Monty and the custard

With Colin Montgomerie in the country for the Johnnie Walker Classic it seems as good a time as any to relay this fine story Steve Elkington told Golf Digest a few years ago:

“That would be the 1995 World Match Play at Wentworth. I had beaten him in a playoff for the PGA Championship at Riviera a couple months earlier, so when we got paired in the second round, it was being built up over there as a rematch, a chance for him to gain revenge.

Anyway, we’re having lunch in the clubhouse there, which is a castle. Lisa and I are eating a little sandwich off in the corner. Monty has maybe 25 people at his table, royalty and all, with a fabulous buffet. Part of the spread is this huge custard castle, a replica of the one we’re eating in.

So Monty gets up and goes toward the custard, and he wiped out the whole west side of the clubhouse, an entire custard wing including maybe part of the locker room. I think to myself, Isn’t that nice of Monty, scooping up all that custard for all those people at his table to share?

Well, damned if he doesn’t sit down and eat the whole thing himself. I turned to Lisa and said, “There ain’t a man alive who can eat that much custard and beat me.” I won, 2 and 1.”