Monty: Still hoping there's a first time for everything

Fast approaching 44 years old and ranked a ho-hum 40th in the world, Colin Montgomerie returns to Oakmont, where 13 years ago the Scot let slip away another glorious opportunity to win his coveted first major.

By Dave Shedloski, PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent

OAKMONT, Pa. -- Returning to the scene of a prime disappointment, Colin Montgomerie could easily assume a fatalistic attitude about this week's 107th U.S. Open. But the snake-bit Scotsman, who five times has finished runner-up in major championships -- including three in the U.S. Open -- hasn't brought any white flags or dark thoughts to Oakmont Country Club.

"I haven't been in great form, but it's always nice to come back to a place where you've done well," Montgomerie said Tuesday morning beside the practice putting green. "I've played well here, and I'm looking forward to doing that again. I really am."

Montgomerie, who turns 44 later this month, did play some splendid golf the last time the Open was held at Oakmont, which was 13 years ago. He finished first after 72 holes, yet he didn't win the tournament. Loren Roberts and Ernie Els managed to equal his 5-under-par 279 aggregate score to force a playoff, and Monty stumbled to 78 the next day while Els took the title.

So the memory has a downside, which Montgomerie is no doubt used to. He also finished second to Els in 1997 at Congressional Country Club. Then there was his 72nd hole double-bogey from the middle of the fairway last year at Winged Foot Golf Club that dropped him into a tie for second place with Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk while Geoff Ogilvy hoisted the trophy.

This year, Montgomerie has played poorly in the U.S., missing the cut at the Masters and THE PLAYERS Championship, and on the European Tour, which he owned for a seven-year stretch from 1993-99 as the leading money winner, he has finished no better than sixth and has posted just two top-10s in 14 starts.

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Ranked 40th in the world, but first in heartaches abroad, Montgomerie seemed to be sending signals that his golf house was falling into disrepair when he decided to split again with his longtime caddie, Alastair McLean, before arriving at Oakmont. McLean had been on Monty's bag for 25 European Tour wins, but Monty canned him in 2002 only to rehire him two years later. A second place at the 2005 British Open plus an eighth Order of Merit title, and last year's runner-up at Winged Foot seemed to suggest they were clicking nicely.

Not so, it seems.

"We both agreed it was time for a change," Montgomerie said. "There's never really a good time for this to happen, but it was a mutual thing, and we're moving on."

To further spin towards the positive, Montgomerie has decided that the best course of action for this week is to hire a local caddie. Club officials recommended Billy Goddard, 62, who has caddied at Oakmont for 49 years.

"You look at someone like Ben Crenshaw, who has used a caddie from Augusta National and won twice at the Masters," Montgomerie said. "A local caddie this week, well, that might be somewhat of an advantage. You don't have that umbrella of working with someone you know well, but the other side is that you have the best possible person with a real knowledge of the course."

Montgomerie, after playing next week in the Canadian Skins Game, plans to search for a regular caddie when he gets home. He can eliminate at least one name. After asking Ryder Cup teammate Lee Westwood if he could join up for 9 holes, Westwood said, "Sure, but I'm not caddying for you."

That drew a smile.

He excused himself and handed his putter to Goddard as they walked to the first tee. "Let's have a go at it," he said to his new charge with palpable eagerness.

No white flags. No dark thoughts.