Monty in the hunt!!

[Bravo]

Here we go...Colin Montgomerie...Scotland's own...in hot pursuit of the the Claret Jug.

The individual glory that has evaded him - despite his phenomenal Ryder Cup triumphs - possibly within his grasp. In his homeland in front of thousands of his countrymen.

Surely a victory would cement his name in the lore of Scotland and all of the UK for evermore.

Can it be his year? Surely as his body ages and his years of competitive golf are staring down at him - can he do it now? How many realistic chances to win The Open in the next few years?

Precious few - I am afraid.

And facing The Tiger. A very dangerous tiger - on the prowl after his own trials and tribulations....bent on victory.

We have the potential making of one of the greatest majors in history...

More to come.

[VtDivot]

Here we go...Colin Montgomerie...Scotland's own...in hot pursuit of the the Claret Jug.

The individual glory that has evaded him - despite his phenomenal Ryder Cup triumphs - possibly within his grasp. In his homeland in front of thousands of his countrymen.

Surely a victory would cement his name in the lore of Scotland and all of the UK for evermore.

Can it be his year? Surely as his body ages and his years of competitive golf are staring down at him - can he do it now? How many realistic chances to win The Open in the next few years?

Precious few - I am afraid.

And facing The Tiger. A very dangerous tiger - on the prowl after his own trials and tribulations....bent on victory.

We have the potential making of one of the greatest majors in history...

More to come.

Monty has a hot putter.... and to think he dumped his first shot into the burn on Thurs. I fear the usual for Monty though. If anyone is to catch Tiger they are going to need to get super hot with the flatstick.

[Rufio]

Well this is my first post here so ummm yeah. Hey.

I would love to see Monty at least put a good bit of pressure on Tiger. I'll go ahead and admit that I really am not crazy about Tiger. I respect him for being as good as he is, but I think that the way he carries himself on the course should be a lot better. However, Tiger is playing well enough this week that I really don't think he would let up...it's not like him. It would be nice to see somebody else besides Tiger win this week, like Couples or Garcia or especially Monty. Just my 2 cents.

[BentGrass]

I can't say that I'm a Monty fan, but it would be fun to see a tight tourny on the back nine on Sunday. I'd rather it was Garcia, Mickelson or Daly. Daly and Woods would be an interesting Sunday pairing.

[VtDivot]

Well this is my first post here so ummm yeah. Hey.

I would love to see Monty at least put a good bit of pressure on Tiger. I'll go ahead and admit that I really am not crazy about Tiger. I respect him for being as good as he is, but I think that the way he carries himself on the course should be a lot better. However, Tiger is playing well enough this week that I really don't think he would let up...it's not like him. It would be nice to see somebody else besides Tiger win this week, like Couples or Garcia or especially Monty. Just my 2 cents.

I find it funny that you condemn Tiger for his on course behaviour, but yet you pull for Monty, who is probably on of the poorest sports in the game.

[Rufio]

It's not that I'm pulling for Monty, I'd just like to see a different face win this week. If I had my choices, I'd rather have Couples win it- he's one of my favorites. The main thing I meant by Tiger was that I feel like he's out for the wrong reason. Jack Nicklaus has won the most majors in his career, but he never actually TRIED to do that- it just happened that way. I think that Tiger is out because all he cares about is being better than everyone else. I was at the US Open this year and everytime Tiger hit a good shot, within 15 feet of the flag, he wouldn't ever thank the spectators for their applause or the "go get 'em Tiger" comments. He had this look like "I'm doing something right now and I don't want any of you to bother me." You can't tell as much on TV, but if you get the chance, watch if he 2 putts for par from 30 feet- scowl on his face and just totally ignores everybody. I don't want to start an argument, I was just pointing out the way I feel about it because I've watched him ever since he started playing on Tour.

[Kilted Arab]

It's not that I'm pulling for Monty, I'd just like to see a different face win this week. If I had my choices, I'd rather have Couples win it- he's one of my favorites. The main thing I meant by Tiger was that I feel like he's out for the wrong reason. Jack Nicklaus has won the most majors in his career, but he never actually TRIED to do that- it just happened that way. I think that Tiger is out because all he cares about is being better than everyone else. I was at the US Open this year and everytime Tiger hit a good shot, within 15 feet of the flag, he wouldn't ever thank the spectators for their applause or the "go get 'em Tiger" comments. He had this look like "I'm doing something right now and I don't want any of you to bother me." You can't tell as much on TV, but if you get the chance, watch if he 2 putts for par from 30 feet- scowl on his face and just totally ignores everybody. I don't want to start an argument, I was just pointing out the way I feel about it because I've watched him ever since he started playing on Tour.

I have to say, I dont have a problem with Tiger not acknowledging every cheer he gets. Let's face it, when he plays in the States he gets applause and shouts of "you da man" and "get in da hole" whether his shot is good, bad or indifferent. He's the best there is and it's a delight to watch him when he's on song. If the price for that is a few scowls, so what? You don't get to his level without total concentration.

When I see Woods being interviewed, he comes across as a decent, sensible guy, he gives good interviews. On course, let him do his thing.

When Monty screwed up at Muirfield a few years back, he stormed away and spoke to no-one. When Tiger screwed up, he still gave an honest and frank interview. Despite my natural bias towards Monty, Woods has far more class.

[Bravo]

I have split feelings on this...


I don't think you need to acknowledge the gallery on every stroke. It can get very old and keep you from staying laser-focused on the task at hand. Remember that on 90% of Woods' shots, somebody is applauding. Imagine having to wave or tip your hat 65 times a round. It would really get old and tedious...

On the other hand, the temper-tantrums really stink from whatever player.

Nicklaus was the model of behaviour on these issues. While he did not acknowledge the gallery on every shot - he did so frequently.

And he Never threw a temper-tamtrum when things did not go his way. ..

[Rufio]

Kilted Arab, I totally understand what you're saying. I guess one of the things that just gets to me is that Tiger has so much publicity that it's almost rediculous. I know he's the best in the world, but I just think it's not right when every player's stats are compared to Tiger's. It's not his fault, I know, it's the media. Sometimes I feel like I take out my frustration on him because whenever I'm around somebody that doesn't play golf or know anything about golf, they always ask "can you play like Tiger?" or "can you hit it as far as Tiger can?" Like I said, I don't want to start an argument in my first 3 posts on this forum- I love the place already. I just should have been more clear about my opinions. Thanks guys

[Loop]

Me a Monty fan.
But keep in mind that european have a different mentality than north americans.
They are more libertarian and don't put up a "showbiz" face.

BTW, Bravo, I like your intro writing, almost poetically thrilling

[BentGrass]

Tiger gets so much attention because he gets people to turn their TV on and buy tickets for these events.

[Bravo]

Me a Monty fan.
But keep in mind that european have a different mentality than north americans.
They are more libertarian and don't put up a "showbiz" face.

BTW, Bravo, I like your intro writing, almost poetically thrilling

Thanks Loop...I wish the tournament had ended up as thrilling.

Monty himself proved a seer when he said that if Tiger was on, they would all be playing for second. He was spot on it.

Makes you wonder what they all thought when Tiger went through his slump. Kind of like being released from purgatory, where your chances of winning were slim.

He has re-emerged. The Dominance is Back...

For Better or Worse.

[BentGrass]

Not to dwell on the money thing, but having Tiger on the tour does lower everyone's chance to win. But, his popularity has brought in more prize money so even though other players aren't taking firsts their yearly income is probably better.

No doubt those guys are competitors and want to win, but it does soften the blow a little.