DUAL STARS Andrew Montgomery: Emmet Riordantalks to Oatlands College student Andrew Montgomery about his sporting passions, golf and soccer
HE CERTAINLY has the right sounding name for the game and 16-year-old Andrew Montgomery is hoping it's one that will become as familiar as the great Scottish golfer.
A student of Oatlands College in Stillorgan, Montgomery was first bitten by the golf bug thanks to his grandfather, Tony, a low single figure member of the Old Conna in Bray.
"I used to go up to the driving range with my grandda when I was nine or 10. I would hit 10 or 20 balls while he was practising and I really enjoyed it," remarked Andrew, who would go on to join the same club when he was 12.
The golfing genes were obviously strong as Montgomery would halve his handicap in the first year and get down to 14.
An early golfing highlight would come two years ago when he was thrown in at the deep end to represent the club in the highly competitive Barton Cup at just 14.
Montgomery and his team-mates, including his grandfather, made it all the way to the final where they went down to a very strong Royal Dublin side.
"I was off 10 at the time and was playing with a one-handicapper. That really improved my game," admitted Montgomery.
While he was finding it easier to get the ball in the hole, Montgomery was also hitting the back of the net as a centre forward with St Joseph's Boys, the south Dublin soccer nursery that has produced Irish internationals such as Paul McShane and Alan O'Brien in recent times.
Montgomery picked up a double with the under-15s, scoring two goals in the final game as they sealed the league title.
But his sporting career would receive a set-back earlier this year when he broke his leg playing soccer, a spiral fracture in his ankle requiring the insertion of a metal plate.
"That kept me off the course for a while, it was a bit of a setback," said Montgomery, who returned to enjoy a good summer, breaking 70 for the first time when he carded a 69 to win a junior event at Old Conna.
He would repeat that score in the first round of the Paul McGinley-backed Allianz Dublin Boys' Championship in August at Grange Golf Club in Rathfarnham.
Montgomery shot a final round of 70 to finish in a tie with defending champion Eoin Dolan, with the Woodbrook golfer holding on to his title courtesy of a better second round of 67.
There was also plenty of action at club level with Old Conna, including a good run in the Irish Junior Foursomes.
"We played it in Greystones this year and we were leading qualifiers. We beat Greystones in the first round to get to the Leinster final, but we were beaten by one score by the Castle," said Montgomery. "There's a very good boys set-up at the club, it's very well run."
Despite getting down to four, he admits that he still has to work on his short game and like most teenagers he's happiest on the tee box.
"My driving is the best part of my game, I'd hit it between 280 and 300 yards. My best was 350 on the par-five 18th at Old Conna, I drove it just inside the 150-yard marker and hit a pitching wedge onto the green."
He's also still learning valuable lessons about the game and still soaks up all the advice his grandfather imparts on their regular games together.
"I didn't have a great attitude until I learned to take my punishment. But even Tiger Woods is still learning," he admitted.
Woods is right up there in terms of his golfing heroes alongside Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els and Rory McIlroy.
And although not born when he won the third of his British Open titles, he's also become a fan of Seve Ballesteros.
"I like Seve, my grandda loves him. I've seen video of him playing in the British Open and he hit the ball everywhere but won. I'm a bit like that at times, hit it and find it."
