Langer offers congratulations to revived Montgomerie
Colin Montgomerie has received the congratulations of the man he believes played a big part in rebuilding his golf career and returning to European number one.
Bernhard Langer picked Montgomerie for last year’s Ryder Cup when he was only 27th on the points standings.
“I’m glad that he’s back,” said Langer in America. “He is playing great now. He’s got his confidence back and I think that’s all that took.
“He has probably gotten over his personal problems as well and there is no reason why he shouldn’t play good golf for another four to 10 years or whatever.
“We have actually come a little closer the last few years. For some reason I don’t see him all that much, but when we see each other I will talk to him a little more.
“We have had some private conversations and stuff. I was trying to just be a friend to him – not just a competitor, a colleague.
“I know he went through some difficult times with his divorce. I was just trying to be there to help him a little bit.
“I always felt that he was a good enough player and he has had past experience and whatever it takes to come through under pressure. That’s why I picked him the last time around.
“Obviously that helped him a little bit. It would have been very difficult for him personally not to make the team beause there is so much pressure, so much talk constantly – is he going to make it? Is he not?
“It’s a thing they wrote about for three or four months continuously, so I know that he must have felt a lot of pressure. It’s not easy to play that way, play well.
“I thought he did fairly well. He was very close to making the team. I had a very tough decision just picking two guys when I really had five guys that I wanted to pick.
“But that’s the rules, so I had to go with somebody and I know that I disappointed two, maybe three others. But I can’t help it. I didn’t make the rules.”
Davis Love added: “He is such a talented player. There is a confidence thing - some things that knocked him off his rocker a little bit for a while and now he’s back playing great again.
“He is a competitor. He has, for some reason, a hard time over here, but over there he plays great. I wouldn’t be surprised for him to keep going. He and I are exactly the same age. He can certainly still do it.”
