed to really rush that shot when he was ready to play,that did surprise me at the time considering its importance,again theres the mental side letting him down,he got frustrated waiting and then hit the shot with hardly any consideration.....

 

[drawboy]

The same reason Westwood and Donald will never win one. Expectation and the media. When you are as good as these guys then everyone expects you to win a major. As time goes on the pressure builds and builds and the press turns against you. There then comes a point when you are just trying too hard to play your own game. Majors are nice but far from the be all and end all of a successfull pro career.
If you want to see how good you were then check the size of your bank account, when you have a few million in the back pocket, a mansion and numerous sports cars plus a trophy wife that wouldn't touch you with a barge pole if you worked in a factory then you have been successfull regardless of a major in the cabinet.
Monty was and still is a top class golf pro. We should give him more credit for his achievements.

 

[pokerjoke]

The same reason Westwood and Donald will never win one. Expectation and the media. When you are as good as these guys then everyone expects you to win a major. As time goes on the pressure builds and builds and the press turns against you. There then comes a point when you are just trying too hard to play your own game. Majors are nice but far from the be all and end all of a successfull pro career.
If you want to see how good you were then check the size of your bank account, when you have a few million in the back pocket, a mansion and numerous sports cars plus a trophy wife that wouldn't touch you with a barge pole if you worked in a factory then you have been successfull regardless of a major in the cabinet.


Exactly what i was thinking.
The pressure on Westwood i believe is greater than Lukes at the moment,purely
down to age.
However theres no doubt they have the ability.
Also there are two other reasons why it could never happen[Woods and Mclroy].

 

[Val]

Monty was and still is a top class golf pro. We should give him more credit for his achievements.

I don't think many knock him, I still believe he is the best golfer we've produced in the modern era but he just lacked a ruthless streak in the majors. Look at his scores when he finished second, there was always one dodgy round there.