Montgomerie confident ahead of Scottish Open

Colin Montgomerie is confident of putting in a strong performance at this week’s Scottish Open, believing than a fluent putting performance at last week’s French Open could be the sign of greater things to come.

Montgomerie will play for a small home team at Loch Lomond this week, and is generally not considered to be one of the genuine contenders for the Scottish Open title, having failed to make a top 10 European finish for over a year.

“I’m still making far too many mistakes but I had 19 birdies and an eagle last week which is more than the winner got,” Montgomerie told reporters on the eve of the Scottish Open.

“I made 16 mistakes, six is too many, never mind 16. But I’m taking positives from the amount of birdies I am making and that means the putting is coming back. I haven’t had a top-10 for a year now in Europe and it’s about time that changed.”

“I’m very positive. I know the course better than anybody and I look forward to this week, I always do.”

Montgomerie was also upbeat about appearing in the forthcoming British Open, where he’ll be one of only 9 Scots in the field. The former European Order of Merit winner believes that the Ailsa Course at Turnberry could be a great leveler in the tournament, and will ambush the title aspirations of many of the top golfers in the field.

“The green sizes, green depths, green designs, banks, hills, dunes, it’s got everything. A tremendous golf course,” Montgomerie said. “About two weeks ago they allowed the members on. There were about 150 starters and they left 480 balls on the course, that’s over three a player. That proves you must avoid the rough at all cost.”