As he approached his 50th year, Colin Montgomerie had envisioned slipping quietly into retirement and spending time with his wife, children and three dogs in the family home in Perthshire.
But following a chat with Mrs Montgomerie, otherwise known as Gaynor, he opted instead to extend a glittering career which had already yielded 31 European Tour titles and a record eight Order of Merit wins.
The decision has proved an inspired one, as Montgomerie is unarguably the top dog on the Senior Tour, meaning his canine companions will have to wait a while longer for their regular walks.
Two John Jacobs Trophies and eight titles in just 16 appearances on the Senior Tour attest to a man still at the very top of his game; and, frighteningly for his peers, Montgomerie has no plans to take his foot off the gas.
He said: “I’m already looking forward to next season, because I’m enjoying playing on the Senior Tour so much. I never really thought much about playing on the Senior Tour – at this stage of my life, I probably thought I’d spend most of my time walking the dogs. But after talking to Gaynor about it, I started coming round to the idea. Playing golf is all I’ve ever known, and it’s really the only thing I’m good at.”
I’m enjoying playing on the Senior Tour so much.
Colin Montgomerie
“Good” would be something of an understatement, as Montgomerie has been utterly dominant since making his debut in the 2013 US Senior Open Championship.
By his own admission, the man known as “Monty” took a while to find his feet on the Senior Tour, finishing in a tie for 30th at Omaha Country Club and joint 21st in the Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex two weeks later.
But after winning his next event, the Travis Perkins Masters, Montgomerie has never looked back, subsequently finishing inside the top six in every single Senior Tour event in which he has teed up.
No wonder Montgomerie claims he is “loving every minute” of life in the over-50 ranks.
He added: “All the guys I spoke to out here told me what a great Tour and way of life it is, and it’s very true. It’s competitive and we want to win, but there’s no envy or jealousy, there aren’t any big egos.
“Instead, there’s a great camaraderie between all the guys. So it’s a lot of fun, and the moment it stops being fun is the moment I’ll pack it all in and go and do something else. But we’re not there yet – not by a long shot.”
