Monty's advice to Mito Pereira...
Last Sunday at the PGA Championship Mito Pereira, playing in his first major, needed a par at the 72nd hole to win. He shoved his ball right into a creek, took six and missed out on the win and the subsequent play-off.
Colin Montgomerie never managed to win a major and knows a thing or two about how one shot can jeopardise a major victory having double-bogeyed the last at Winged Foot in 2006. The Scot actually found the fairway but then played the most unlike Monty shot to come up short and right of the closing green
"I've double-bogeyed the last to lose at Winged Foot and he's managed to do the same there as Southern Hills. A young player, younger than I was and that was one of my last opportunities; it won't be his. So all I've got to say to him is be patient and I say that to anybody coming through," explained Monty.
"Be patient. It's a hell of a long career and just be patient with it, and take, if you can, take as many positives as possible. I know that's a bit cliche, you take the positives and everything. But after 71 holes, he was ahead and that's a hell of an effort, okay. After 72 he wasn't, but after the first 72 holes to be ahead is a bloody good effort and he should try and take as much positives as possible. He spoke extremely well afterwards, very mature, very well-spoken in a different language, and I thought he did extremely well, and I wish him the best."
But, while we all obsess about majors, the Scot wouldn't swap what he did achieve, and all those Order of Merit wins, for one big one.
"If somebody said to me, one shot left, if you want one shot again, obviously it's that one. But I've had a hell of a career. I'm very, very fortunate. I'd take nothing back. People say would you trade your Money Lists for a major? No. Would you trade anything or anything else? No. I've had a great time at this and I wouldn't trade anything for anything. So that went pretty quickly to be honest. I got on with the next one."
Colin Montgomerie never managed to win a major and knows a thing or two about how one shot can jeopardise a major victory having double-bogeyed the last at Winged Foot in 2006. The Scot actually found the fairway but then played the most unlike Monty shot to come up short and right of the closing green
"I've double-bogeyed the last to lose at Winged Foot and he's managed to do the same there as Southern Hills. A young player, younger than I was and that was one of my last opportunities; it won't be his. So all I've got to say to him is be patient and I say that to anybody coming through," explained Monty.
"Be patient. It's a hell of a long career and just be patient with it, and take, if you can, take as many positives as possible. I know that's a bit cliche, you take the positives and everything. But after 71 holes, he was ahead and that's a hell of an effort, okay. After 72 he wasn't, but after the first 72 holes to be ahead is a bloody good effort and he should try and take as much positives as possible. He spoke extremely well afterwards, very mature, very well-spoken in a different language, and I thought he did extremely well, and I wish him the best."
But, while we all obsess about majors, the Scot wouldn't swap what he did achieve, and all those Order of Merit wins, for one big one.
"If somebody said to me, one shot left, if you want one shot again, obviously it's that one. But I've had a hell of a career. I'm very, very fortunate. I'd take nothing back. People say would you trade your Money Lists for a major? No. Would you trade anything or anything else? No. I've had a great time at this and I wouldn't trade anything for anything. So that went pretty quickly to be honest. I got on with the next one."