Scottish duo set for Musselburgh test

Old friends Jacky Montgomery and Stephen Craig are set to team up for their first shot at glory in the Golfbreaks.com PGA Fourball Championship.

The duo, who have known each other since Craig replaced Montgomery as club pro at Dunfermline Golf Club in 1991, will play in the Scottish regional qualifier at Musselburgh on July 8.

For Montgomery, 48, the event provides the chance for a rare slice of competitive action as the Advanced Fellow PGA Professional spends the majority of his time working in his capacity as head professional at Dunbar, an Open qualifying venue.

The former PGA in Scotland captain believes the duo are more than capable of qualifying for the £33,250 BMW-supported grand final at St Mellion, Cornwall, which will take place on August 20-22.

“I’m very quietly optimistic ahead of the event,” Montgomery said. “I’m looking forward to it and I think we stand a good chance of getting through to the final.

“It’ll been nice to play alongside Stephen again. We’ve been friends for a number of years and he’s only recently returned from working over in Germany.

“We played together in a 45-and-over event not so long back where we finished second, so if we can put on a repeat performance then I’m sure we can do well.

“I know the course and it’s a really good test of golf. The key will be to hit the ball straight and to complement each other. If we can dovetail well then we stand every chance.”

A self-confessed ‘all-round club pro’, Montgomery is now working to ensure Dunbar is ready for the impending arrival of the Ryder Cup in Scotland.

“I enjoy playing, but my priority is the work I do here at Dunbar.       

“It’s important to keep giving the members a great experience, we are fortunate that we have a Hi-Tec custom-fitting and coaching studio facility. We recently installed the GC2 Launch monitor and simulator and this has helped to generate more fittings and lessons. We try hard to stay at the forefront of technology in the game."

“Obviously we’re expecting to be very busy over the next few months as we have the Ryder Cup coming up. It’s a big event for Scotland and I’m sure it will be a really good occasion.

“It will put Scotland on the map and hopefully we can play our own part in that.”

Other pairings competing at Musselburgh include: Ewan MacPherson (Auchterarder) and Sean Bissett (Kingsfield), Sean Owen (Turton) and Colin Maroney (Bolton Old Links), Stewart Savage (Dalmuir) and Craig Everett (Caldwell), and Calum Smith and Ryan Buckley (both Royal Musselburgh).