Veteran of the European Tour and Europe’s Ryder Cup Team, Colin Montgomerie headlines a group of seasoned Pro’s in the Avantha Masters which tee’s off in India today.Montgomerie is an eight-time winner of the European Order of Merit, and has played all over the world, including all Majors, and numerous PGA Tour events in the US.
He joins a strong field in which 50 of the 156 players have tasted victory on the European Tour and 38 have secured titles on the Asian Tour. Also playing are fellow former European Ryder Cup stars Niclas Fasth of Sweden, Ignacio Garrido of Spain, England’s David Howell, Italy’s Edoardo Molinari, Frenchman Thomas Levet and Philip Price of Wales.
Leading the Asian challenge at the 1.8 million euro ($2.3 million) event will be four Asian Tour Order of Merit champions—Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, the Indian duo of Jyoti Randhawa and Jeev Milkha Singh, and China’s Liang Wenchong. Montgomerie, who turns 50 in June, will make his maiden appearance at the tournament as he strengthens his ties with India, where he has designed a new course in the popular tourist destination of Goa.
“India is unquestionably one of the world’s biggest growth areas for golf, so I’m really looking forward to teeing up in the Avantha Masters,” the Montgomerie said in a statement released by the organisers.
By Ron Mintz
Follow Ron on Twitter @pgatournews
