Colin Montgomerie: "Some are saying I wish LIV Golf had a Champions Tour 4-ball"

Colin Montgomerie also gives his verdict on LIV Golf's Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter never becoming a Ryder Cup captain.

Andy Roberts's picture
Wed, 10 May 2023
Colin Montgomerie: "Some are saying I wish LIV Golf had a Champions Tour 4-ball"

Colin Montgomerie has revealed there are a number of players on the PGA Tour Champions wishing LIV Golf would introduce an over 50s four-ball, following an interview with Golfweek

Montgomerie, 59, did not say he was one of those players, but at the same time he could not answer how much it would have taken for him to have signed on had he been approached by the Saudi-bankrolled golf league in his prime. 

We can only assume Fred Couples most definitely isn't one of the Champions Tour players contemplating a move to LIV Golf. 

Couples recently laughed at LIV Golf over the amount of money they paid Phil Mickelson, before calling him a 'nutbag'. 

Ernie Els also strongly criticised the South African contingent of LIV Golf League players, expressing his disappointment with how they disrupted the game.

Related: DP World Tour to increase fines to "up to £500k" with more resignations expected

Montgomerie not only touched on the levels of interest of LIV Golf over on the PGA Tour Champions right now, but he also offered thoughts on the likes of Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter now being out the running as future European Ryder Cup captains as a result of their resignations from the DP World Tour last week. 

The record eight-time European Tour Order of Merit winner and victorious 2010 European Ryder Cup captain spoke about a number of golfing topics to Golfweek, which you can read in full here, but it was his comments about LIV Golf and the Ryder Cup that interested us most. 

Let's take a look at Monty's replies:

Golfweek:

"If the LIV Tour, or something like it, had approached you in your prime, how much would it have taken for you to have signed on?"

Monty:

"That’s a good question, isn’t it? You know, there’s talk on our Champions tour, which, you know, some of them are saying I wish LIV had a Champions Tour four-ball, name a team or name a couple of teams of seniors, I think a number of them would have jumped ship, I’m sure with the money on offer. But myself, I’m very happy with what I’m doing right now. That’s a hypothetical question. So you can’t really answer it. But at the same time, a few of them I’m sure would have said yes."

Golfweek:

"Do you think Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter should be allowed to be Ryder Cup captains?"

Monty:

"Well right now, it’s not feasible legally for them. They’ve got to resign the memberships now or pay a heavy fine. So you got to be a member of the tour to be a Ryder Cup captain. They knew the consequences of joining in the first place, they knew that this might take place depending on what went on in the courts. And it favored the European Tour so it’s gone against them that way. They knew the consequences – money against legacy, in many ways and they chose the former and hey, good luck to them but you can’t have it both ways. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. You can’t expect to do that and then lobby Ryder Cup captain this week and I’ll go to LIV the next week. It doesn’t work that way. You know you pay your penalties. It is a shame we’ve lost a few good captains in Henrik, Westwood, Graeme McDowell, probably, you know, but at the same time, there’s more opportunity for others to take their place."

Take me to more news!