Monty picks professor as Ryder Cup speech coach

Published on Tuesday 23 June 2009 22:10

EUROPEAN Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie has already secured the services of a Scot for his support team at Celtic Manor next year after asking David Purdie, one of Britain's most accomplished speakers, to reprise his role of speech caddie in Wales.

Professor Purdie last offered advice on public speaking to a Ryder Cup captain when he worked with Sam Torrance at the Belfry in 2002.

A former specialist in brittle bone disease – he retired from leading the centre for metabolic bone disease two years ago and now concentrates on writing and speaking about golf as well as medical matters – Purdie played an important role in helping make Torrance the voice of European golf seven years ago.

Purdie made it clear he wasn't Torrance's speech-writer and it was the golfer who coined phrases such as "out of the shadows come heroes" and "they have a Tiger but I've got 12 lions". Instead Purdie saw his role as helping Torrance to sound like himself. "I was his speech caddie," he said. "I carried the bag of words."

Montgomerie, who was an unbeaten member of the European team in that match seven years ago, had not forgotten the impact made by Torrance off the course at the Belfry as well as on it and resolved to ask Purdie this month to help shape his speeches. The men, who both hail from Ayrshire, met at Gleneagles and agreed to collaborate.

Purdie now has a full house of team captains from this side of the Atlantic on his client list since the Scot is already helping Colin Dalgleish, the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup captain, and European Solheim Cup captain Alison Nicholas, with their speeches.

Although Montgomerie will take to the boards at Celtic Manor with more experience of public speaking than Torrance, the recruitment of Purdie should ensure Europe are one up on the USA before the match starts at Celtic Manor rather than two down, as happened when Sir Nick Faldo was in front of the microphone at Valhalla last year.