U.S. Open notebook: Let's get back to hating Colin Montgomerie

Well, I guess we should go back to hating Colin Montgomerie again. In one of those weird transformations that happen occasionally in sports and politics, American golf galleries have lately been embracing Montgomerie, Scotland’s greatest golfer. Whether it’s sympathy, empathy or weight loss, the Scot was one of the gallery favorites at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. I guess we’d all forgotten how churlish he can be and concentrated at his perennial runner-up status at majors.

For some reason, I was among the Montgomerie fans. But, there he was getting peeved at the spectators again, directing them – albeit politely, for the most part – to get out of the way, and jerking his head around at some real or imagined insult from one of the spectators. If sports figures – even golfers – don’t hear one or two insults from ANY New York sports audience, something’s wrong. Didn’t seem to bother anybody else.

Then, there was the incident with one of New York’s finest. There was a collision with a state trooper as Montgomerie made his way in a congested area adjacent to the clubhouse, after his double-bogey on No. 18. Witnesses said Montgomerie pushed the state trooper. A statement from a higher-up lawman downplayed the incident, downgrading the “push” into a “collision,” but there’s no denying what onlookers said. The Scottish publication, the Independent, reported that Montgomerie threw his tee at a young boy who Montgomerie believed had been crowding him, striking him in the chest, after a slice at No. 17.

Then, Montgomerie joined Jim Furuyk in refusing to attend the awards ceremony. “Colin Montgomerie and Jim Furyk were both asked to attend the ceremony, but only Phil Mickelson was gracious enough to accept,” USGA President Walter Driver told reporters.

If anything, Mickelson certainly had more reason not to attend than Montgomerie.

I have a feeling Montgomerie would have been gracious as all hell had he won, but he showed his true colors, both on and off the course, after he blew it yet again.

Here’s a big New York rasberry for the big crybaby and a hope he never wins a major, much less comes close.