45-526: The Million Dollar Challenge may refer to: The Nedbank Golf Challenge , an annual golf tournament The One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge administered by the James Randi Educational Foundation to demonstrate psychic ability Million Dollar Challenge (TV program) , an American poker television show The $ 1 Million Challenge IndyCar Series race Topics referred to by
90-487: A United States college, attending Houston Baptist University , where he played on the golf team and became its top player. He won three important Scottish amateur tournaments – the 1983 Scottish Youths Championship, the 1985 Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship and the 1987 Scottish Amateur Championship . He played for Great Britain and Ireland twice in the Eisenhower Trophy (1984 and 1986) and twice in
135-413: A divorced neighbour Jo Baldwin, whom he met on the school run. Their split, he suggested, caused his worst run in his professional career. In 2007, Montgomerie announced his engagement to Scottish millionairess Gaynor Knowles . The couple wed on 19 April 2008 at Loch Lomond Golf Club. On 8 July 2010, Montgomerie was granted a super injunction by Mr Justice Eady , which came to light when he attended
180-414: A major championship, after finishing in second place on five separate occasions. During what most consider to be his best years in the 1990s Montgomerie had several close shaves. A third place at the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links was the first of these. He was prematurely congratulated by Jack Nicklaus who said "Congratulations on your first U.S. Open victory" to Montgomerie after he finished
225-546: A number of years with the Ilkley Golf Club , where he was tutored by the past professional Bill Ferguson. He was educated at both Leeds Grammar School and Strathallan School , Perthshire . During his time in Leeds, he became a supporter of Leeds United . His father later became the secretary of Royal Troon Golf Club , one of Scotland's most famous clubs. Montgomerie became one of the first British golfers to go to
270-561: A press conference at the 2010 PGA Championship in Wisconsin. In March 2017, he and Knowles divorced. Montgomerie married for the third time in 2023 to his manager, Sarah Casey. *Langer and Montgomerie agreed to share the 2002 Volvo Masters Andalucía after failing light caused play to halt after two holes of a playoff. Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour European Tour playoff record (0–7–1) Co-sanctioned by
315-542: A row – finishing second and three shots behind winner Rocco Mediate . He won twice on the senior circuit in 2017, winning the inaugural Japan Airlines Championship before claiming his sixth Champions Tour win at the SAS Championship . His most recent victory came at the Invesco QQQ Championship in 2019. Montgomerie is generally considered to be one of the best golfers never to have won
360-416: A streak of seven consecutive ones from 1993 to 1999. He has won 31 European Tour events, the most of any British player, placing him fourth on the all-time list of golfers with most European Tour victories. Montgomerie won three consecutive Volvo PGA Championships at Wentworth Club between 1998 and 2000. He has finished runner-up on five occasions in major championships and his career-high world ranking
405-684: A team from Asia. Europe was successful on both those occasions. He has the distinction having been a victorious player and captain in the Ryder Cup, Seve Trophy and Royal Trophy. In 2011, Montgomerie was named president of the English junior golf charity, the Golf Foundation, and in 2012 the Scottish first minister, Alex Salmond, named him as an ambassador for the Scottish junior golf programme, ClubGolf. In March 2015, Montgomerie accepted
450-741: A top-10 finish, Montgomerie posted a final round of 68 for a share of 7th place in the 2011 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Despite the drop in form, his influence remained strong. In 2012, Montgomerie was named by the Golf Club Managers' Association 's Golf Club Management magazine as the seventh most powerful person in British golf. In August 2012, Montgomerie finished tied for 6th at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles , his highest finish in over four years. In June 2013, after turning 50, Montgomerie joined
495-406: A win-lose-draw record of 20–9–7, thus giving him a total points scored tally of 23.5, only 2 points behind the all-time record held by Sergio García . He has played pivotal roles in several of the matches. He halved the last hole with Scott Hoch to obtain the half-point that won Europe the cup in 1997 , and sank the winning putt, in what is considered to be his finest hour in the 2004 staging of
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#1732783888165540-423: A winner-take-all $ 1,000,000 first prize, although there were additional prizes for the lowest round each day. The field was reduced to 8 player. Ian Woosnam won by 4 strokes and took the first million dollar prize in golf. The winner-take-all idea was dropped for 1988, although the first prize remained as $ 1,000,000. The format remained largely unchanged through 1999, with the first prize always $ 1,000,000, although
585-617: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Nedbank Golf Challenge The Nedbank Golf Challenge , previously known as the Million Dollar Challenge , is an annual men's professional golf tournament played at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City , North West province , South Africa. It was first played in 1981 and takes place towards
630-612: Is second. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2013. After turning 50 in 2013, Montgomerie has had a successful career on the PGA Tour Champions and European Senior Tour , including winning three senior major championships . Although Scottish by birth and ancestry, he was raised in Yorkshire , England , where his father, James Montgomerie, was Managing Director of Fox's Biscuits . He spent
675-496: The 1995 PGA Championship , Montgomerie birdied the final three holes of the Riviera Country Club course in the final round, to tie Steve Elkington at 17 under par, which was a record low score in a major championship. On the first sudden-death playoff hole, after being in better position after two shots, Montgomerie missed his putt, while Elkington holed from 35 feet to claim the title. Els defeated Montgomerie at
720-526: The 1997 U.S. Open , played at Congressional Country Club . Montgomerie opened the tournament with a 65 but shot a 76 in the second round. A bogey on the 71st hole dropped Montgomerie one shot behind Els, who parred the last to win. At the 2006 U.S. Open , played on the West course of the Winged Foot Golf Club , Montgomerie had yet another chance to win his first major championship. He stood in
765-780: The Champions Tour , where he made his debut in the Constellation Senior Players Championship , one of the five senior major championships . On 25 May 2014, Montgomerie won his first senior major championship at the Senior PGA Championship . He followed this up on 13 July 2014, when he claimed his second senior major at the U.S. Senior Open . On 24 May 2015, Montgomerie defended his Senior PGA Championship title to win his third senior major. However, in 2016 he narrowly missed out on making it three Senior PGA Championships in
810-661: The European Tour Asian Tour playoff record (1–0) Other playoff record (2–1) PGA Tour Champions playoff record (3–0) European Senior Tour playoff record (2–0) PGA Tour playoff record (0–2) CUT = missed the half-way cut WD = withdrew DQ = disqualified "T" = tied CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place Cancelled due to 9/11 WD = Withdrew QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play "T" = tied NT = No Tournament Results are not in chronological order before 2022. WD = withdrew CUT = missed
855-629: The European Tour Order of Merit every year from 1993 to 1999 (a record for most consecutive Orders of Merit), and has 31 victories on the tour, including the 1998, 1999, and 2000 Volvo PGA Championships at Wentworth, England. However, despite many near-misses, Montgomerie was unable to win on the PGA Tour. Montgomerie first reached the top-10 in the Official World Golf Rankings in 1994, and spent 400 weeks in
900-564: The Walker Cup (1985 and 1987). He was also part of the Scottish team, winning the 1985 European Amateur Team Championship at Halmstad Golf Club, North Course, in Sweden. Before turning pro he considered a career in sports management, utilizing his degree in business management and law; the interview process included a golf outing that convinced the firm he should become a client rather than an employee. Montgomerie turned professional before
945-403: The 18th hole on Sunday. Tom Kite , who was still on the golf course when Montgomerie finished, wound up winning the championship. At the 1994 U.S. Open , played at Oakmont Country Club , Montgomerie lost in a three-man playoff to Ernie Els (a playoff which also included Loren Roberts). Montgomerie shot 78 to trail the 74s shot by Els and Roberts, with Els winning at the 20th extra hole. At
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#1732783888165990-566: The 1988 season and was named the Rookie of the Year on the European Tour that year. He quickly developed into one of Europe's top pros, winning his first event at the 1989 Portuguese Open TPC by 11 shots, and his second, beating a world class field, at the 1991 Scandinavian Masters at Royal Drottningholm Golf Club in Sweden. He made his Ryder Cup debut later in 1991 . He finished first on
1035-455: The 2017 Masters, Montgomerie (with 75 starts) trailed only Jay Haas (87) and Lee Westwood (76) as the player with the most starts without a major title. Despite his disappointments in the majors, Montgomerie is heralded as one of the greatest Ryder Cup players of all time. To date he has been a member of the European team on eight occasions, and has never lost in a singles match. He holds
1080-605: The European team to victory, 14 1 ⁄ 2 to 13 1 ⁄ 2 . On the same day he also announced that he would be stepping down as captain of the European Team. In December 2010, he accepted the BBC Sports Personality Coach of the Year award as captain of the victorious Ryder Cup team. Montgomerie has been the playing captain of the European team in the Royal Trophy , played against
1125-910: The captaincy of London Scottish Golf Club in Wimbledon to mark that club's 150th anniversary. Montgomerie was also a columnist for the Scottish golf magazine, Bunkered , between 2008 and 2010. At the end of 2004, Montgomerie was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year's Honours . He represents the Turnberry resort in Scotland, where there is a Colin Montgomerie Golf Academy. Montgomerie met his first wife Eimear Wilson, from Troon , when he
1170-553: The championship. Montgomerie's best finish in the Masters Tournament came in 1998 when he finished tied for 8th. At The Open Championship in 2001 at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club , Montgomerie started brightly with an opening 65, and still remained ahead after 36 holes, but he fell away over the weekend. He was also in contention with two rounds to play at Muirfield in 2002 and Royal Troon Golf Club in 2004, but failed to capitalise and finished midway down
1215-446: The couple finally broke up, with Eimear suing for divorce on grounds of unreasonable behaviour due to his obsession with golf , claiming it left her suffering from anxiety and depression. In 2006, the couple agreed to a clean break divorce settlement of £8 million, in return for Eimear giving up any claim on Colin's future earnings. Since the divorce, he has had various relationships, including Spanish model Inés Sastre , and
1260-578: The defending champion, the winner of the Sunshine Tour order of merit from previous year, and tournament invitations. 25°20′20″S 27°06′22″E / 25.339°S 27.106°E / -25.339; 27.106 Colin Montgomerie Colin Stuart Montgomerie , OBE (born 23 June 1963) is a Scottish professional golfer . He has won a record eight European Tour Order of Merit titles, including
1305-617: The defending tournament champion; the top 10 PGA Tour FedEx Cup players, the top 10 European Tour Race to Dubai players; the Sunshine Tour, Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winners; the Alfred Dunhill Championship winner; and the top 5 South African players in the World Rankings. From 2000 to 2002 the first prize was increased to US$ 2 million, but the following year
1350-438: The end of each European Tour season from 1988 to 1998 to the regular members of the tour who had had the best performances over the season. His form fell away gradually in the new millennium, partly due to marriage problems, and his ranking slumped to 82nd in the world, but he came back strongly in 2005, winning a record eighth European Tour Order of Merit and returning to the top ten in the World Rankings. Late in 2005 he became
1395-477: The end of the year, in November or December. For many years the tournament was a small-field invitational stroke play event with typically 12 players competing. Since it became a European Tour event in 2013, the field size has increased, to 30 from 2013 to 2015 and to 72 in 2016. Originally it was not an official event for any of the major tours . From 2010 to 2012, a separate tournament for senior golfers
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1440-586: The event. Montgomerie was not part of Nick Faldo's 2008 Ryder Cup team, with the wildcards going to Paul Casey and Ian Poulter. Montgomerie captained the Great Britain and Ireland team in the first four stagings of the Seve Trophy , losing in 2000 but winning in 2002, 2003, and 2005. On 28 January 2009, it was announced that Montgomerie would be the captain the European team at the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor . On 4 October 2010, Montgomerie led
1485-461: The field increased from 8 to 10 in 1989 and to 12 from 1993. There were two playoffs during this period. In 1996 Colin Montgomerie beat Ernie Els with a birdie at the third extra hole, while in 1998 Nick Price beat Tiger Woods with a birdie at the fifth extra hole. In 2006, the tournament carried World Rankings points for the first time since 1999. In 2013 it was expanded to 30 players:
1530-464: The field. His best finish in the Championship came in 2005 at St Andrews , where he finished second to Tiger Woods , who beat him by five shots. In 2016, Montgomerie came through Open Qualifying at Gailes Links to qualify for his home Open at Royal Troon. He had the honour of hitting the opening tee shot at the tournament and ended up making the cut. Following Sergio García 's victory at
1575-635: The field. That US$ 2 million first prize remained the largest in professional golf, but was matched in 2011 by the Lake Malaren Shanghai Masters . The 2016 event was part of the European Tour Final Series, replacing the BMW Masters , while in 2017 the event was part of the new Rolex Series. Since 2016, the field of 72 consists of the top 64 available players from the current year Race to Dubai standings,
1620-649: The first man to win 20 million Euros on the European Tour—topping the European Tour's all-time highest earners list. He won for the first time in nearly two years at the Smurfit Kappa European Open in July 2007. In 2008, Montgomerie slipped out of the top 100 players in the world ranking system. A runner-up finish at the 2008 French Open in June boosted him back up the rankings, but his good play
1665-404: The green, in thick rough. He pitched onto the green, and then three-putted from 30 feet to lose the tournament by one stroke. After the loss, Montgomerie said, "At my age I've got to think positively. I'm 43 next week, and it's nice I can come back to this tournament and do well again, and I look forward to coming back here again next year and trying another U.S. Open disaster." Geoff Ogilvy won
1710-413: The middle of the 18th fairway in the final round having sunk a 50-foot birdie putt on the 17th green, which put him in the joint lead with Phil Mickelson. While waiting in position on the 18th fairway for the group in front to finish, Montgomerie switched his club from a 6-iron to a 7-iron, assuming adrenaline would kick in. Once the wait was over, he hit the approach shot poorly, ending up short and right of
1755-445: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Million Dollar Challenge . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Million_Dollar_Challenge&oldid=1213860406 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
1800-470: The top-10 . His highest ranking was number two. In his prime Montgomerie was considered one of the best drivers of the golf ball in the world and became a very precise iron player, often able to judge the distance he hit the ball exactly from long range. Montgomerie came first in the Volvo Bonus Pool every year from 1993 to 1998. The Volvo Bonus Pool was an extra tranche of prize money awarded at
1845-403: The winner's share of the total prize fund was reduced from more than half to around 30%. The standard winner's share on the PGA Tour is 18% and on the European Tour it is 16.67%. In 2006 the winner received $ 1.2 million out of a total purse of US$ 4.385 million, so the prize distribution is now not far from the normal pattern for a professional tournament, once allowance is made for the small size of
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1890-555: Was a good amateur and she was a promotions assistant. She was a 17-year-old law student at Edinburgh University and a spectator at an amateur championship in Nairn, at which Montgomerie destroyed the field. The couple had three children, and lived in Oxshott , Surrey. In 2002, Eimear gave Montgomerie an ultimatum to choose between golf and marriage, resulting in Montgomerie spending 10 weeks alone before they agreed to try again. In 2006,
1935-534: Was held concurrently. The first tournament was played from 31 December 1981 to 4 January 1982 with a field of 5: Seve Ballesteros , Johnny Miller , Jack Nicklaus , Gary Player and Lee Trevino . Ballesteros and Miller tied on 277 with Nicklaus a stroke behind after he missed a putt at the final hole. Miller beat Ballesteros at the ninth hole of a sudden-death playoff. The pair played the 16th to 18th holes three times before Ballesteros three-putted. Miller won $ 500,000 out of total prize money of $ 1,000,000. The date
1980-415: Was moved to early December 1982 for the second tournament, with 10 players competing. Total prize money remained at $ 1,000,000 with $ 300,000 for the winner and $ 50,000 for the 10th player. There was another playoff, with Raymond Floyd beating Craig Stadler at the fourth extra hole. The format remained unchanged from 1983 to 1986 with the event played in early December each year. The 1987 event introduced
2025-473: Was short-lived, and as a result Montgomerie failed to qualify for Nick Faldo 's 2008 Ryder Cup team. In March 2009, Montgomerie played in his milestone 500th European Tour event at the Open de Andalucia where he made the cut, but was not in contention during the weekend. He remained the leader in career earnings on the European Tour until 2010, when he was surpassed by Ernie Els . After nearly two years without
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