Colin Montgomerie and Rich Beem both reveal the last time they actually paid to play a round of golf

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Colin Montgomerie and Rich Beem are among the legends back on a golf course this week as they take on The Senior Open.

The Senior Open is now underway at Sunningdale Old Course in Berkshire, England, with a whole host of iconic names involved.

The PGA Tour Champions event is right after The Open in the calendar, and also coincides with the 3M Open on the PGA Tour.

Among those to have made the brief trip from Royal Portrush to Sunningdale are Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke, who experienced huge support.

Harrington hit the first tee shot at The Open last week, although he and Clarke weren’t able to make the weekend.

When Colin Montgomerie and Rich Beem last paid for a round of golf

Their focus now turns to the PGA Tour Champions, where a handful of iconic figures were tasked by the DP World Tour to recall the last time they paid for a round of golf.

Stumped, Scottish legend Montgomerie replied: “Paid for a round of golf? Oh wow. I don’t think… well, a long time ago.

READ MORE: Scottie Scheffler accused of making ‘very strange’ statement after winning The Open Championship by Rich Beem

“Last time I paid for golf was, Cameron my son, who’s caddying for me, I paid as a guest. How’s that? So paid for him as a guest.

“But I can’t remember the last time that I personally paid for a round of golf. This was in Scotland. Was it Turnberry or was it somewhere like that, yeah, one of these places.”

And American icon Beem responded: “It was… I think it was four years ago. It was at Pebble Beach. I paid golf for… my son and I played Pebble Beach, and it was a small fortune, but worth every penny of it.

“My son and his buddy beat me and my buddy’s dad, so we had to go out in the ocean for payment in November, where the water was about 60 degrees, it was freezing.”

Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley respond when asked when they last paid a green fee

Harrington was also quizzed on the matter, with his powers of recall working better than his fellow Irishman Paul McGinley.

“I don’t think I’ve ever paid a green fee,” said Harrington. “Never paid a green fee. So in Ireland, it’s kind of an unwritten rule, once you get to, you know, a good standard, certainly I can remember with junior international, you could go and play the local clubs in your area with other junior internationals for free. So I’ve never paid a green fee.”

READ MORE: Darren Clarke thinks Pádraig Harrington wouldn’t have believed what he told him about the first tee shot at The Open

McGinley meanwhile said: “I’m embarrassed to say I can’t remember. Yeah, even my last years of college, I was on the Irish team, and it was free green fees whenever I played so, oh boy, honestly I can’t remember. I must have been 17 or 18, but I don’t know when, sorry!”

Fortunately for McGinley, Bernhard Langer issued a similar response, saying: “I don’t recall, too long ago.”

What a feeling it must be to avoid such fees almost every time, although the legends will argue that they are fully deserving of their lack of payment.

They’ve clearly put in years of work on and indeed off the course to perfect their games, and are still producing many magical moments for fans of the sport.

Harrington wants to keep playing at The Open, with many of his fellow legends undoubtedly still keen to keep going on the course for as long as possible.