After capturing his second consecutive Senior Major Championship on American soil, Colin Montgomerie has now set his sights on completing an historic ‘Grand Slam’ at next week’s Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club.
The 51 year old Scot, who won the US Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid in May, claimed the US Senior Open Championship at Oak Tree National in Oklahoma on Sunday, defeating Gene Sauers in a play-off after trailing the American by four shots going into the final round.
He became the only fifth golfer – after Gary Player (1988), Jack Nicklaus (1991), Hale Irwin (1998) and Roger Chapman (2012) – to lift both titles in the same season, and he now has the chance to complete the treble in Wales, the country where he led Europe to Ryder Cup glory four years ago.
Only Player managed the clean sweep of Majors on the European Senior Tour, the South African capturing the US Senior PGA, The Senior Open Championship and the US Senior Open in 1988.
But with Montgomerie feeling his game is approaching the same level as his prime in the late 1990s, the eight-time European Tour Number One will head to Royal Porthcawl confident he can match Player’s remarkable feat.
“I’m really on top of the world right now,” he said. “It’s a fabulous feeling. I’m going to have a week at home and then I will go down to Royal Porthcawl for The Senior Open and I am looking forward to trying to contend again.
“It was fantastic to win my first Senior Major and get my first victory on American soil in the US Senior PGA Championship, and then it was equally as satisfying to finally win a USGA event on Sunday by capturing the US Senior Open.
“To follow that by winning an R&A event, The Senior Open Championship, and joining Gary Player in the record books really would be a magnificent achievement and one I would be extremely proud of.
“Wales was so good to me and the European Team in 2010 and it would be nice to pay the Welsh public back by completing the treble in their country next week.
“Hopefully I can keep playing the way I have been doing. I shot 65 around Oak Tree National last week and finished with 65 at Benton Harbor, and I feel my golf is as good as it was in the ’90s when I was Number Two in the world. It really is. I can’t see any difference between that.”
Montgomerie will be part of a world class field at Royal Porthcawl from July 24-27, when he will be joined by US Ryder Cup Captain Tom Watson, Welshman Ian Woosnam and Germany’s Bernard Langer, who finished in the top ten last week and lost in a play-off to Mark Wiebe in last year’s Senior Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
In total, there will be 13 winners of regular Major Championships in the field, along with eight former Ryder Cup Captains, and seven former Senior Open Champions: Russ Cochran, Fred Couples, Langer, Noboru Sugai, Bruce Vaughan, Watson and Wiebe.
Five former European Number Ones – Sandy Lyle, Langer, Montgomerie, Ronan Rafferty and Woosnam – will feature, as well as seven winners of the European Senior Tour Order of Merit: Chapman, Peter Fowler, Carl Mason, Boonchu Ruangkit, Sam Torrance, Paul Wesselingh and Woosnam.
Tickets are still on sale to see Montgomerie’s attempt at securing the ‘Grand Slam’ at Royal Porthcawl.
Any One Day tickets for the biggest Senior golf championship in Europe are priced at £30, while season tickets, which include the Official Practice Day on Wednesday, July 23, are only £80. Practice day entry on July 23 only is £15.
Under-16s are admitted free of charge, while car parking is located on site close to the course and is also free. Anyone wishing to sample the golf and also the facilities within Porthcawl town centre will be able to hop on and hop off an open top double decker bus which will run daily between a number of locations around the town and the golf course.
For adults and kids alike, there is plenty of fun to be found in the Interactive Zone located in the Tented Village at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club. There is an opportunity to enjoy the facilities within the Village and participate in a number of activities including free PGA golf lessons supported by The R&A in the Swing Zone while Golf Development Wales will be on site to lend their support to the activities.
Also, the public will be invited to attempt a range of challenges, both authentic and with a simulator, such as trying to hole in one or hole a bunker shot – all for the cost of a minimum £2 donation towards the Championship’s two Official Charities, Age Cymru and Tenovus.
Additionally, hospitality packages for the four official days of championship play are selling out fast. Friday is already sold out and Sunday is filling up quickly so act now to purchase an outstanding day out at Royal Porthcawl, for just £99 plus VAT.
The Senior Open Hospitality package will be located within our tented village which is located close to the 18th green and includes admission ticket, parking, breakfast, two-course lunch with wine, programme and drawsheet and guaranteed seat in the 18th green grandstand.
Tickets for The 2014 Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex at Royal Porthcawl can be bought online via www.senioropengolf.com or by calling +44 (0)800 0232557, with details of the hospitality packages also available.