I have never been a very staunch Colin Montgomerie fan. Matter of fact, I must admit that I would commit golf’s cardinal sin and quietly root for other players when Monty was in contention.
One thing that does not seem right, fair, and just, however, is that Colin Montgomerie does not get as much respect for his golfing achievements as he does for his failures?
Why isn’t Colin Montgomerie in the World Golf Hall of Fame?
Monty won 31 European Tour titles which puts him fourth on that tour’s all-time wins list.
Two of the three players ahead of him in total European Tour wins are World Golf Hall of Fame (HOF) members, Seve Ballesteros (50 wins) and Bernhard Langer (42 wins). It should be noted that Seve had five major wins and Bernhard had two during their careers.
Tiger Woods, with 38 European Tour wins, 14 of which are majors, is the third name on that list. Woods is also only 36 years old but will be a Hall of Fame member as soon as he grows a few gray hairs.
Players with fewer European Tour wins than Monty already in the HOF include; Nick Faldo, Ernie Els and Sandy Lyle. All of which did have at least one career major win.
Montgomerie was a stalwart on eight European Ryder Cup Teams and Captained the Euros to a Ryder Cup win at Celtic Manor in 2010.
He competed against Phil Mickelson, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els and Tiger Woods throughout his career and made it to No. 2 on the Official World Golf Rankings.
Monty could be a bit surly at times on the course and had his run-ins with American golf fans on occasion.
Fred Couples, who will be inducted into the HOF in 2013, won half as many tournaments as Montgomerie throughout his career. Couples did win the 1992 Masters and was a member of several Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams.
Freddie is also universally loved by the golf community. Men want to be as cool as him and women want to be with him. He is the antithesis of Colin Montgomerie.
When did entrance into the World Golf Hall of Fame involve a personality contest? Is there a swimsuit competition that I didn’t know about?
Is it called the Major Golf Winners ONLY Hall of Fame, or the PGA Tour Winners ONLY Golf Hall of Fame?
No, it is called the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Players still active in their playing careers, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els, are HOF members. Monty was a contemporary of both and beat them on more than one occasion.
Monty was not the most lovable guy on or off the golf course. He always told you what he thought whether you really wanted to hear it or not.
He had the misfortune of not winning a PGA Tour event or a major championship. He was runner-up five times in major championships and accumulated ten top-10 finishes in majors.
From 1993 to 2005 he won the European Tour’s Order of Merit eight times and was named that tour’s Player of the Year on four occasions. These accomplishments plus his performance in the Ryder Cup should be sufficient to gain entry into the HOF.
In spite of his failure to win a major or a PGA Tour event, he was a dominant golfer for over 20 years on the world golf scene and deserves consideration and election into the “WORLD” Golf Hall of Fame.