Colin Montgomerie today hit back at Darren Clarke’s criticisms of the Centenary Course at Gleneagles, the venue for the 2014 Ryder Cup.

“People are entitled to their opinion and that’s his. But my opinion is different,” said Montgomerie, who as well as playing in the Johnnie Walker Championship on the course this week is also the tournament chairman and may well be captain in six years’ time.

Clarke had said after his opening round that he considered it “unbelievable” for Europe’s Ryder Cup Committee to have chosen the lay-out.

“There’s only been one Ryder Cup in Scotland (in 1973 at Muirfield) and then they choose a course like this one,” commented the Ulsterman. “There are even two better ones here at Gleneagles - it’s beyond my comprehension.”

Clarke is not against Gleneagles staging the match, if it were played over the adjacent Kings course that used to stage the Scottish Open or the adjoining Queens course.

“It will be a fantastic venue,” countered Montgomerie. “We have another seven years here and the course is getting better every year. As a venue and a resort there are very few better - the location and the hotel are world-class.”

As for the course itself Montgomerie believes it is only necessary to think back to the K Club or The Belfry to defend it.

“It’s at least on a par, if not an awful lot better,” he said, also pointing out that part of Europe’s success story in recent years is that the match has been played on lay-outs the players know well.
Source: golf365.com