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THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 17, 2005

Colin Montgomerie

ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND

MARTIN PARK: Colin, thank you very much for coming in. Could you start off with your thoughts of the day?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, amazing really the last couple of days, especially. Playing with Tiger yesterday was an experience. And today the crowd were phenomenal the whole way around. Even when they realized I wasn't going to win, they realized my job in hand was to try to finish second. And they helped me to that cause.

Looking back, I've thoroughly enjoyed this week and competing again at this level. Just saying on the BBC there, I forget it was 8 years since I contended in a major that's a long time. And fortunately I'm healthy enough, eight years after that one. And 14 years after the '92 Pebble Beach close call, so I've been lucky.

My career has been longer than most. And it's nice that it's having a little bit of resurgence now after three years really in the wilderness. So it's fantastic for me to get back to a position where I was and through the '90s in Europe, at least, and there's no disgrace in finishing second to the best player in the world.

Q. I'm just wondering, you talked about the opportunity you had yesterday when we were in here.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Sure.

Q. As well as you played this week, do you wonder if there is a major out there for you or does this boost you to think there is one out there for you? Is it a positive or negative for you?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It's a very positive. I'm taking lots of positives this week. I was within one of the turn from Tiger. I got two shots of the three I was behind. And with ten holes to go, anything can happen. And unfortunately I hit the wrong club. The wind switched on the 11th tee and I hit the wrong club at 11 and it threw me a bit. I bogeyed that hole and I didn't quite get the same momentum coming home after that bogey. And it threw me a bit, and unfortunately Tiger made the birdie on 12, I believe, and the gap widened to three shots and that was that. I gave a great effort, and of course I feel that I'm starting the next major now full of confidence to know that I'm capable of doing well.

Q. Tiger's just spoken about how he could keep an eye on what you were doing and know that if he could match you, he'd be okay.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes.

Q. Would it have been easier for you today if you had been playing with him?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: In hindsight, possibly yes. Yes, it would be better for me if I had been playing with him. I got off to a decent start. I got my birdie at the third, and my birdie at the 5th, and then of course my birdie at 9. So I did the right thing. I was out in 33, halfway there, I knew I had to score 66, I said that yesterday. 15 under was my target, and of course that would have won.

So it would have been possibly better, looking at hindsight, playing with him. He had a great advantage of knowing exactly what was happening because we were about a hole ahead or a hole and a half ahead already, so he knew exactly what was going on.

Q. You've spoken all season about the importance of moving back up the world rankings, and you're far better at figuring these things out than we are. I'm guessing today's performance and the runner up will do much closer to moving back into the spot?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes.

Q. Are you ahead of schedule in that respect? Have you made more progress this year than you'd expected to do?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Possibly. I'm about on course. I started the year in 83rd place in the world, a very, very different position for me. I wanted to get back in the top 25 this year, which was a big goal. And I'll be closer to that. I'm 40th right now. I'll be closer to that, which is great. It's all positive. I suppose I'm on course. That's the second place in three weeks I've had. So that's good. I'm encouraged by it, totally encouraged by it, and hopefully I can get back to somewhat where I was. I'm not saying I could get back to 2 in the world like I was in '96 or '97. But I think I have the talent to get back to the top 10. And that would be a huge effort and a huge goal for me to achieve.

Q. Does this performance give you incentive to go on and get you back to the place you were in the American majors?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, the last decent American major was '97 at Congressional, and it's been a while since I contended. And I feel with putting better and with my life better, I suppose, sorted out, that I can contend again in these championships, wherever it might be.

Thank you for your help this week and may I say that this tournament, second place, whatever it was, was because of the crowd. They were absolutely fantastic. Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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