The US Open is designed to make the best golfers in the world squirm. PGA TOUR players have been complaining about this year’s tournament for the past two weeks. It is not set up to be fun. But one person is having one of the best week’s of his life at the 2019 US Open. Anthony “Monti” Montanez is the owner of Monti’s Barbershop in Moriches, NY. Monti was chosen to be the barber for the 2018 US Open at nearby Shinnecock Hills on Long Island. This year Monti traveled with the US Open to Pebble Beach for the 119th US Open. I spoke to the current leader in cuts made about his week so far at his second straight US Open.

Cart Path Only: I’ve read a couple things about last year and you said that you got in with the US Open through a friend of a friend? How did you get hooked up with the US Open and the USGA?

Monti: So, I’m not sure how the conversation came up with them, but a friend of mine recommended me, said ‘I know a guy owns a business, very professional, you should reach out to him.’ I own a product company (Oasis) and he (the USGA employee) reached out to my business partner Kyle and Kyle let me know that this would be a great opportunity to get Oasis on the map more and be in front of big names and a big crowd. So that’s how we ended up getting into it. And obviously they needed haircuts too and needed us to provide a service to them so that was another way to get in.

Cart Path Only: You do this all for publicity, right? Do you charge the players or anything?

Monti: So we are contracted through the USGA. They took care of our stay. I’m in charge of getting all the supplies situated for us to take care of them in the barbershop that we have set up. There’s two of us, me and my buddy Eddie, he does the caddies, I do the TOUR players. He’s got his own trailer with a barbershop set up in it. The USGA set up a separate room inside of the locker room for me to do the players.

Cart Path Only: I know you’re familiar with golf and familiar with the news. I saw you gave Kuchar a touch-up last year. Did you have any problems with him stiffing you on the tip or anything?

Monti: No no no no not at all. Kuch was really cool. I didn’t get to cut him yet but I’m sure that at some point this week that he’ll come in to get trimmed. He was really cool. Everyone was really awesome to have in the chair. They were a lot of fun, lot of laughs, we watch TV, we joke around about what the commentators are saying. But no Kuchar did not stiff me on the tip.

Cart Path Only: How’s Rickie’s hair? How’s that mullet?

Monti: Oh dude he’s crushing it. Crushing it with the mullet. He’s going to keep it for a couple more tournaments and then he said he might cut it off but we’ll see how long he keeps it. He loves it.

Cart Path Only: Out on tour, who’s got the best hair?

Monti: Who’s got the best flow, wow. I mean Fleetwood his hair is long now, bro. He was supposed to come in these last couple days but between it being a little backed up and him just being busy I haven’t been able to get him in, but he wasn’t going to do a haircut trimming, he was just going to do a beard trimming. Hopefully tomorrow at some point he’ll end up coming in. But I mean Rickie’s got a serious, nice flow going on bro. He keeps it tame, he keeps it sharp. But long hair-wise, Richard Lee has got a sick flow going on. He’s got it going on. He came in today for me to kind of thin it out a little bit and give it a little bit of a trim, and his hair is LONG dude. Real long.

Cart Path Only: What’s your suggestion for Tiger? He’s got a mess up top. Would you just go straight razor to it?

Monti: No… I don’t think he has to straight razor it yet. I just think what he should do is go lower on the sides. Which he did. Eddie and I noticed that he had a haircut so I was kind of bummed because I wanted to get him.

Cart Path Only: I’m sure he has a guy on staff.

Monti: He’s probably got him on his yacht. I wouldn’t doubt it. He should just go a little lower on the sides. If you go a little lower on the sides it takes away from how short it is on top. So if he went with a fade at that point it will look a little more even. So I don’t think he’s BIC-ready yet or short-short yet but he’s definitely got to shorten up the sides a little bit make it look a little more proportionate.

Cart Path Only: Well get in there. If you ever bump into him be like ‘Hey man I’ve got some advice for you.’

Monti: Yeah I know that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to be like ‘Listen man, Tiger. Let me throw a few recommendations your way.’

Cart Path Only: For your personal style preference, what would you suggest for regular tour pros?

Monti: A lot of the guys are getting anywhere from a 2 to a 4 (clipper guard length) on the sides which is nice. Everyone’s thickness of hair is different so like a 4 on Rory is different from a 4 on Putnam. It’s different on different guys but I’d say anywhere from a 2 to a 4 to keep it pretty tight and I’d taper them so their side burns aren’t sticking out and then I’d do a normal scissor trim on top just to clean it up and have it look sharp.

Cart Path Only: If you could create like your own real life Tiger Woods EA Sports player, what you have his hairstyle be?

Monti: You know what I really like? I like the Ian Poulter style.

Cart Path Only: The faux-hawk?

Monti: He’s got it tight on the sides, but just like you said he’s got the visor and keeps it like messy-spikes through the top of the visor. That’s a really cool look. Or you can go straight-up Tony Finau. Get tight skin fade, scissors trim on top with a little bit of a combover. Luis Gagne, he’s got the hard part, tight on the sides, hard part combover, he’s looking sharp. Combover’s the way to go, too. You know what it is, a lot of these guys wear a hat so you can never see it. But the combover or spikes, I think that’s the way to go.

Cart Path Only: That’s one of my biggest pet peeves that you have to wear a hat now. I guess Ollie Schniederjans is the only one who doesn’t wear a hat.

Monti: He came in today actually. We threw some gel in his hair. We have a pomade and a matte. Pomade is like a wet look and matte’s a dry look. So I’m like ‘What do you want?’ and he’s like ‘Oh I’m more of a dry look.’ So we’ll go with our matte, threw some of it in there and styled it up.

Cart Path Only: I saw that you’ve been hooked up with some Titleist gear, that you’re playing Spyglass later on. How are the perks?

Monti: Oh dude it’s awesome. The guys from Titleist were great to me. Came in gave me a couple of hats, bunch of boxes of balls, gloves. Taylormade guys were absolutely awesome too. Nike guys were great in there. I mean it’s awesome, everyone is so cool. The food, the chiropractic work. The guys are like ‘Oh yeah I’ll adjust you up.’ The hyperbaric chamber. I’m basically, you know, part of the tour. I’m getting player treatment which is really, really cool. It’s an awesome experience. I love it.

Follow Monti on Instagram @monti_the_barber, @oasisgroomingco and Eddie @canillaseddie.

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