Former European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie said that the US Open organizers "tried too hard" with the groupings over the first two rounds at Congressional, resulting in "the worst draw ever," Sky Sports reported Thursday.
The top three golfers in the world — Europeans Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer — were drawn together, while Spaniards Miguel Angel Jimenez, Sergio Garcia and Alvaro Quiros are all in one group. Another group is all-Italian, featuring the Molinari brothers and teenage star Matteo Manassero.
Montgomerie, a three-time US Open runner-up who is at Congressional as a broadcaster, accused the organizers of getting it badly wrong.
"Draws, we know, aren't a draw. Usually, what happens is the top 30 players in the world are drawn together," he said. "So you get 10 groups of three, and they're usually drawn together — but not one-two-three."
Montgomerie said that playing with the two Molinaris was particularly unfair on 18-year-old Manassero. "The two brothers playing together with Manassero — that's just poor, that's just lack of thought. And then you've got the three Spaniards playing together. You've got a clothes [fashion] group — Rickie Fowler playing with [Ian] Poulter," he said.
He added, "It's the worst draw that I've ever, ever come across in my time in major championships. I've played in 60 of them, and I think it's the worst draw I've ever come across. The USGA have tried a little bit too hard, and they've outdone themselves."
The victorious Ryder Cup captain said the draw would ultimately harm Europe's chances, meaning that it was less likely to produce another winner after Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell ended a 40-year drought in the tournament at Pebble Beach last year.
"It's hurt our chances — 'our' meaning European chances,"
he said.
