Montgomerie the favourite at Johnnie Walker
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2005 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles | Preview | 04 Aug 2005
The Johnnie Walker Championship takes over from the Diageo Championship this week at Gleneagles in Scotland but only in name as effectively it is the same sponsor and the same event. Diageo are one of the largest liquor companies in the world and Johnnie Walker is one of their name brands and so what better place to promote the Johnnie Walker label than in the home country of both golf and whiskey.
The event has Colin Montgomerie to hang its hat on this week and with the Scot showing such a resurgence this season, more especially at the Open Championship two weeks ago, he has favouritism for the event. If he is able to go on and justify that favouritism by winning then it will be his first win since the Caltex Masters in Singapore eighteen months ago and just his second in three years.
The tournament is to be played over the Jack Nicklaus designed PGA Centenary Course although most will know it still by its original name, the Monarchs Course. The course has undergone changes since its creation in 1993 with David Kidd making alterations to several holes in recent years.
With Montgomerie the favourite, Australian Richard Green is the next highest ranked player here this week although it does seem a strange decision for him to be here. Last week Green played at the Buick Open in Michigan where he missed his first cut in his last 23 starts. He is back for this week then will be heading for Baltusrol for the PGA Championship next week. There is a logical reason for this trans-Atlantic hopping, no doubt, but I am not aware if it.
Bradley Dredge has done everything but win of late, often falling at the last hurdle and if he can stay the distance this week then there may be reward for him. He has been 5th and third at his last two starts this year and although he did miss the cut badly here last year he is in great form at present.
Stephen Dodd might have been considered a few weeks ago but he has lost form of late.
David Lynn is playing well and was 5th here two years ago and should be considered. Stephen Gallacher might be yet another Scot to do well here. He was fifth last year and was recently third in Germany.
Of the Australasians other than Green, Brett Rumford, Wade Ormsby, Peter Fowler, Jarrod Moseley, Adam Groom, Terry Price, Stephen Scahill and Brad Kennedy are here.
