How Royal Troon impacted Colin Montgomerie’s love affair with The Open long before his first appearance

Colin Montgomerie has played in The Open 22 times, but his intimate relationship with the storied tournament started long before he ever fought for the Claret Jug.

In 1973, 10-year-old Montgomerie walked to Royal Troon from his family’s property to watch Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and eventual champion Tom Weiskopf in the rain, a day he described as his “first Open experience.”

“I was 10 years old. Tom Weiskopf won The Open in 1973. Jack Nicklaus was here and Palmer and Player and all the guys. Living as we did just back there, walked over and, yeah, got wet with everyone else. That was my first Open experience,” Montgomerie said in an interview with The Open.

Forty-three years later, Montgomerie returned to Royal Troon for the 2016 Open — his most recent Open start — and hit the opening tee shot.

He couldn’t believe it happened.

“No, I couldn’t have ever thought that that was possible. One of the highlights of one’s career,” he said.

But the best part? He went on to make the cut that week.

Story originally appeared on GolfWeek