Recently, Montgomerie (below) said: “I am convinced to this day that, if I was able to hit that second shot in real time - walk up to it and hit it the way that I do – I would have won.”
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It is the one shot he says that “wakes me up in the middle of the night”. And on his return home, he admitted: “I wasn’t crying. I had gone beyond that. I was incapable of any analysis. The same three words, ‘what just happened?’ kept going through my head.”
Back as the US Open host another 14 years on, the failures at Winged Foot have arguably become more talked about than the successes, with Mickelson attempting to overcome his own such an ordeal at the course.
It’s also worth noting that the 2006 event was the first time Tiger Woods had missed a cut in his professional career.
The 100-1 shot Mickelson knows in all probability his chance is long gone of a victory that would complete a career set of Majors while, after the fairytale of the 2019 Masters, who knows what might be possible with Woods.
Woods described Winged Foot as one of the three most challenging golf courses in the world and the man he is chasing in the record books, 18-time Major winner Jack Nicklaus, made the point that any event at a golf course this challenging is likely to stand undecided until the final shot.
“The golf gets tough on the first tee and never gets any easier,” he said. “That’s why it’s a great golf course. You can’t make a mistake and get away with it here.”
Instead Dustin Johnson is the form player, having recently banked $15million for winning the FedEx Cup and with the experience of a past US Open title back in 2016.
“I’m playing well,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in my game but I’m not putting any extra expectations [on myself]. I expect to play well every week but it’s one of those golf courses where it’s very difficult and you need to be spot on if you want to play well.”
Before lockdown, the form man had been Rory McIlroy but, playing at spectator-less courses, he has admitted to struggling.
The early 2020 world No1 is hopeful the birth of his daughter Poppy can help return the good times on the course.
“My career matters to me and I care very much about it,” he said. “But at the same time, it [being a dad] makes the hard days easier.
“I’ve grown up my whole life dreaming of winning these tournaments and that’s not going to change but, if it doesn’t quite happen, I can live with that and go home and be very happy.”
In any event, McIlroy will be hoping to avoid a howler and the sort of shot that still gives his former Ryder Cup captain Montgomerie nightmares.
