ASCENSION CHARITY CLASSIC

September 9, 2023

Colin Montgomerie

Norwood Hills Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Colin, 7-under 64 today. There were four rounds like that yesterday, tournament record, and you managed to do it today. How different was the golf course?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I think it was slightly more difficult today. The wind was slightly swirling. Obviously my score was the better one of the lot, you know (laughing).

Q. Obviously there was an ace in there, as well.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: That helps, doesn't it. That's the first hole-in-one I've had on this tour actually. I've been out here 10 years. I'm 60 now -- well, nine years, and first one I've had, so that's fantastic. It was a good shot. It was a decent shot. It was a 7-iron down the hill 190. It was playing 180 plus 10. It was helping downwind, so that's why it was a 7-iron.

Yeah, it was on line, but we couldn't see it go in, and there was one guy at the back. Of all things, it wasn't on TV. There was one guy at the back, and he said, yeah! So that's how we knew. Great, great. Always nice.

Then of course you're in a bit of a state, you bogey the next hole. Of course you are. Then I got back to it.

The last few holes are not easy. Really from the 12th hole in, it's game on, this course. This course changing dramatically. You've got to make your score on the first 11 and sort of hang on the last seven holes, and I managed to play those seven holes -- okay, with an ace, but I played them in 3-under, which was good.

Q. Nice to polish it off with a birdie on the last?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, I thought that was a good putt because I wasn't sure about the line, so I hit it straight, and it went in.

Q. I was looking at the PGA TOUR stats and you've had two aces on the PGA TOUR. The last one was 2002.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It was.

Q. Do you recall having any aces between then and today anywhere?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, I have in Europe. I have in Europe because I had one in the BMW. So I've had, I think, two in between, but not -- it hasn't been like one every second year.

Q. Still a thrill?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Of course it is. It's a real thrill. God, you had a hole-in-one, my God, it's fantastic. I've holed out second shots out here. I've made Eagles from the second shot, but a hole-in-one is different, you know? Yeah, yeah.

Q. How did you react?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, because there was no crowd, there was no stand, there was no car (laughing), there was no prize, it was sort of just one of these things, it just went in and that was it, and we walked on to the next tee really.

Q. You said it was more difficult today, but you shot even par yesterday. What was the difference today?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I played well yesterday. The putts just didn't -- professional golf. The putts didn't go in. I hit a lot of good putts and just skimmed the hole yesterday. Been playing okay, just a matter of if you hole the putts or not. On the first hole today I holed a good 12--footer for birdie at the first, and I thought, that feels good, instead of just missing or just the lack of pace, it went in, and I thought, okay, could be a decent day today. It's amazing how the first putt affects you.