By Martin Dempster - The Scotsman
Scot joins board of directors and will sit alongside the likes of Martin Gilbert and Jay Monahan
Eight-time
Race to Dubai winner and Ryder Cup legend Colin Montgomerie has joined
the board of the European Tour Group, which administers the DP World
Tour, the HotelPlanner Tour, the Staysure Legends Tour and Ryder Cup in
Europe.
The
62-year-old has been appointed on the back of being “one of the most
successful and influential players of his generation” and is set to
“bring immense experience of all aspects of the Tour and the game of
golf to the boardroom”.
Montgomerie, who won 31 times on what was known as the European Tour at
the time before being rebranded as the DP World Tour, is delighted to
have joined a board that is headed by Eric Nicoli as the chairman and
also includes Abdulla Al Naboodah, Penny Avis, Martha Brass, Martin
Gilbert and Jay Monahan.
Record eight-time European No 1 Colin Montgomerie is a new board member of the European Tour Group | Contributed
“I am very much looking forward to joining the board of the European
Tour Group and I consider it a great honour to be asked,” said the
eight-time Ryder Cup player and winning captain at Celtic Manor in Wales
in 2010;
“I
pride myself in the fact that I was always one hundred per cent loyal
to the tour in my playing days, and indeed I continue to be so. These
are interesting times in professional golf and I hope I will be able to
support, encourage and assist the Tour going forward in any way I can.”
A
winner of more than 50 professional tournaments worldwide, Montgomerie
was crowned as European No 1 an incredible seven times in a row between
1993 and 1999 before also lifting the Harry Vardon Trophy again in 2005.
On the back of four triumphs in a row, Rory McIlroy has now won the Race
to Dubai title seven times and is bidding to equal Montgomerie’s record
this year, though current leader Patrick Reed is doing his best to stop
that from happening.
“I’m
delighted to welcome Colin to our board of directors,” said Nicoli, who
works closely with Guy Kinnings, Montgomerie’s long-time manager and
now the European Tour Group’s CEO.
“His
playing record speaks for itself and his knowledge of the game gleaned
from almost 40 years as a professional is unparalleled. I know he will
be an important asset for us as we continue to develop all aspects of
the European Tour Group moving forward.”
Montgomerie’s
first board meeting will be on Monday, when he will join fellow winning
Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Bjørn in addition to former Tour colleagues
Paul Eales, Chris Hanell, Grégory Havret, David Howell and Robert Lee as
Tournament Committee Directors. He will replace Ove Sellberg, who will
stand down through the board’s rotational system.
