Thursday, September 2, 2010

Colin Montgomerie has assured European golf fans that their team will be better equipped to to win the Ryder Cup with him as captain than they were under Nick Faldo last year.

Faldo was skipper in Valhalla as Europe lost the Ryder Cup, for the first time since winning it back in 2002, to an American team missing the injured Tiger Woods.

Six-time Major winner Faldo came in for heavy criticism for his captaincy in the United States.

It is no secret that Faldo and Montgomerie don’t get on and the new captain launched a thinly-veiled attack on the Englishman, suggesting his side will have a better chance of glory because he is more in tune with the current golf scene.

“I think one of the reasons I was asked to become captain was because I was still playing,” Monty said.

“Nick had not played for a number of years fully on our Tour and was over in the States in a commentating position and I think he found it more difficult, therefore, to communicate with the team on a day-to-day basis than I would be able to do.

“I’m off to Portugal to play in the Portuguese Masters, and this is another area where I’ll be looking at potential players who will be here in a year’s time.

“Nick didn’t have that advantage,” he added.

Faldo also came in for criticism, as Europe lost 16.5-11.5, for employing British radio DJ, DJ Spoony as a motivational speaker in the locker room.

He also asked Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain to be part of his backroom staff.

But Monty insists his support staff will be spinning out the necessary golf advice rather than banging tunes.

“I don’t think there will be any drummers in there. Or drums,” Montgomerie said.

“There will be no DJs, either.

“That won’t be happening this time. We’ll have three or four vice-captains who will be of current player status.”

Montgomerie also sent out a coded warning to players like Ian Poulter that they will not be considered for one of his three wild card picks unless they commit themselves to more European events in the run-up to the Ryder Cup, like the Wales Open at Celtic Manor, the BMW PGA Championship, at Wentworth, and the Johnnie Walker Championship, the final qualifying event for selection, at Gleneagles.

Last month Monty expressed his disgust that Poulter, Justin Rose and Lee Westwood turned down Vivendi Trophy spots. And he told Europe’s star names: “The BMW Championship is our flagship event. The course at Wentworth has changed dramatically.

Every hole has been dug up and redone. So the excuse [that the course doesn’t suit them, as Ian Poulter and Padraig Harrington said last year] is no longer appropriate. I was disappointed that certain members of our Tour were not playing our flagship event.”

Meanwhile, Monty acknowledged that victory next year will mean more if Tiger Woods is in Corey Pavin’s US team.

The world No.1 missed the US victory at Valhalla through injury, but was in outstanding form last weekend as he inspired the US to Presidents Cup glory. And Monty said: “I think it makes it a better win if we can regain the Ryder Cup with Tiger Woods in it. We have to play as well as we can.”