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Colin Montgomerie has finally given up on his dream of “playing in one last Open Championship” at Royal Troon after conceding he can no longer compete at the highest level.<\/b><\/p>\n
The 60-year-old Scot made his last appearance in golf’s oldest major in 2016 at his “home” course, which will host its 10th Open from 18-21 July.<\/p>\n
Speaking at last year’s championship, Montgomerie said: “I\u2019ll try and qualify for Troon. I did it in 2016. I\u2019ll give it a go. I\u2019d regret it if I didn\u2019t.”<\/p>\n
However, after confirming that he will be playing in the 2024 Senior Open at Carnoustie the week after The Open, Montgomerie simply replied, with a tinge of sadness in his voice, “no” when asked if he was still planning to try and qualify for the 152nd Open Championship.<\/p>\n
He has a special affection for the Ayrshire links having grown up in a house on the road leading to the club and he learned how to play the game there. His dad served as captain, and later secretary, of Royal Troon.<\/p>\n
The R&A gave Montgomerie the honour of hitting the opening tee shot in 2016.<\/p>\n
“I would love to play but the course is getting longer and longer and I want to bow out at The Open as I did in 2016,” he told BBC Sport.<\/p>\n
“I was proud of qualifying and making the cut but those days, sadly, are behind me.<\/p>\n
“I’ll leave it to the bigger hitters. The distance those players now hit means I can’t compete. Technology has kept me going but I average about 275 yards off the tee, that is four-iron for these players.<\/p>\n
“Yes you can get lucky and compete over nine holes but it’s not going to happen over 72.”<\/p>\n
The competitive spirit still burns strongly in Montgomerie though.<\/p>\n
While he famously never claimed a major title, he has picked up three senior majors since turning 50, winning the Senior US Open in 2014 and the Senior US PGA Championship in 2014 and 2015.<\/p>\n
He would dearly love to add a Senior Open to that collection, having had a best finish of runner-up in 2014 at Royal Porthcawl \u2013 albeit a distant one behind Bernhard Langer.<\/p>\n
Montgomerie used to be the joint course record holder at Carnoustie – a track he believes is the “hardest of all the Open venues” – until Tommy Fleetwood lowered that by one to 63 in 2017.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019m playing at Carnoustie because I can still compete,” he said. “If I didn\u2019t think I had a chance of contending, I wouldn\u2019t do it. I\u2019m a contender as opposed to a competitor. That\u2019s a big difference.”<\/p>\n
The Seniors Open will be held for a third time at the Angus course on the east coast of Scotland from 25-28 July.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n