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BOB HARIGMore reserved but no longer at top of his game, Troon native returns looking for first major.
TROON, Scotland - The reminders are everywhere, good and bad.
This is where he was born, where he hit his first golf shots, where he was married. Troon, without a doubt, is Colin Montgomerie's town.
And it helped make for a catchy, and often quite accurate, moniker. When Montgomerie was at the top of his game, at both golf and being outspoken, he was christened "The Goon from Troon."
Some of it had to do with boorish behavior on the course, some of it for bombastic comments off it.
But things are different now. Montgomerie, 41, is no longer considered a top player, past the point when he was expected to win major championships. And while he attempts to regain form, Montgomerie has become more reticent while trying to sort out his life.
Earlier this year, Montgomerie went through a very public split with his wife of 14 years, Eimear, whom he had met and married in Troon. The British tabloids had a field day with the story, linking her to actor Hugh Grant, while chronicling Monty's misery.
Is anyone in the U.K. not privy to his problems?
All of which made for an easy out if Montgomerie simply decided to stay away from the 133rd Open Championship, which begins Thursday at Royal Troon. For the first time since 1990, Montgomerie was not exempt for the tournament, his game having fallen off so dramatically.
But Monty wanted to be here, and worked hard to make it happen. He entered a 36-hole qualifying event last month at Sunningdale outside of London and survived a 12-man playoff for one of the final spots. And it seemed to invigorate one of Europe's most prolific winners.
"I think time is a healer and you get on with things and that's what I've got to do," Montgomerie said Tuesday before a practice round at Royal Troon. "I've played an awful lot of golf over this time, and I think that's good for me, to put my heart and soul in my golf and concentrate on that.
"And Sunningdale was a big day for me. Actually, it was the first decent thing that happened to me on a golf course for a long time. That was a big day for me and I feel that I've relaxed since then."
It would be impossible for Montgomerie to block out some of the defining moments of his life that occurred here. There is a practice course next to Troon where he hit his first shots. The family moved to England before he was 5, but later, his father, James, became Royal Troon secretary. And when Montgomerie returned from college in the United States (Houston Baptist), he settled in Troon, where he met Eimear.
They were married at Troon Old Parish Church, with the reception staged along the 18th fairway of the Open course. Although the Montgomeries settled in a suburb of London, Colin made repeated trips back to Troon because his mother, Betty, was dying of cancer.
All of which necessitated Montgomerie's recent journey down a sometimes painful memory lane. He drove past the house where he used to live. He made sure to take a look at the wedding reception site, which he'll walk past every day in competition. That idea was to tackle any demons before Open week.
"I never regret what's gone on," he said. "I've three beautiful children and I never regret anything. These things happen in life and I have to go on."
Montgomerie said it was emotional, and that getting the negative thoughts out of his mind was important. There are no such ill feelings about Troon or the championship course, one he wasn't permitted to play until he was 16. "They have certain rules here," he said.
"But, yes, I've played this course more than anyone in the field, hundreds of times," he said. "So therefore I have an advantage to that degree."
And there should be something to gain from hometown support. "If it's channeled in the right direction by myself," he said. "I look forward to that. You never know. It could help a couple of putts just go in. You never know."
For the longest time, Monty didn't need that kind of help. He was Europe's No. 1 money winner for seven straight years through 1999. He was a Ryder Cup star. He won 28 times on the European tour, including once earlier this year at a tournament in Singapore.
But he could never break through in a major championship. There were playoff losses at the 1994 U.S. Open and 1995 PGA Championship. He finished second at the 1997 U.S. Open, but when the Open Championship was at Troon that year, he opened with a 76 and tied for 24th.
"I'm surprised that he hasn't come close in this championship before because Colin has certainly got all the shots that are required," said Mark O'Meara, who won the British Open at age 41 six years ago. "There's always been a lot of extra pressure. He's from here, what the tournament means."
Over time, Montgomerie developed a reputation as a player whose ears were too big, emotions too volatile.
There are countless stories of him pointing out noisy spectators or rebuking playing partners. Just this year, he nearly came to blows with Denmark's Thomas Bjorn at a tournament in Bangkok.
"The whole British press corps dreaded him missing a putt on 18, because he would storm off and refuse to speak to anybody," said Douglas Proctor of the Sunday Post in Glasgow. "How many times did that happen? I don't understand why he's had so much sympathy because he's behaved so badly. He'd leave his wife, his caddie and manager standing there while he left in a huff. He's done that a lot. And he did it for the last time at Augusta. She was finished with him after that."
The news soon broke after the Masters that Montgomerie and his wife had split. They are presently in divorce proceedings.
Meanwhile, Montgomerie has tried to immerse himself in golf, playing almost everywhere, with little success. After his Singapore victory in March, Montgomerie has finished no better than a tie for 16th at the British Masters. Last week, he shot three rounds in the 60s at the Scottish Open, but ended tied for 34th because of a third-round 76.
"The reason I'm here is because I think I can still win," Monty said. "That's why I entered, that's why I qualified. I still feel, deep down, there's an opportunity."
133RD BRITISH OPENWHEN: Starts 7 a.m. Thursday
WHERE: Royal Troon; Troon, Scotland
TV: TNT