Major Casey is next, says Monty
"He has tremendous power and if he can control that I think he will be the one to make the breakthrough," says Colin Montgomerie
Monty with his 2006 Golfmagic award
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Colin Montgomerie has revealed that he believes Paul Casey will be Britain's next major champion but his chances will be limited. The eight times European Order of Merit winner reckons Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will dominate for the next few years and with three of the four majors played in the US it makes it 'difficult for everyone else.'
Talking to the excellent new London-distributed
Free Sport magazine published every Friday, he said: "One guy (Tiger Woods) wins an average of two of the four majors every year and now Mickelson has come through and he's winning one a year. That means there's only one left and, of course, it's weighted heavily in favour of the Americans.
"No other body would allow that...look at tennis...but we have to accept that," says Monty who adds that Europe's strength in depth (eight players in the rankings between four and 16) was the reason for our Ryder Cup success.
"Three Americans in the world's top three couldn't win the Ryder Cup on their own, as we showed, so yes we do have the players who can start winning majors."
And Casey is his first choice.
"He's fantastic. The greatest asset in golf these days is length because none of the courses are getting shorter. Casey has tremendous power and if he can continue to control that, as he has shown at the back end of this year, then I think he will be the one to make the breakthrough.
"He's incredibly strong, it's just about controlling it all but he has huge potential. Neither he nor Garcia are 30 yet - they're young and will only get better."
Monty believes the emergence of Woods in 1996 has hurt not only his own chances of a major but also the likes of Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood.
"It's like people entering Wimbledon now - with Federer there. They're all playing for second place...it will be a while before anyone gets ahead of him [Woods] again."
So where else might a challenge emerge?
Paul Casey - 'Europe's next
major winner'
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"We should look to Asia - it's all about potential. Between China and India you've got almost half the world's population. The potential is massive. Get some decent percentage playing golf and you're talking big numbers.
"We've seen the growth in the 'ladies section' with the Koreans - something like half the world's top ten are Korean - and there's no reason why that shouldn't be replicated in the men's game," says Monty, who with Casey and Woods is playing in the HSBC Champions event in China next week.
And despite reaching the ripe old age of 43, Monty still believes he can compete and fight at the highest level.
"As long as I'm healthy - my body still thinks it's 30 - and keep my ambition, I'll be fine. When that diminishes, it'll be time to stop."
Discuss this story
Can't buy that, Creo. Lack of stamina, maybe, or focus, or confidence. But I don't see lack of resolve.
I am no psychologist, but I pondered Monty at the US Open for some time. I wondered if somewhere in his fragile psyche, when the prize was so close he must have been able to taste it, if some little demon inside him was saying, "you know you are not meant to have this particular sort of achievement, no matter how good you are," and it clouded his judgment. I dearly hope not. I hope it was just a foolish haste to get it done and dusted that cost him his reason.
But I have never been a competitive athlete. I can only read and hear what happens to them. And like all people, they are each different from the other. Why should Len Mattiace have blown his chance at the Masters when the competition was not the terrifying Tiger but Mike Weir (admittedly on a long and very good roll, and as confident as he gets about the state of his game)? And then why should the previously able Len Mattiace essentially drop off the map?
Life is funny, which is why I think it could be anyone. Nobody is in these things without a great deal of ability. So it can come right for anyone in any given week. Paul Lawrie's mid-level ability allowed him to shoot a score to aim for on a day of tough conditions, and journeyman Jean Van de Velde played the best Tournament of all -- until the end, as we all know, therefore forfeiting it to Lawrie. The over-rated Justin Leonard was the only other player in the frame; these three had outplayed the rest of them on the day, and over four days. Goodness, Gary Evans nearly won the Open! And he has never won ANYTHING on the European Tour -- he is now longest-serving player without a win.
When Shaun Micheel and Chad Campbell, at that stage of their careers, can battle it out for a major, so can anyone. Campbell, in particular, has gone on to bigger and better, though Micheel is apparently coming good again.
Why not a Euro? Why not Raph Jacquelin or Ken Ferrie? They are light years better than Ben Curtis or Todd Hamilton. May take some luck -- good for them, bad for others -- but in many ways, despite the added pressure and all that, the majors are just another week and you never know when the golf gods are going to smile upon you.
Posted: 02/11/2006 03:18
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