Monty writes about 2010 Ryder Cup

Destiny Colin: Montgomerie led Europe to victory in the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor 

Scots legend reveals all about victorious captaincy in new autobiography

Colin Montgomerie has reflected on his victorious Ryder Cup captaincy in 2010 and concluded: It was the proudest moment of my career.

Monty, who led Europe to victory at Celtic Manor two years ago, also wrote in his soon-to-be-released autobiography that he doesn’t think that winning a major would come close to how he felt when he was presented with the iconic gold trophy in Wales.

“The Ryder Cup will always have pride of place in my trophy cabinet regardless of what impressive piece of silverware might be sitting next to it,” wrote the eight-time European No.1 in his book, ‘Monty: An Autobiography’.

“People will almost certainly read this and say to themselves, “Oh, he’s just saying that because he has never won a major”. But, were you to ask a couple of our major winners for their take on a Ryder Cup win versus a major, it would not surprise me one bit were they to see things in much the same light as I do myself.

“Not too long ago, I came across Graeme McDowell’s comments at the post-match press conference when he was asked to compare the Ryder Cup triumph with his US Open win at Pebble Beach: “It was a different level of pressure to Pebble Beach and this is why this match is extremely special and will continue to be one of the greatest – possibly the greatest – event on the planet. The Ryder Cup really is that big a deal.”

Monty also offered a unique insight into the post-match celebrations at Celtic Manor.

“:After all the hugs and tears in the immediate aftermath of our victory, I went on some kind of mental walkabout. At least to my ears, the yelps of delight and the cheers suddenly faded to a background buzz. I was in one hell of a state, an out and out wreck. The emotion of the previous four days had well and truly caught up with me.

“Once back at the Twenty-Ten clubhouse, I found myself a quiet corner in the locker room. And, at a time when I should have been going over and over the captain’s closing-ceremony speech (my friends had kindly advised that it would be heard by an audience of some 160 million), my thoughts were all over the place.

“They darted back and forth, from my wife, Gaynor, to my vice-captains, to my winning team – and to what it all meant to the European Tour.

“Heaven knows how long I was like that but there came a point where Jamie Spence, a former player and a Tour official who had been helping non-stop throughout the week, happened upon me and said, firmly: “You need something to eat.”

“The cheers and the singing, this time from the balcony, were beginning to register with me once more as Jamie returned with an industrial quantity of bacon rolls and a Diet Coke. As it came, so Darren Clarke and José Maria Olazábal, two of my vice-captains, escaped the mayhem of the balcony to follow the scent.

“Together, the three of us ate that welcome sustenance and relived the events of the day. No one said very much but there were tears in our eyes and they spoke volumes. We were all equally overwhelmed.

“Balcony scenes, I have to say, are not really up my street. I was aware of having looked out at the very beginning, but only to marvel at our endlessly loyal fans down below. This was the players’ time, not mine.

“I have always been happy to leave this kind of thing to others. I am not much of a drinker. No more, as my daughters would cheerfully testify, am I a singer or dancer.

“Before too long, Darren and Ollie were hearing some cries or exhortations from the fans which they drew to my attention. There was an unmistakable chant of: “We want Monty. We want Monty.”

“It was moving, it was incredible and it was insistent. Darren and Ollie looked at me. “On you go,” they said. “You deserve it.” So out I stepped into the evening sun and a racket that snatched my breath away.

“To be standing out there as thousands of people, not all of them wholly inebriated, yelled “We love you, Monty!” was one of the most extraordinary moments of my life – a personal moment which is almost too poignantly personal to record.”

Monty: An Autobiography goes on-sale on May 17, 2012  

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered