Colin Montgomerie Fears Corey Pavin
by Ryan Ballengee on Jun 2, 2009 11:49 AM EDT
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PrintWe told you a few weeks ago that Corey Pavin would be playing in the Wales Open at Celtic Manor as a mini-preview/scouting report of Celtic Manor for the 2010 Ryder Cup. Colin Montgomerie will be in the field as well. Naturally, organizers would like to pair the two captains together. Well, Monty ain't so keen on that.
Derek Lawrenson reports in the Daily Mail:
You can imagine the temptation to pair them together for the first two rounds, 18 months before their teams duel over the same course in the Ryder Cup itself.
Except that Monty, who endured another miserable day here with a final round 75, has requested it does not happen.
Clearly, he would be under more pressure to perform and can visualise the bold type in the papers the next morning if he has one of his grumpy days and Pavin shoots 69.
As one colleague wryly put it: ‘A disappointingly shrewd move on his part.’
That's pathetic. I know that the European press might be all over Monty if he couldn't best Corey Pavin, but the guy has been taking this kind of flack for the better part of 15 years now. Isn't he used to it? Besides, the scribes can see the leaderboards. Monty doesn't have to be paired with Pavin to lose to him.
It's not like Steve Williams is going to be following him around saying, "Nice manboobs, Monty" after each shot like the heckler in Happy Gilmore.
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Couple of things – Monty still thinks of himself as a player. He thinks he can still earn a spot on the team. Delusional ? Maybe – but the guy is still pushing himself to play great golf.
Pavin, though an ultimate competitor who always gives his best effort, doesn’t live in that same fantasy world. He is still earning paychecks in tournaments, but he understands that courses have gotten longer than he can handle most of the year.
Putting them together would be a distraction to Monty’s effort – it would create a circus atmosphere that nobody needs. And you don’t have to have the two of them in the same group in order for that ridiculous excuse for a “media” over there to write something stupid comparing their separate performances.
It is artificial – and the game doesn’t really need that. It’s insulting when Tiger and Phil are paired on Thursday and Friday. Tourmaments who say that this is what “the people” want to see are crazy. People want to see Tiger and Phil together on the weekend – and especially on Sunday – not Thursday and Friday. If Monty and Pavin play together on the weekend, then they have played similar enough to make it a real pairing.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
That is a lot of nothing
Colin wants to make the team, Pavin doesn’t…..so what?
Colin is a big boy and if he is “afraid” of Pavin beating him out, he has a lot more problems than we all are seeing
He is a cry baby and always has been a cry baby.
If Pavin kicked his ass OR if Colin isn’t able to handle FREAKIN CORY FREAKIN PAVIN….he shouldn’t be considered for the team to start with
As for the atmosphere argument….if that type makes Colin angry….or annoys him….it is no wonder he is renown around the world for being a total and complete choke artist
it’s a matter of player respect – they aren’t playing a match – they are playing a stroke play tournament
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
What respect is given by putting them seperate?
I am not seeing why it is disrespectful to put them together
I can understand why Monty has focus and wants to make his own team. But that shouldn’t preclude him from playing with any player. That’s just a pitiful excuse.
Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.
really ? you understood why guys didn’t want to play with Michelle Wie because of the circus that followed her. same thing.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
It is in the same category and I think anyone who wouldn’t want to play with Wiesy is equally a pansy. There’s media everywhere – get over it.
Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.
by Ryan Ballengee on Jun 2, 2009 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions
who said anything about media ?
you get used to things being done in a fairly consistent style. why do you think players who are paired with Tiger (at least on the weekend) tend to shoot high scores ? Tiger’s not standing next to them putting a hex on their swing – it’s the atmosphere and the crowd that is all over him.
I don’t have any problem with Monty asking not to be artificially paired with Pavin. Putting them together wouldn’t be fair to either player trying to concentrate on their game. In NO way is the media more important than the players – EVER.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I’m not saying that the media is more important than the players. I’m saying that having media, people, etc, around is just a part of being a pro golfer. You have to get over that kind of stuff if you’re going to succeed. It’s complaints like these that may it really clear why Monty has never won in the US or a major.
Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.
by Ryan Ballengee on Jun 2, 2009 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions
very true – but it is enough to have to deal with those jackals normally – much less with an artificial pairing like that in a big tournament.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
The USGA made artificial pairings in the US Open last year with the world rankings so that Phil and Tiger (and Adam Scott, woof) would play together. The FedEx Cup events do the same.
Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.
by Ryan Ballengee on Jun 2, 2009 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Concentrate on their game?
How exactly would pairing them together make their concentration off?
Are you insulting both of their mental games after years on the tour?
it’s not so much the ON course happenings except for the ridiculous number of media that would follow that group – which inevitably leads to idiots who don’t know golf etiquette and set of people like Monty.
OFF the course – you get the gossip media asking all kinds of stupid questions ad nauseum. It IS distracting.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
how many idiots does it take to screw up someone’s round ? Monty and his rabbit ears can get pretty mucked up with one supposed professional photographer who doesn’t know not to take pictures during the swing. and you can bet there will be a dozen following that group. then you get to the interviews…then the media tent…then the follow up interviews.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I agree that there would be a bevy of media following Monty-Pavin, but most of that is on Monty for getting ruffled too easily with the press.
Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.
by Ryan Ballengee on Jun 2, 2009 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions
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