Colin Montgomerie has labelled the club illegal and saying it should be banned despite packing a belly putter into his bag for this week’s Barclays Singapore Open.
Monty is competing in the co-sanctioned event for a third straight year but has been in the former Colonial outpost for a week acclimatising the Singapore’s sauna-like weather.
Colin Montgomerie says the belly putter should be banned immediately despite the Scot packing the club into his bag for this week’s Barclays Singapore Open. Photo – www.golffile.ie)
The former eight-time European No. 1 arrived in Singapore from Australia where he had hosting corporate outings at the famed Royal Melbourne course and The Lakes in Sydney, and venue for next month’s Emirates Australian Open.
It meant Monty was not in China last week when Ryder Cup star Keegan Bradley and Swede Carl Pettersson slammed action by golf’s ruling bodies to ban the putter, and suggesting they would consider legal action if the rule came into effect in 2016.
However Monty, who is currently lying 206th on the putting stats and averaging 30.9 putts a round, disagrees.
“I’m using the belly putter but I don’t agree with it, and I don’t agree with you being allowed to hinge it against your body,” he said.
“So while it’s legal I will use it but as soon as it’s not, I will agree with the powers to be in that it has to go. It’s got to go.
“I can understand Keegan and Carl’s reasoning in considering to take the matter further if the ban should come in, but no golf club should be anchored or hinged.
“If they’ve only used the belly putter all life then they need to adapt and abide by the change to the rules.
“So if I had the chance I wouldn’t wait to 2016, I’d ban it tomorrow.”
Monty tees up in the $US 6m Singapore event lying 138th on the Race to Dubai but well down in 480th on the World Rankings.
But while fellow competitors have long fed off Monty’s higher stature in the game capped when he was second in the world in late 1996, the Scot is looking to reverse that role over these next two weeks by feeding off current World No. 1 Rory McIlroy.
“With the World No. 1 playing here in Singapore and next week in Hong Kong then suddenly there is more World Ranking points available for all of us,” said Monty.
“People fed off me when I was No. 2 in the world and I will be trying to reverse that role over this next fortnight.
“But then I don’t look at the World Rankings as much as I used to but at the same time I think that people who are 51st on the rankings, or thereabouts, would be glad Rory is playing because there is more points available, definitely.
“It’s just great that Rory is here in Singapore and next week in Hong Kong supporting the European Tour.”
Monty is among just five Scots in the field including the Dubai-based Ross Bain.
