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Monday
May282012

Holy Monty: Fails In His U.S. Open Bid, But Not Before Getting Some Quality Driving Time...By Himself!

For a man who lost his license over his proclivity to drive too fast, especially when Coldplay comes on the radio, and who cheated death in a car accident, I think it's fair to say the former Ryder Cup captain made a strange call to drive 900-miles home after the BMW at Wentworth and then return immediately after some tea and upon fetching a new putter.

But that's what this wire story claims:

"Who in their right mind would do that? But yes, I did," Montgomerie said. "I left Wentworth at 2pm, was home at 8pm, had tea with the family, left at 11pm and got here just after 6am."

A four‑under‑par 68 put the 48-year-old Scot on course to play in San Francisco next month, but he followed it up with a 72.

And the round featured the usual Monty dramatics:

Montgomerie missed out on a play-off by two strokes, so could look back on his pitch to the 17th hitting the flagstick and rebounding 15ft away, then lipping out from the same distance on the last.

You can view the Walton Heath Sectional results here and also count up the number of WD's, a qualifying tradition in England.

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Reader Comments (11)

No putter is worth it.
05.29.2012 | Unregistered CommenterMulligan
According to Mapquest, the total distance for that trip is 654 miles, not 900 miles. (Apparently there is a shortage of editors and fact-checkers in the UK.) That's still a lot of driving in one day, but not quite as crazy as it initially sounded.
05.29.2012 | Unregistered CommenterMarty
From his given residence (according to Wikipedia) to Virginia Water, it's a distance of 446 miles. If the times are correct, he averaged 74 mph on the way home and about 63 mph on the return journey. Most of the route is motorway with a maximum speed limit of 70 mph.
05.29.2012 | Unregistered CommenterMacDuff
The number of WDs wasn't a big deal. Happens after the first round of every 36- hole qualifier. Look at the number in Japan. Almost half the field WDed.
05.29.2012 | Unregistered CommenterJ Sanders
These looked like reasonable 36-hole qualifier WDs. Nobody who shot par or higher in either round qualified, so some who flubbed the opening 18 chose to get a head start on their own long drives home. It's the ones who sign up but never show up that are troublesome.
05.29.2012 | Unregistered CommenterFWIW
I agree with FWIW. There's an important difference between a someone who signs up but never shows up and someone who plays 18 holes and gives up. Base your criticisms on those in the first group. Base future allocation of qualifying spots on those who tee it up, even if they don't finish 36.
05.29.2012 | Unregistered Commenteromatv
Good facts MacDuff, thanks for saving me from having to do the math! That's still a pretty healthy pace he kept up for a lengthy period of time. The trip was about the same as driving round-trip from NC to NY just to pick up a putter -- very strange.
05.29.2012 | Unregistered CommenterDTF
Nothing new for Monty. He almost always went home every night from any Tournament in the UK to his then residence in Oxstead (first marrriage days). Sometimes a local hop, often a long haul. When he played in a Skins game in California one time, and was due at the Nedbank in Sun CIty the following Wednesday, he flew via London so he could attend his daughter's dance recital. This trip was not to get a putter -- that could have been sent. It was to spend a little time with his family. Presumably all or some of the kids were up there with Gaynor. I guess he doesn't want to lose much of his custody time.
05.29.2012 | Unregistered CommenterGhillie
Monty's excursion was a Top Gear challenge.
Forgot your golf club ? - how fast can you navigate Wentworth/ London and back with Jeremy Clarkson riding shotgun.
05.29.2012 | Unregistered Commentermainuh
smells motivated by Divorce Court.
05.29.2012 | Unregistered Commenterbob
The downside of a US Open without Monty: every Shakespearean play needs a Falstaff.
The upside of a US Open without Monty: I don't have to worry about getting my smoking jacket and ascot out of storage for viewing.
Pip pip. Cherio, Monty.
05.29.2012 | Unregistered Commentergov. lepetomane

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