Former Ryder Cup captain and golf legend Colin Montgomerie has criticized the DP's World Tour's move of allowing Europe's best players to switch to other competitions, a step that he confessed left him "quite depressed".
The 61-year-old from Glasgow, Scotland owns an impressive record of 31 European Tour wins - including three straight Volvo PGA Championships in the years 1998, 1999 and 2000. During his prime years, he often faced off against major names such as Sergio Garcia, Nick Faldo, Ian Poulter, Padraig Harrington among others.
As of now, the Tour has witnessed some of its top players shift to competitions elsewhere, such as the LIV Golf League, leaving the European circuit lacking in talent when compared to the rest of the world. While a 2020 deal between the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour boasted a significant amount of sponsorship and investment, Monty is not excited about the Race to Dubai pathway that allows the top ten players of the competition to enjoy a season with the PGA.
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In a conversation with Golf Magic, Montgomerie shared: "Yeah, I'm getting quite depressed now, as I speak on behalf of my old tour, the European Tour. Yes, it's weakened; there's no denying it. You can paint it up as much as you want. You could paint it rose-tinted, whatever you want to do, but come on. [In] any business [if] you give away your top 10?
"Top 10 in your business every year is going to be weaker, isn't it? So [it's] great for the PGA Tour; I can't believe they accepted it, to be honest, because they're taking spots away from Americans, but good on them to get them. Unfortunately, Europe, Europe has suffered, and the European Tour will suffer because of it.
"I was competing against Faldo, Langer, Seve, Olazabal, Woosnam, Lyle, you know, these people; now you get one in the top 50 If you're lucky entering the tournament, and one in the top 75 normally. It's not the same, and it has weakened."
With its hefty purses, LIV Golf has lured some of Europe's finest golfers, such as Garcia, Poulter, Jon Rahm, and Lee Westwood, who joined forces with American heavyweights like Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, and Brooks Koepka. On the other side, the PGA Tour showcases European stars Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy battling it out with Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, and Tony Finau, leaving the DP World Tour in the dust.
Montgomerie suggested that the DP World Tour could entice big names back by leveraging Britain's premier links courses, emphasizing that "the course is a big advert" for attracting talent. He stressed the importance of Britain showcasing what it has to offer.
"We're lucky that the Senior Open is going to Carnoustie, which is great for us. The ladies are at St Andrews, which is great for them this year. You know we've got Trump Aberdeen, which is a superb facility. We need more of that. We need more of the courses. The courses are going to really establish the field."
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