Colin Montgomerie says something sensible

He doesn't often do so, as his odd criticism of Ian Poulter for passing on the Vivendi Cup more than a year out from the Ryder Cup suggests, but on Tuesday the European Ryder Cup captain took on slow play, for which we are thankful.

"There should be no six-hour rounds in the fourballs, as was the case at Kiawah Island when everyone remembers the silhouette of Seve in the darkness - these days have gone," Montgomerie told Martin Dempster of the Scotsman. "Four-and-a-half hours should be enough for fourballs - even in a Ryder Cup situation.

"We have to get round as quickly as we can next October. It is two weeks later than normal and a lost half an hour will be the difference between finishing a game or not. The latter is not the type of message we should be putting across to club golfers. We should be playing quicker than them because it's not as though we are having to look for golf balls."

Slow play is a scourge that surely has been a contributing factor to the lack of growth of the game. The tours set the tone for the rest of golf, to wit the interminable Solheim Cup rounds recently that made you wonder why anyone would take up the game.

Good for Monty.

-- John Strege