Great Advice for Jordan Spieth!

Montgomerie, Duval warning to Jordan Spieth: Chase improvement at your peril!

By John Strege

So Jordan Spieth won two major championships and ascended to No. 1 in the World Ranking and he’s only 22. What now?

 Colin Montgomerie on Golf Channel Sunday night warned against his doing anything different in an effort to get better.

“We’re saying, ‘what does Jordan Spieth have to do to improve?’” Montgomerie said.

“He’s doing OK the way he is. Sometimes improvement, you can diversify in life and get it wrong. Jordan Spieth has to do what he was doing this year and do it again next year.”

Though Tiger Woods was never mentioned, it had to have been one name that came to mind in the litany of golf’s cautionary tales. Others that were mentioned were Luke Donald and Martin Kaymer, each of whom ascended to No. 1 only to chase improvement and suffer considerable setbacks in the process.

“Nearly every good or great player as they go into their mid to late 20s, early 30s, they improve in some capacity,” Rich Lerner said. “Where do you think Spieth would improve?”

“You have to learn,” Montgomerie said. “Jordan Spieth is learning all the time. Why did he not win this week? His putter was a little bit colder than it was the last three majors, obviously. So that’s why he didn’t win. OK, we work on that, if he can become a better putter.”

David Duval, a former world No. 1, issued his own warning.

“One of the things I’m hoping is he doesn’t chase distance in this distance-prejudiced era,” he said. “He doesn’t need it. He’s ascended to number one against a mighty formidable group of players this year. That goes to show that what he’s doing is right. And he doesn’t need to improve. Every golfer wants to improve. Be careful that you don’t go backwards in that process. If you figured out a way and you get to number one how do you need to improve? You’re the best.”

Replied Montgomerie, “You have to be very careful. A number of great golfers got to number one or number one on the money list and thought, ‘right, I’ve got here, now how can I get better.’ and I never see them again. So be careful.”

Tiger Woods Future: Watson and Montgomery Disagree

Tiger Woods can return to the upper echelons of the game if he "develops a swing he can trust."
 
Woods, who turns 40 in December, has not won a tournament since August 2013 and missed his third cut of the season at the Open last week to slump to world number 258.
But eight-time major champion Watson, 65, reflected on his own struggle between 1988 and 1995 and said Woods can take a leaf out of his book.

"There is a very simple way back for Tiger," said Watson, speaking ahead of this week's Senior Open Championship at Sunningdale.

"He has got to develop a golf swing he trusts - bottom line."

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Watson almost won the Open at the age of 59 before losing in a play-off to Stewart Cink at Turnberry in 2009.

"I can reflect back to my career when my swing was in the tank," added Watson. "I was never really playing well, it was a struggle. I was just competing with my short game and just trying to make a score.

"Until I figured out my golf swing later in my life when I was 44 years old, the game was really tough. I went through nine years where I won just one tournament or something like that.

"After figuring it out, the game was easy. Tiger needs to find a swing that works and he trusts. It's there and it can be done. I did it."

Colin Montgomerie is hoping rather than expecting Tiger to return to form (Photo: Getty Images)

Colin Montgomerie, however, is not convinced the road to recovery will be so easy.

"It was difficult to see him with his head bowed at the Open Championship, really from his second shot onwards," said the eight-time Order of Merit champion.

"His next event major-wise is Whistling Straits and we know how difficult a test that is, so something would have to change dramatically over the next two weeks for him to be contending for that, which of course is what he wants to do.

"So that will be another major year out the way and another disappointing one for him unfortunately.

"Let's hope he gets back because he is A-list, he is box office. As a marketing man within the game, he is a fantastic asset to the world of golf, and has been.

"He can't come back all the time, otherwise Muhammad Ali would still be world champion. There has to be a break sometime but let's hope it's not yet."