Colin Montgomerie tells US Open Oakmont whingers to 'get on with it' as they have an advantage he couldn't dream of

Daily Record

a day ago

Monty was bitten by The Beast at the 1994 US Open but isn't having complaints about difficult from the likes of Bryson DeChambeau
Colin Montgomerie suffered heartache when he was bitten by The Beast at the 1994 US Open at Oakmont.
Monty lost out to Ernie Els in a three-man play-off also featuring Loren Roberts at the Pittsburgh venue with the fearsome reputation. The set-up for this week's third major of the season has had several of the world's leading players bleating about it being an even tougher test than it was 31 years ago.
‌
Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau has gone as far as to claim: 'This venue doesn't challenge your game, it challenges your sanity.'
‌
But Ryder Cup legend Monty has told them to man up and get on with it after expressing disappointment that the USGA has taken some of the sting out of the rough.
Monty, who was at Trump International, Aberdeen in his role as host of the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship, pointed to the advances in technology as a leveller that makes Oakmont a fair test of golf.
He said: 'I was disappointed when I learned that the USGA had cut the rough a wee bit because it was deemed too severe.
'Hang on, compare the advances in technology opposed to 30 years ago when the ball we were playing moved all over the place, was softer and went 20 yards shorter.
'Also, consider the development of golf clubs. It has been beyond anything we ever dreamed of.
'So use it and play golf, definitely. Man up and get on with it
‌
'At this level, you shouldn't be missing fairways unless it's blowing a gale.
'When I did alright there in '94, Christ it was the US Open of old. The width of the fairways averaged 25 or 27 yards. Now they are 35.
'You can't miss them and I think that's great. I hate seeing people hitting it long but sideways and getting away with it, when someone just misses the fairway and has a worse lie than someone who misses by 40 yards.
‌
'I think they've found that they can't lengthen these courses any more, so what they've got is a par 70 playing 7,300 yards, which isn't long. But, equally, if you don't hit the fairway, you won't be in the right spot, so it's going back to the US Open in the 90s.
'And that's why I had some success in the US Open because I hit the fairway.
‌
'That's part of the game. It's not a putting competition. It's actually a full game from tee to green and I think they have set it up well.
'It's very difficult nowadays for the USGA, The R&A or the PGA of America to set up a course for these guys. You saw Muirfield Village recently when they were hitting over bunkers that weren't designed for that happening
'But I think you'll find this week that it's back to US Open scoring. I don't know if anyone will get to 10-under-par - the magic figure we used to have in mind.
‌
'Under par was always good in the US Open as you knew you had played some good golf and done well.'
The spotlight will once again be on Rory McIlroy - for reasons the world No 2 would rather were not in play.
McIlroy has struggled to find his A game since getting the Masters monkey off his back two months ago.
‌
But Monty isn't' in the least surprised that McIlroy has suffered a form slump in the wake of his Augusta triumph.
He added: 'A lot of people thought the floodgates would just open and Rory would relax and win as many majors as he wanted because he has the talent to do so.
‌
'But I could foresee this happening. The Masters took a hell of a lot out of him. You saw that on the 18th green and he hasn't quite got back into the tournament set up yet.
'After 14 years of struggles and finishing second and other hiccups along the way, it was more relief than excitement when he won.
'But he has got to get it together again soon and he has talked about his driving having to be much improved. Let's hope so because majors are better with him contending.'
Meanwhile, Monty has hailed Trump International as one of the jewels in Britain's golfing crown.
'This year we've got Sunningdale as our Senior Open venue followed by here, two weeks on the Legends Tour that are second to none,' he declared.