Paul McGinley regards Colin Montgomerie as "nearly" second to Tiger Woods as a golfer in their era.
The 2014 Ryder Cup winning captain was speaking to Off The Ball's Joe Molloy as the 2017 Masters at Augusta close in.
The Dubliner shared memories of his debut and subsequent experiences of playing at the Major and after discussing what it was like playing with a peak Tiger Woods, he touched on Monty, who never won a Major but finished second in three of the four (US Open, The Open and PGA Championship).
"I always loved getting drawn with a Montgomerie or a Westwood or any of the big stars in America too and watching them up close and what they did, how they went about it and the shots they played," he said.
"Montgomerie was incredibly impressive as a golfer, under-rated as a golfer and unfortunately his career is judged as 'he should have won a Major'. I would nearly say as a golfer next to Woods, I would put him No 2.
"I'd certainly have him in the Top 5 as a golfer. In other words, manoeuvring his way around a golf course and playing his game, not getting intimidated by what else is going on. His ball control was phenomenal and he was a pure golfer."
McGinley also shared his first hand memories of Tiger Woods up close during his peak years.
"He was certainly the best player I ever played with by a length. Not alone was he the best physically, he was also the best mentally. He had a concentration level and an intensity about him that nobody else seemed to have, incredibly driven and of course he had the ball control and probably the best round I ever saw was in Acron, Ohio," said McGinley.
"And he was an intimidating presence mentally as well as physically because he was able to dominate the golf course and dominate the other players in a physical sense."
He also added that while there was an "intensity" around him, he always found Tiger respectful when they played together.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
