Colin Montgomerie has been appointed as a new member of the Board of Directors of the European Tour Group, the body that runs the DP World Tour, the HotelPlanner Tour, the Staysure Legends Tour and the Ryder Cup in Europe.
The Scot, 62, joins the Tour’s board with the backing of one of the most notable careers in European golf in recent decades. A winner of more than fifty professional tournaments worldwide, Montgomerie won the Circuit’s Order of Merit eight times, a record that still stands as Rory closes in, and notably he recorded seven consecutive titles between 1993 and 1999.
On the then European Tour he registered 31 wins, including three PGA Championship at Wentworth in succession between 1998 and 2000. Afterwards, having turned 50, he extended his career successfully on both the Staysure Legends Tour and the PGA TOUR Champions, where he also claimed three senior majors: the Senior PGA Championship in 2014 and 2015 and the U.S. Senior Open in 2014.
His historical significance is not limited to his individual record. Montgomerie is regarded as one of the great figures of the Ryder Cup. He competed in the event on eight occasions for Europe, never lost a singles match and amassed 23.5 points in 36 matches. He was also part of five winning teams and later was the captain who returned the cup to Europe in 2010, at Celtic Manor, with that narrow victory by 14.5 to 13.5.
In his first comments following the appointment, Montgomerie said he considers it “a great honour” to be part of the Board and emphasised his long-standing loyalty to the European circuit. He also noted that professional golf is living through “interesting times” and expressed his desire to help the Tour in any way he can in this new phase.
For his part, the president of the European Tour Group, Eric Nicoli, highlighted that Montgomerie’s career “speaks for itself” and said that his knowledge of the game, gained after almost 40 years as a professional, will be an important asset in continuing to develop the group’s various areas.
Montgomerie’s first meeting as a member of the Board will be next Monday 23 March. On the governing body he will sit, among others, with another Ryder Cup-winning captain such as Thomas Bjørn, as well as former tour colleagues like Paul Eales, Chris Hanell, Grégory Havret, David Howell and Robert Lee, all serving as directors linked to the tournaments committee.
Montgomerie will take the place of Ove Sellberg, who leaves the role as part of the Board’s rotational system. The list of non-executive directors is headed by Eric Nicoli himself, together with Abdulla Al Naboodah, Penny Avis, Martha Brass, Martin Gilbert and Jay Monahan.
