Colin Montgomerie

Speaker 30:00

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young. Thank you for downloading this edition of Desert Island Discs. Whilst we're off air over the summer we're sharing some of the gems from the Desert Island Discs archive. For rights reasons we've had to shorten the music. The programme was originally broadcast in the year two thousand, and the presenter was Sue Lawley.

Presenter0:36

Mike Costaway this week is a golfer. He's one of the biggest earners in the history of the game and ranked number three in the world. He's played in the Ryder Cup and won many of golf's big international competitions, but he's never won one of the four majors. He's been runner-up in the US Open and the US PGA, but final victory has eluded him so far. He started playing when he was four years old and turned professional 20 years later. His success has meant that he's never needed to use his degree in business management and law, which he studied as an insurance policy, his term, in case his natural talent for golf wasn't good enough. I've just got this huge ambition, he says. I can't wait to get out there and keep beating people. He is Colin Montgomery. The old competitive spirit then, Colin, not always enough of it about in British sport these days. Is that what drives you?

Colin Montgomerie1:25

It is indeed. I love to win. In fact, I hate to lose more than I love to win, so that's what keeps me going.

Presenter1:30

Oh really? But it does that has that always come as naturally as your golf swing has itself?

Colin Montgomerie1:31

But it

Colin Montgomerie1:36

I think so. I think someone with someone with my ambition can't be taught, I believe. You you either have it or you don't. And I was fortunate enough to be able to sort of find what I'm good at, and it's been a fantastic career.

Presenter1:37

Yeah.

Presenter1:49

How does it manifest itself, that competitive spirit? Does it mean that you have to get a bit nasty? Because you have this reputation, don't you, for being Mr. Grumpy?

Colin Montgomerie1:57

I do sometimes. Well, you don't look at it at the moment, it has to be said. Well, people meet me off the golf course and it's different, I suppose. But yeah, I mean, I'm very ambitious, and it shows on the golf course I want to win. And as you said in your introduction, that there's not possibly not enough of it in British sport nowadays. We need more Ian Bothams in our cricket team. We need more people like myself, I suppose.

Presenter1:58

Well, you don't look at it at the moment, it has to be said.

Colin Montgomerie2:21

In a golfing sense, people that hate to lose and a bit more grit, possibly, yes.

Presenter2:24

And a bit more green.

Presenter2:27

But does that not worry you that you're kind of alienating people? Because you know y I know you stare at spectators if they do something, or you know, the child who produces the camera or the rubbish cart that goes by.

Colin Montgomerie2:35

That used to be I suppose I've matured since since then. That was my early days, back in the back in the very late eighties and early nineties when I first turned pro, but it's uh it's easing as I mature uh myself and I think it's a thing of the past now really.

Presenter2:50

But what made you do that at the time? Was that because they were coming between you and the concentration, I suppose?

Colin Montgomerie2:53

Yeah.

Colin Montgomerie2:55

Possibly, I was actually over-concentrating.

Presenter2:57

Hmm.

Colin Montgomerie2:57

And if you do that, you sometimes hear everything, and there's a happy medium to be found. And I think that I'm finding it right now.

Presenter3:01

Hmm.

Presenter3:05

and you lose contact with that thing that makes you naturally good.

Colin Montgomerie3:08

Good. Exactly. You're trying too hard. And I know when I do well in golf tournaments that I haven't actually tried at all. It's just happened. It's flowed.

Presenter3:09

Bye.

Presenter3:16

Hmm.

Colin Montgomerie3:16

And uh this is the sort of mindset I've got to get into more often.

Presenter3:20

It got very nasty um last year out in the States during the Ryder Cup, didn't it? And as the top European player you were the main target. What was going on out there? People stamping across greens before putts were taken, certainly.

Colin Montgomerie3:32

Yeah, that was uh that was uh on the seventeenth with Alazible. But with myself it was more trying to put me off my game before before the shot was hit, by shouting out on one's backswing, by by uh

Presenter3:38

Before

Colin Montgomerie3:44

Say say we hit the ball two hundred yards off the tee. There was two hundred yards of heckling before I got to the ball. It was very off-putting.

Presenter3:51

How did it affect you?

Colin Montgomerie3:53

The first round it affected me because I went there with no expectation. I felt, okay, well, it might happen, it might not. Well, it did. So I think, okay, here we go. How do we control this? Because it's not going to go away for the next three days. And what I did was I got more determined. The more they heckled, the more determined I became to shout, to sort of shut that noise off, if you like, and actually concentrate on what I was doing. And it worked well. The putts went in and it was amazing. And it actually helped me in the long term. They don't know it right now, but it did help me in the long term. I'd like to do it more often, huh? Well, no, no. Let's hope not. Let's hope it doesn't get to that stage again, but we hope that these times are behind us.

Presenter4:16

Mm.

Presenter4:22

Do it more.

Colin Montgomerie4:31

Tell me about your first record.

Colin Montgomerie4:33

First record I'll find my way home. Vangelis, I'm away from home an awful lot, and too much. I spend roughly about a hundred days at home, and the rest of the time I'm away in hotel rooms and airports and golf courses and what have you, and there's not a lot of time for sightseeing. And I chose this record not because I happen to like it as a record, but I'm always trying to get the first flight home, and this song's very appropriate.

Speaker 15:00

You ask me where to begin.

Presenter5:06

Am I so lost in my sin?

Presenter5:11

You

Speaker 15:12

Ask me where did I fall?

Speaker 15:17

I'll say I can't tell you when

Speaker 15:22

But if my spirit is lost.

Presenter5:28

I'll Find My Way Home by John and Van Gellis. So you're the top golfing earner in Europe. You've won the Order of Merit, that's so you won the most dosh.

Presenter5:36

Seven years in a row, seven years.

Colin Montgomerie5:38

Seven years in a row, yeah.

Presenter5:39

Um

Presenter5:40

Which is great for you and great for the people who manage you, Mark McCormick's IMG. I understand that in the beginning you thought you should be one of them, not one of you, i. e. a manager, not not a player.

Colin Montgomerie5:51

Yeah, it was it was a funny way it came around, really, how I turned professional. I mean, it was never meant to be. I mean, as as you say, I'd I got my degree in business management and law from Houston University down in Texas and uh came back having played in the Scottish youth team and stuff, but nothing more than that.

Presenter6:08

What not even thinking that it you would make a kind of full-time career out.

Colin Montgomerie6:11

There was a 20% chance. But of course, how many players make it? One in thousands make it.

Presenter6:14

Books.

Presenter6:18

But you've been playing off single figures or Scratch for years.

Colin Montgomerie6:20

Oh yes, I've been off scratch for a while, but nothing not good enough.

Presenter6:24

How old were you when you hit single figures?

Colin Montgomerie6:24

Well you

Colin Montgomerie6:26

Uh single figures, I was just in my early teens I suppose. But when I got to Scratch, I suppose I was twenty twenty-one, which which isn't good enough. Most people have turned pro by then. I see. So I applied to the company f for a job to manage, I suppose, you know, the Falder, the Lyle, Langer, uh, these sort of people that were clients of of that company and and uh two of the bosses of IMG in London invited me out to Turnbury because I was living in Troon at the time, just up the road. They invited me down for the back nine at Turnbury. Only for the back nine, right? Only for the back nine. They obviously had something more important to do in the front nine. And I played in with them.

Colin Montgomerie7:03

And I was just talking about, you know, my schooling and and and university life and what I wanted to do and talking about.

Colin Montgomerie7:10

You know, life in general, and uh came back in twenty-nine, seven under par, you see, without really trying. And they turned to one another, I'll never forget this this statement as long as I live, and they said, Look,

Colin Montgomerie7:23

Colin, we should work for you and you not work for us. And that was to me, that changed my my whole life, my career and my whole life. And and uh a year later I turned pro.

Presenter7:33

You were twenty-four years old.

Colin Montgomerie7:34

Indeed, yes, wh which is late nowadays, but I had to make sure I finished my degree just in case things didn't work out and I had this so-called insurance policy behind me.

Presenter7:39

Yeah.

Colin Montgomerie7:42

Uh

Presenter7:42

Tell me about your sake.

Colin Montgomerie7:43

Yeah. Uh

Presenter7:43

Record.

Colin Montgomerie7:44

The second record, ABBA, uh Waterloo. I'll never forget to 1974, as we all won't, I suppose, this famous Eurovision song contest I was watching when I was eleven years old. Little did we know what was gonna happen. And uh the family, my wife and children have always loved ABBA, we listen to it sometimes in the car and I think everyone's a a sort of ABBA closet fan without without really admitting it.

Speaker 18:11

Hallelujah, oh you did surrender, oh yeah, and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way.

Speaker 18:24

The mystery book on the shelf and the song was repeating itself.

Presenter8:38

ABBA and Waterloo and memories of watching the Eurovision Song Contest when you were a boy, mid-70s.

Colin Montgomerie8:43

And so

Presenter8:44

But much earlier than that it was that you started playing golf, Colin. How old were you?

Colin Montgomerie8:49

I was uh four years old, and it's funny my dad's got a Cine camera.

Colin Montgomerie8:54

And there's a there's some film of me somewhere swinging at four years old, and it's quite obviously me. My follow through is quite distinctive, it's quite high follow through I have, and it hasn't changed, and I haven't had many lessons as such in golf since then. My dad taught me the etiquette of th the game from that early stage, and and it's been very natural.

Speaker 19:04

Yeah.

Presenter9:04

I haven't

Presenter9:13

Yeah.

Colin Montgomerie9:13

Uh

Presenter9:13

But where did you play?

Colin Montgomerie9:14

At the children's course at Troon, they had nine holes. I mean, they call it nine holes children's course, but I mean, you know, you could walk over it in two minutes.

Presenter9:21

It was a kind of pitch and putt, was it?

Colin Montgomerie9:22

It was a pitch and putt. The eighth hole, I'll never forget it, the eighth hole must be. I mean I mean, you could throw it on there now. Anybody could, but there was this ravine and I used to try and carry it when I was five or six years old.

Presenter9:32

Means get

Colin Montgomerie9:33

Across it. Get across it in one shot. And now, of course, you could just walk across it. I mean, you could just step across this thing. It's like a little burn. But uh I played the first seven holes as practice and this eighth hole was a was a real challenge to me and I got across it and I was delighted when I when I managed it.

Presenter9:46

Who were your sporting heroes then, then, as a boy, as a schoolboy?

Colin Montgomerie9:51

I mean obviously you know you think of the Nicholas and the Palmer and the Sevy I suppose in Europe Sevy was the main one in golfing terms but I was used to watch Bjorn Borg and I was always very impressed with him. How that someone someone that wasn't suited to grass surface, that was all suited to a to a clay court or a or a hard court because he played from the baseline in his tennis was never meant to win Wimbledon and did it five times in a row and that was sheer determination, guts and ambition.

Presenter10:18

And that's what you admired.

Colin Montgomerie10:18

And that's what I admired from him. I used to watch him and watch when he was playing Mackenro in these famous games they had, and eventually Mackenro got him because he was younger and quicker. But Borg had him mentally, and McEnroe knew that. I actually learned a lot from watching other sportsmen compete. You can learn from people's body language, and you can learn from are they down, are they up? And what's happening? Are they playing the points too quickly? Are they serving too fast because they're anxious or not? And I learned from that.

Speaker 110:31

Hmm.

Presenter10:46

I want to draw that analogy a bit more, actually, but let's just pause for some more music. Number three.

Colin Montgomerie10:52

Pakuna Matata

Colin Montgomerie10:53

This is the soundtrack to the Lion King film.

Colin Montgomerie10:57

It's used a number of ways in my life, not that just that the children enjoyed the film and also they went to the West End theatre production, but at the same time it's generally the last song that I play in the car or if I'm driving to a course I sometimes ask the Kuru Sa car driver to play this song and it's the last song that I hear before I step out of the car.

Colin Montgomerie11:20

Don't worry, be happy type of syndrome.

Colin Montgomerie11:23

And it keeps me relaxed, and I listen to it all the time. And I remember I won the Swiss Open in nineteen ninety six because of it, I feel. I was quite tense. The Order of Merit was on the line at the time in September, and I was quite tense, and this song enabled me to relax.

Colin Montgomerie11:40

What a wonderful phrase!

Colin Montgomerie11:43

Lacuna Matata

Speaker 111:44

Uh

Colin Montgomerie11:44

Yeah.

Colin Montgomerie11:45

Ain't no passing crazy It means no worries

Speaker 111:51

Peace thought. The rest of your days It's our problem-free philosophy Akuna Matata

Presenter12:07

Akuna Matata from the soundtrack to the Walt Disney film The Lion King. I suppose that you know the T shot and and the serve in tennis have quite a lot in common, don't they really? You take all the time you want, you address the ball, you do all these funny little bits and pieces before you actually hit it.

Colin Montgomerie12:17

They do.

Colin Montgomerie12:22

Yes, I mean tennis players bounce the ball once or twice or not at all or whatever and golfers have their little particular waggles before they tee off and it's not. What are your particular waggles? I have a waggle. I can't describe it. It just happens naturally. There's a couple of waggles and then I'm ready. I ground the club and when the club goes behind the ball and hits the deck it.

Presenter12:29

What are your particular waggles?

Colin Montgomerie12:43

It's ready to go. And you see that within tennis players, you know, the bounce of the ball. You know after the third time, he's now ready.

Presenter12:45

When you see

Presenter12:50

But it's that pulling together, isn't it, of everything you know in your mind and your body, and then relaxing and let it all

Colin Montgomerie12:57

Well, that's right. You've got a certain time and I use certain breathing techniques. I'm sure tennis players do the same. You're a sort of centering technique where you breathe in and your stomach goes out. And when you breathe out, your stomach goes in. And that focuses the mind to concentrate on what you're doing. And I blow out on crucial putts or crucial drives. And I know then that I'm relaxed for that three or four seconds before things tighten up again. And then I've got to make sure I hit the ball within that time or else back off and start again.

Presenter13:26

Do you make noises like they do in Teng or the grunt as they say?

Colin Montgomerie13:29

No, no, I haven't started the Monica Sellis grunt yet.

Presenter13:34

But huge pressure in that moment, you know, uh we all know the scene, the spectators around you, the cameras, let alone

Colin Montgomerie13:39

Yeah.

Presenter13:40

You know, you're trying to beat yourself as well, aren't you? But is it pleasure or is it pain?

Colin Montgomerie13:42

Well you are.

Colin Montgomerie13:46

If you come up to me on the say the seventh tee at the Ryder Cup and said, Colin, are you enjoying yourself? the answer is no. Looking back on the whole experience, yes, it's an enjoyable experience. The pressures involved, the media attention that I get now, I'm interviewed now whether I score seventy-five, which is bad, or sixty-five, which is very good.

Presenter14:04

It gets harder as time goes on, that's the point, isn't it? Because people's expectations are greater.

Colin Montgomerie14:06

That's the point, isn't it?

Colin Montgomerie14:09

Yeah.

Presenter14:09

And do you almost much as you have a desire to win,

Colin Montgomerie14:09

Yeah.

Presenter14:13

There's a kind of fear of winning as well. Well, there is just a lot of things.

Colin Montgomerie14:15

I remember a tennis occasion that comes back to me again. Jeremy Bates against Guy Forger back a few years now and he was serving 5-4 up, I believe. In the fourth set, he was two sets to one up, serving for the game, 30-love up. And you knew somehow that something just wasn't right. He wasn't comfortable. He was starting to quicken up. And I see that.

Colin Montgomerie14:39

In my own game, that the certain players have their own comfort zones. I now am only comfortable when my name is on the leaderboard, and some people are comfortable when their name is not on the leaderboard.

Presenter14:50

Well it does.

Colin Montgomerie14:52

What it does, you know,

Presenter14:54

Alice, Alice.

Colin Montgomerie14:57

Alistair McLean, yes. He's been with me now for, what, seven, eight years? And if he's not there.

Presenter15:01

And if he's not there, if he's ill.

Colin Montgomerie15:02

If he's ill, well, I've got to make do, but we are a good partnership. It's obvious we are. We work well together.

Presenter15:08

You don't like it if he's not there.

Colin Montgomerie15:11

No, no, he's missed. He had a back surgery a few years ago and uh I missed him for a month. And in fact I actually dropped to Tournament. I di I didn't play because I just I just didn't feel I felt a great loss without him.

Presenter15:23

Next record.

Colin Montgomerie15:24

Next record Flower of Scotland, our national anthem, our Scottish Nash anthem, brings back two emotional times in my life. One in 1995, when Scotland won the Alfred Dunhill Cup for the first time up at St Andrews. The pipe band were marching up the 18th fairway towards the presentation playing this, and it does get to you, I must admit, Sam Torrance, Andrew Coulthard, and myself, we won that, and it was a very emotional time for Scotland on the steps of St Andrews, the home of golf in Scotland, and it was wonderful. And the second occasion was the Brazil-Scotland football match, the Soccer World Cup finals in 1998, when Scotland were drawn out the hat. It was unbelievable to play Brazil, the holders. I'll never forget the Scottish team walking on, led by Hendry, then of Blackburn, and wonderful. They came out in their kilts beforehand, had a good look at the stadium, and then went away and then got changed and came out. Flower of Scotland was played. It was great.

Presenter16:47

Flower of Scotland. So you rank number three in the world, as I keep saying you've earned more from the game than any other British player before you, but you haven't won one of the big four. Let's list them. The Open, the British Open, the American Open, the Masters, the American PGA. It's a daft question, but why not?

Speaker 116:56

Beautiful.

Colin Montgomerie17:03

But

Colin Montgomerie17:04

I think I'd like to say luck was involved, and I haven't been fortunate.

Colin Montgomerie17:11

The door has to open slightly.

Presenter17:13

But is it what you were talking about just now, that in a way you're almost beating yourself because now the requirement to do it gets bigger every year?

Colin Montgomerie17:13

But is it what you're doing?

Colin Montgomerie17:18

Well

Colin Montgomerie17:20

Yeah, the expectation, as you were saying before, is greater all the time. And if and hopefully when I'm in a position.

Colin Montgomerie17:31

When the door is ajar. It's been a jar. You've come so far. Well, I know it's been almost wide open.

Speaker 117:32

Yeah.

Presenter17:32

It's been a jar. You've come so far.

Presenter17:38

So what gave me the mm-hmm.

Colin Montgomerie17:38

I've almost hit the doorstop and uh and it hasn't quite made it.

Presenter17:42

I'm in the US open what, ninety seven Ernie Ells player?

Colin Montgomerie17:45

Yeah, 97 was a 94 was a playoff actually. In 97, he hit a remarkable shot into the 17th green to beat me by a shot, and the USPGA Steve Elkinton holder putt, a monster putt right across the green, and that was that. One shot. I mean, it might lip out, it might not, it didn't. And good for him, and unfortunate for me. And you just go along and you try again. It's one of these things.

Presenter18:08

Is it true you cried?

Colin Montgomerie18:11

I did after ninety-seven. Yeah, yeah, because I thought I had a great opportunity. We'd lost Maggott and Lehman, Jeff Maggott and Tom Lehman, who were our who were the people playing behind us, the pair behind us, and it was one on one. And he hit this remarkable shot and I I bogged the holy he pardon it and that was that. And you don't get that many opportunities. That's why I said if and when it happens again, because it it is an if, you never know, the standards improving all the time. Tiger Woods now is

Colin Montgomerie18:38

Is so good that we've got to get to his standard, we've got to improve.

Colin Montgomerie18:42

And I'm working on improving and hopefully one day it might just hit that doorstep.

Presenter18:47

What have you been working on in print though?

Presenter18:49

I thought you didn't really have to practice. Again, you know, you just naturally just do it.

Colin Montgomerie18:50

It's a

Colin Montgomerie18:54

I don't practice as much as most, I must admit. I think some players get stale of anything. I mean, I love the game of golf, but at the same time, I think too much too much of anything you get stale at. And great songs you listen to over and over again, and then you find out you're changing the C D in your car because you've heard it too much. And the same with my golf. I think if I played too much like some players do, I would get tired and stale of it, and I wouldn't be on the top top of the tree that I am now. And it someone will come up, you know, the Garcias and Westwoods are very talented people, and they'll come through and overtake me. But it's nice to be on that top of the tree right now.

Presenter18:58

Yeah.

Speaker 119:11

And

Presenter19:29

But obviously you'd really love that title. You'd like to be open champion, wouldn't you?

Colin Montgomerie19:34

And you um yes, that would that would uh that would finish one's career uh i in style if you like. Yes, there's plenty of space in one's trophy cabinet for a for a major championship replica, believe me.

Presenter19:45

It was a big cabinet and a full cabinet already. You have of course said quite recently that if you did that you'd retire, but you retracted that quite quickly afterwards.

Colin Montgomerie19:53

Yeah, I mean it was a it was a tug-in-cheek remark that yes, one of these uh especially this year, the year two thousand at St Andrews, the British Open being played at the home of golf, if I'm ha I'm lucky enough to win that tournament, wh wh where do you go? Uh the only place to go is downhill. So I felt okay well look it might be nice to just to just stop, but of course knowing my ambition I'll be the uh next one to try and improve and and win two of them.

Speaker 120:08

The only

Presenter20:18

Right, record number five.

Presenter20:21

Record number five.

Colin Montgomerie20:22

Yeah.

Presenter20:22

Uh

Colin Montgomerie20:22

Uh-huh.

Colin Montgomerie20:24

Theme tuned to the 1963 film The Great Escape. I spend a lot of time in hotel rooms. As we've said, a lot of them around Europe, French hotel rooms and Belgium and German and Spanish ones. And the TV TV doesn't interest me as much as films or music do. And I now bring my own little DVD player with me. It makes me sleep at night after I've watched a good film. And this is definitely one of them.

Presenter21:18

The theme tuned to the 1963 film The Great Escape, composed and conducted by Elmer Bernstein. As far as holes in one are concerned, Colin, you're into double figures, which is unusual.

Colin Montgomerie21:26

Yes, not bad. Helps me. It's unfortunate that way. It does indeed, it's like missing out a hole. One.

Presenter21:28

It's fortunate that works.

Presenter21:31

But what's the best putt you've ever hold?

Colin Montgomerie21:35

Well that's very easy for me. It comes back to the European Order of Merit 1995 against my good friend Sam Torrance. The whole season, thirty-eight tournaments in twenty odd countries, came down to one putt, one five foot putt that I had to hold. I had to play the back nine at Valderamer, a very difficult course down in the south of Spain, in one under par. I knew what I had to do because he was already in the clubhouse and I had to do this to win. And I got my birdie on the twelfth hole and played for pas in and I was in bunkers and all sorts and got up and down and Sam was watching it. I know he was in the clubhouse, hoping that I would make a mistake and

Colin Montgomerie22:16

I hit my first putt at the last hole short, five foot short. I was very nervous and concentrated on the next one and it went in the left-hand door. He says it went in the middle, it didn't. It went in the left-hand side just. And if there was ever a time to share an Order of Merit, 1995 was it. We both won a number of tournaments each and it came down to one putt and it shouldn't really. I mean that was one that should have been shared.

Presenter22:41

Was he standing there on the eighteenth green?

Colin Montgomerie22:43

He was, I mean, all credit to him. He was the first person to come up and congratulate me, just after my wife. He was the first golfer to congratulate me, which is all credit to him.

Presenter22:50

Hmm.

Presenter22:51

What about that last putt in the Difficult Ryder Cup last year we were talking about, which of course Payne Stewart conceded, didn't he? Payne Stewart who tragically was to die in a plane crash, what, a couple of months after that?

Speaker 122:56

Yeah.

Colin Montgomerie22:56

Sure.

Colin Montgomerie22:58

George Root, who tragically was

Colin Montgomerie23:02

He was, he was, he died in in in late October and and and we played the Ryder Cup in September. We all uh were very badly badly hit by that tragic accident.

Presenter23:11

Hmm, but he conceded that part which he he didn't have to. He was saying something, wasn't he?

Colin Montgomerie23:16

No, he didn't. No, no, he'd played three shots onto the last screen. Okay, I'd played two, but at the same time, the gentleman that he was, he said, look, Colin, pick it up. You know, we've all had enough of this. The Americans had had one back that I'd have cut by that stage. It was the crowd didn't think so, but it was meaningless in the end. It just meant they didn't win by as much as they might have done or whatever. But all credit to him. He picked my ball up and said, look, look, we've had enough of this, and we'll go home.

Presenter23:44

And uh

Presenter23:45

So you were saying he didn't he dis deeply disapproved of the hostility?

Colin Montgomerie23:49

He did. He did. And he was very helpful to me on the way round. I mean, I mean, he was ejecting people as well as his the security guards were round that Brookline course that day. And uh oh, we had a great game actually. Uh and it was such a shame that it will be his last Ryder Cup.

Presenter24:06

Tell me about record number six.

Colin Montgomerie24:09

Record Six Angels by Robbie Williams.

Colin Montgomerie24:12

IMG's T V company TWI produce a video for me every year and uh when I've won the Order of Merit and it brings back great memories of uh wins and certain shots and certain incidents that's happened and in nineteen ninety eight they focussed a lot on my wife who's been a great support and this was the music that was that was uh played over that video and this record always reminds me of her.

Colin Montgomerie24:36

I see the way.

Colin Montgomerie24:40

There's an angel

Colin Montgomerie24:43

Contemplate my fate

Speaker 124:46

Uh

Colin Montgomerie24:50

Do they now?

Colin Montgomerie24:52

The places where we go

Colin Montgomerie24:55

When we pray and oh

Speaker 124:59

Uh

Colin Montgomerie24:59

Yeah.

Presenter25:01

Cause I have been told

Presenter25:05

That's it.

Presenter25:07

Robbie Williams with Angels. These days, Colin, I think only a fifth of what you do is on the golf course. The rest is is business. It's it's the real money. Well the the money without the gambling element. H how do you make it? What do you do?

Speaker 125:13

Yeah.

Colin Montgomerie25:14

Uh

Speaker 125:14

It's Yeah.

Colin Montgomerie25:19

Well, I've got a few teaching academies now opening up. The first one's opening in Turnbury, which is great, a Lynx academy linked with the Starwood Hotel Group of Western Hotels. And I have to train PJ professionals into my methods of teaching, my philosophy, which is mainly a course management type of deal that doesn't cost anything to think. And if I caddied for someone, I feel that I would reduce their score by three shots just by thinking for them properly.

Speaker 325:48

Yeah.

Colin Montgomerie25:49

If they get into trouble, uh j generally an amateur would would see the gap in the trees and go for it. And I say, Hold on a minute, there's a ten percent chance that might come off and a ninety percent chance it's going to fail. Why not chip out sideways, make sure of the five.

Colin Montgomerie26:05

uh possible four and take away

Colin Montgomerie26:08

The equation of six or even seven.

Presenter26:11

So you're playing the percentage.

Colin Montgomerie26:12

I'm playing a percentage game all the time. I I play chess with a golf course. I but if I'm in trouble, the one thing I do is get out of it and start again. And yes, w we do risk certain shots at certain times. On the last hole on Sunday afternoon, yes, you might need something. But up up till that stage, I'm not a very risky golfer at all.

Presenter26:19

Yeah.

Presenter26:29

Not so much fun, though, is it? I mean, you know, if you can see the gap in the trees, why not?

Colin Montgomerie26:30

No, it's

Colin Montgomerie26:33

Well, you have a go, you know, I mean that's Sevi's that's Sevi's mindset and not mine. He's had a go and it's come off. If I have a go, it doesn't, so I'd rather just chip out sideways and start again.

Presenter26:42

And now you're charged with selling Scotland too, because Donald Dewar, Scotland's first minister, says you're an unofficial ambassador.

Colin Montgomerie26:46

Yeah.

Colin Montgomerie26:49

Yeah.

Presenter26:50

But how do you fulfil this non-existent role?

Colin Montgomerie26:52

I play with captains of industry, I suppose, in Proams every Wednesday. It's the wonder of golf that I can play alongside people that aren't my level. I can't play tennis against a Sampras, or I can't play football against Bu they have to come down to my level. But with the handicapping system of golf, it's a wonderful game that we can compete on the same level.

Presenter26:56

Hmm.

Speaker 127:11

Hmm.

Colin Montgomerie27:11

And a lot of business, as you say, is d the Dun and Golf courses, and I'm trying to promote Scotland.

Colin Montgomerie27:16

I think the image of Scotland is a little bit stereotyped and outdated right now. They think of lochs and walks and all this sort of stuff, and it's not. Scotland's full of technology and industry, and this is what we're trying to trying to get back to people.

Colin Montgomerie27:28

Record number seven.

Colin Montgomerie27:30

Record seven, the theme tune from the chariots of fire. Uh never forget in the nineteen ninety seven Ryder Cup down at Valderama we were led into a thousand strong dinner and uh the lights had dimmed and uh it sent a chill up my spine listening to this song as we walked in.

Presenter28:19

A theme tune from Chariots of Fire, composed and performed by Van Gellis, and music that will always, um, Colin Montgomery, symbolise a Scottish win. Is that what you'll do? Is sit on your desert island and

Colin Montgomerie28:28

What you do.

Presenter28:31

Dream of winning the Open, surely.

Colin Montgomerie28:34

That would be number one, wouldn't it? Yes, and dream of the success that's been and the enjoyment I've had from it. I've got three.

Presenter28:40

Hmm.

Colin Montgomerie28:41

Wonderful children and uh they are my life. Golf is very much number five. My wife and and uh my children are the first four. Golf comes in a lowly fifth, but uh but that's where it shall remain and and uh my family to me is the most important thing.

Presenter28:55

And when you're not dreaming of of winning whatever sitting on this island, you'll be working'cause you're quite a a a a good DIY man, I gather.

Colin Montgomerie29:03

Not bad, not bad. I have a go, I'll have a go. Before I before I call out somebody, just for the sake of doing it, I'll have a go first.

Presenter29:10

You resent that callback fee, I can tell. Well, I

Colin Montgomerie29:13

That's the true Scott and Yorkshireman coming out of me, isn't it? But it is satisfying when I have succeeded, I suppose.

Presenter29:20

And obviously, you're incredibly comfortably off. I know you love cars. How many have you got?

Colin Montgomerie29:25

Well, there's four right now. I hate to admit. They're not going to use at the same time, thank goodness. What's the snazzy?

Presenter29:28

But also you

Presenter29:30

What's the snazziest?

Colin Montgomerie29:32

The snazziest oh, well I d I d I don't want to mention names, but but a few are a few are pretty quick. I have Alexis which is uh which is a corporate uh uh uh

Presenter29:35

Oh listen to

Presenter29:42

Yes, but you must have a message.

Colin Montgomerie29:45

Oh, I've been through that stage. I've had my Porsches and Ferraris and stuff. I'm coming at their end and I've qui got quite sensible. I have an S eight Audi, which is which is uh fast and comfortable and and uh with three kids I need I need more space than the Porsche and Ferrari gave me

Presenter29:59

But somewhere tucked away near there's something snazzy I can tell. What is it?

Colin Montgomerie30:02

Uh well there's about to be, yes, yes, there's a there's an Aston Martin on its way, but uh but we don't wanna mention

Presenter30:11

Last record.

Colin Montgomerie30:13

Rod Stewart Sailing. Uh it was always my mother, Elizabeth's favourite music and and uh she passed away in ninety one of lung cancer and and I always think about her when this music is played.

Presenter30:27

I am sane.

Presenter30:31

I am sailing.

Presenter30:34

Home again.

Presenter30:38

Across the sea.

Presenter30:42

I am sailing.

Presenter30:45

Stormy waters

Presenter30:49

To be near you.

Presenter30:53

Rob Stewart and Sailing and memories of your mother who died aged fifty-three. Didn't did it throw you for a while when she died?

Colin Montgomerie31:01

Oh, it did, it did. Uh especially in my job in the public eye.

Colin Montgomerie31:06

That was nineteen ninety one and and I and I didn't win a tournament for for two years. I wasn't concentrating. You know, I mean I mean, I'm sure other other listeners who have who have been through what what I have and our family have f feel the same way. It's a very it's a very great loss.

Presenter31:20

Hmm.

Presenter31:22

What about if you could only take one of those eight records? This is a really difficult question.

Colin Montgomerie31:27

It would have to be the last one.

Presenter31:29

And um what about your book as well as the Bible and Shakespeare?

Colin Montgomerie31:34

It would have to be a novel and and uh uh my favourite author, Michael Crichton. I don't know which one because because they're very difficult to pick I've enjoyed reading all of them and uh so one of Michael Crichton's uh novels would be the book I'd take with me.

Presenter31:48

And your luxury.

Colin Montgomerie31:49

Yeah.

Colin Montgomerie31:50

My luxury?

Colin Montgomerie31:52

I think having having such a wonderful and fortunate lifestyle and with it bringing its luxuries along the way, uh I'd be quite content to to go back to nature if you like. So, I mean, I've had all the luxuries and if it all ends tomorrow, I've had a great time at it.

Presenter32:09

Colin Montgomery, you go luxuriless to your desert island. Thank you very much indeed for letting us hear your desert island discs.

Colin Montgomerie32:16

Thank you very much.

Speaker 332:23

You've been listening to a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive. For more podcasts, please visit bbc.co.uk slash radio four.