Warren more keen on cars than golf, says Torrance

ONE of Scotland's most respected coaches, Bob Torrance, yesterday questioned the work ethic of some of Scotland's aspiring golfers and aimed direct criticism at Marc Warren, who partnered Colin Montgomerie to win the World Cup in China last year, for being more driven by the acquisition of material goods than improving his game.

"He's too interested in buying big flats and Aston Martins," claimed the 76-year-old who helped Padraig Harrington become a Ryder Cup player and the first European to win the Open in eight years when he triumphed at Carnoustie last year.

Torrance assisted in the transformation of Warren's game in 2005 when the former Walker Cup player won twice on the Challenge Tour. A year later and the 27-year-old from Glasgow won at the Scandinavian Masters and was the European Tour's rookie of the year.

The partnership enjoyed another rewarding season in 2007 when Warren teamed up with Monty in China to win the World Cup for Scotland after claiming victory at Gleneagles in a play-off for the Johnnie Walker Championship.

Even then there were signs of unrest in the relationship with a frank exchange of views on the range at Gleneagles. This season Warren has struggled to build on his promising form and has missed the last four cuts in a row. He's currently 142nd in the Order of Merit and 242nd in the world rankings.

Warren decided the arrangement with Torrance wasn't working last month and informed the coach of his decision during the French Open. He's now working with Gary Nicol, the Scot who has done much to help Englishman Richard Finch's fortunes.

According to Torrance, there was a question mark against Warren's willingness to make the most of his talent.

"Marc Warren missed the cut in a tournament then appeared down in Largs after a fortnight," recalled the coach. "He hit balls for two hours. How could he not have been doing that for (the previous] fortnight. He lives only half an hour up the road. He's too interested in buying big flats and Aston Martins.

"He hit 155 iron shots on the range, and was happy that he was swinging great. Then he hit 20 wedges, and said it felt all wrong. How do you deal with that? A fortnight before that he said: 'I want to work with you forever'. I said to him: 'I'll work with you forever'. A week later he was away."

Although he does own a second hand Aston Martin – a reward to himself for winning at Gleneagles – and dabbles in property, Warren and his management company dispute the suggestion he's a lazy golfer.

"Obviously, I'm disappointed to hear about what he (Torrance] said," commented Warren. "But everyone is entitled to their opinion. I still have great respect for Bob as a coach and a person. It wasn't a decision taken easily. Based on the performances of the past six months, it was the only way I could move forward."

Warren's manager, Brian Marchbank of 110sport, added: "Marc respects Bob. Everything he's achieved in the game, he attributes to Bob. There's no issues about that on Marc's side at all.

"Every time Marc left Bob thinking things were fine, he would go to a tournament and lose it. This year Marc felt his game had degenerated. It was a very difficult decision for Marc to take and had been milling over for some time."

On the issue of spending money on cars and houses, rather than practising, Marchbank added: "Everyone needs goals. Marc works extremely hard. The fact he wasn't down at Largs didn't mean he wasn't working.

"Another point is that Bob is 76 and not on Tour every week – no one would expect him to be. If the boys have a problem, it can be difficult to sort out. When Bob's not there, they do it on their own. Perhaps the real reason Marc wasn't going to see Bob was because he wasn't getting any better. The sessions weren't helping him.

"There are egos on both sides and both men, rightly, believe they're very good. The relationship wasn't as strong after Gleneagles."