The Real Monty

Colin Montgomerie has been Europe’s No.1 golfer for the last eight years in succession – an unparalleled achievement in the professional era. He is universally regarded as the best player never to win a major title, twice losing in playoffs. Born in Scotland into a keen golfing family, Colin showed exceptional promise while still a small boy. His family insisted he complete his education, so he took a management degree in the USA before turning professional in 1986. In his early years he was as famous for his fiery temperament as for his play, culminating in a watershed incident in which he threatened a spectator who coughed during his backswing. Determined to conquer his emotions, Colin concentrated on improving his game, with spectacular results. His new found self-control stood him in good stead, particularly in the 1999 Ryder Cup, where he withstood constant abuse from American fans, and went on to defeat his close friend Payne Stewart on the 18th green — hours before Stewart was killed in a bizarre plane crash. Montgomerie’s autobiography is the story of a prodigious talent, a hothead who reformed his ways. It is about the most famous golfer in the world who has never won a major, but who is determined to do so. And it is about the hero of the most controversial and charged Ryder Cup in history.