While the PGA Tour sees the embryonic stages of its 2014 Season (as I write this it’s November 2013 so I still haven’t quite figured that one out yet) the European Tour is reaching its climax with 50% of the season ending Race to Dubai already complete.
This week some of the leading names in golf have jetted into Turkey for the Turkish Airlines Open – the penultimate stage of the Race to Dubai – which is being played at the spectacular Montgomerie Maxx Royal in Belek.
While the likes of Tiger Woods – who kicked off his week in Turkey by hitting 600 yards drives from Europe into Asia along the iconic Bosphorus Bridge – and Henrik Stenson – currently leading in the Race to Dubai – are likely to grab most of the attention on the course (they are playing together), Monty – as the course’s designer – who is also in this week’s field, will clearly take some of the limelight as well.
It certainly hasn’t taken long for the European Tour legend to do so either as, not long after touching down in Belek, the Scot insinuated that winning Order of Merit titles is more important to a golfer than winning major championships.
“To win the Order of Merit is everything to a top player; it’s like the league championship. The majors I feel are the FA Cup. If you asked anybody what they would prefer to win, they’d say the league,” said the Scot.
Montgomerie of course never won a major and is widely considered to fall comfortably into the bracket of best player never to have done so. He did however win a record eight European Tour Order of Merit titles, 7 of which were on trot, and while, if you think about it long enough, you can kind of see where he is coming from with his football based analogy, you would be forgiven for thinking Monty is blowing his own trumpet again.
Let’s be honest, while consistency over the course of a season and a swelled bank balance are two things no golfer would turn down in a hurry, it’s probably safe to say that the vast majority of professional golfers would value a Green Jacket or Claret Jug more highly.
That is certainly the viewpoint of the game’s greatest players such as Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods who of course have long held the belief that the majors are the measure of true greatness. After all, one of the most asked questions in golf – some might say the biggest question in golf – is will Tiger Woods break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 professional majors? I don’t know about you but I myself have never heard anyone ask if anyone will ever beat Monty’s Order of Merit record.
Another thing worth mentioning – it’s somewhat pertinent this week with Tiger playing in a European Tour event – is that if you ignore (conveniently for the sake of my argument…cheers) the fact that Tiger hasn’t ever been an official European Tour member, he in fact would have in fact put a dent in Monty’s total of 8 Order of Merit titles.
Tiger of course plays in plenty of European and PGA Tour “co-sanctioned” events – these include majors and World Golf Championships – and the event on the European Tour proper and, technicalities aside, he would have put an end to Monty’s Order of Merit streak in 1999, leaving him stuck on 6 where he would have stayed because of the fact that Tiger also topped his earnings in 2005 (Monty’s 8th Order of Merit) as well. (If you’re interested, Tiger actually leads the European Tour in earnings in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007!)
Admittedly the nature of these “co-sanctioned” events does blur the lines when it comes to statistics, money lists, Order of Merits and so on and so forth but one thing that is crystal clear is that these events do throw the best of both tours into the mix against each other.
Another point to consider is that, according to the man himself, Monty’s 8 Order of Merit titles would put him ahead of the following players (who failed / have yet to win more than 8 majors) on a list of “Golf’s Greatest Players”…
Bobby Jones – 7 majors
Arnold Palmer – 7 majors
Gene Sarazen – 7 majors
Sam Snead – 7 majors
Harry Vardon – 7 majors
Nick Faldo – 6 majors
Lee Trevino – 6 majors
Seve Ballesteros – 5 majors
James Braid – 5 majors
Phil Mickelson – 5 majors
Byron Nelson – 5 majors
J.H. Taylor – 5 majors
Peter Thomson – 5 majors
Willie Anderson Jr. – 4 majors
Ernie Els – 4 majors
Raymond Floyd – 4 majors
Bobby Locke – 4 majors
Tom Morris Jr. – 4 majors
Tom Morris Sr. – 4 majors
Willie Park Sr. – 4 majors
Billy Casper – 3 majors
Henry Cotton – 3 majors
Monty…you’re European Tour and Ryder Cup records are truly impressive, legendary some might say. But Order of Merits more important than majors? Pull the other one…
Had to check my calender to see if it was April 1st.
They never ask who will beat Monty’s 7 in a row, 8 in total because they know he has set the bar so high no one will ever get close.