Colin Montgomerie makes

headlines for wrong reasons

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By Martin Dempster
IT was all going so well. Too well to be true, perhaps. But following yesterday's revelation that Colin Montgomerie is trying to save his marriage, it is hard not to reach the conclusion that the Ryder Cup captain is searching desperately for the fairway when he seemed to be aiming straight down the middle.
What makes matters worse for the Scot, of course, is that yesterday's report about him seeing an old flame came out in the week he is at Celtic Manor, venue for the match against the Americans in October.
It's an embarrassment and a very unwelcome distraction for Montgomerie, who might well have managed to do what the most expensive management team in golf have struggled to achieve in recent months: take the heat off Tiger Woods.
Quite frankly, the news of Montgomerie's extra-marital affair is a bolt from the blue and a genuine shock, because since he was appointed as Europe team captain early last year, the 46-year-old had not put a foot wrong. Until now.
He pulled off a masterstroke by appointing Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn as the two captains for last year's Vivendi Trophy knowing full well they were likely to be his two right-hand men at Celtic Manor.
He sent a personal email to every European Tour member before the qualifying process started last August, making it clear he was keen to communicate with his "potential candidates".
He also asked the Tour to pair him with two European players in opening rounds at events so that he could watch them at close quarters.
And he sent out a strong message that he expected his top players to be at Wentworth recently for the BMW PGA Championship – and they didn't let him down.
So far, so good. This week he has been laying down the law at Celtic Manor about what he expects from his potential team members in the run up to October. Suddenly, though, his personal life is all over the press again ahead of the one sporting event where wives and girlfriends are most conspicuous. At the Ryder Cup, the captain's wife is another of his assistants in all but name, and Gaynor Montgomerie has been heavily involved in the choosing of various gifts that will be handed out at Celtic Manor.
No prizes for guessing who the cameras will be trained on at Celtic Manor when the teams arrive for this year's match, and who the body language specialists will be analysing. This will add a level of pressure to Montgomerie that he will not have anticipated or invited. The strain of the match is etched on the face of every Ryder Cup captain we have witnessed in the past 25 years. Having your personal life placed under the microscope at the same time as guiding a team through the emotional rollercoaster ride of one of sports greatest contests would be, for some, an intolerable extra burden to bear.
For all his golfing prowess, leadership qualities and personal charm – contrary to some impressions he is excellent company – the temperamental Montgomerie cannot be said to take life in his stride. How he copes when the spotlight is trained on him like never before will go a long way to determining whether he is a success or a failure as a Ryder Cup captain.
We are moving into unknown territory. When Monty split from his first wife Eimear, there was public sympathy that a relationship had broken down. The impression that he was wounded – whether right or wrong – was unmistakable. But now, his admission that "I have put my marriage under considerable strain" will have come as a real shock to the golfing community.
About a year and a half ago, when he was the guest dinner at the PGA Scottish Region's annual lunch in Glasgow, he revealed the positive impact Gaynor had made on his life since the pair were introduced to each other by television presenter Dougie Donnelly. He said he loved moving to Perthshire after being based in London for so long and, on the surface at least, life looked good.
His golf isn't what it used to be. However, with the Ryder Cup captaincy to contend with, and his playing powers waning with age, no-one was too surprised that he was no longer a regular contender.
And at a recent press briefing for the Johnnie Walker Championship, the Scot gave the impression that he didn't have a worry in his life. He talked enthusiastically about this year's Ryder Cup and how he wanted to play in the one after it. If successful in achieving that ambition, he would become the first European to play in the event following a captaincy.
He was still on top form during a press conference on the eve of this week's Wales Open, but the lord of the Manor is now the talk of the Manor.
At a time like this, it is reasonable to ask what a man's main responsibility is: saving his marriage, or winning the Ryder Cup. Encouragingly, Monty has indicated that he wants – and intends – to do both. If he can resolve his personal difficulties, there is time enough for him to focus on his captaincy again. He will want to walk into the team room at Celtic Manor and tell his players he is 100 per cent committed, just as he was in his eight matches as a player.
Montgomerie didn't expect 2010 to be his year for the captaincy. He was convinced that his time would come in 2012 or, more likely, at Gleneagles in 2014. Europe, though, needed the right man in charge at Celtic Manor and, despite letting his guard drop, so far there is nothing to suggest the European Tour made the wrong choice.
It is ironic, though, that the timing of him seeing the final brick fitted in to place in his new family home in Perthshire has coincided with the first one being removed from the solid foundations he had laid for the Ryder Cup.

Monty: "I've put my married under considerable strain"

By MARK GARROD
RYDER Cup captain Colin Montgomerie insisted last night that new revelations about his private life would not have any effect on his Ryder Cup captaincy.

Montgomerie issued a statement after a newspaper ran a story saying he had seen a former girlfriend again for a while.
Married for the second time two years ago, the 46-year-old Scot said in the statement: "I have put my marriage under considerable strain, but we are working through these problems."
Montgomerie is playing in the Wales Open this week at Celtic Manor, the course near Newport where he will lead Europe's attempt to win back the Ryder Cup from the Americans in October.
Despite the distraction, he is in contention for a first win in three years after a second successive 70 left him two under par at halfway – only four strokes behind German Marcel Siem and Australian Andrew Dodt as the second round drew to a conclusion.
Agreeing to speak to reporters after his round he was inevitably questioned about the matter and commented: "I have said everything I have to say about that. I made a statement.
"The crowd were very supportive and it's up to Gaynor and I to work things out and continue and we look forward to welcoming everybody here in October.
"It's not going to impact on my captaincy at all. Not one bit."
Montgomerie then said: "There was no question of me not playing today. The only thing to do today was play golf."