Colin Montgomerie is anxious to know if Tiger Woods will play in this year's Ryder Cup.
Colin Montgomerie is anxious to know if Tiger Woods will play in this year's Ryder Cup.
On Friday Woods appeared in public for the first time since November to publically apologise for his infidelity but failed to give any indication of when he will return to the sport.
His suggestion that he may not play at all in 2010 came as a shock to most within the sport, including Montgomerie, who is keen to know whether his European side will have to square up to the American at Celtic Manor.
"When Tiger Woods said that he was not ruling out playing this year, it came as a shock because I am anxious to know whether Tiger is planning to play in the Ryder Cup," Montgomerie said.
Should the world number one decide to play in Wales, Montgomerie believes he could find himself in a sticky situation with wives of his team-mates unlikely to have a warm welcome for him.
"Turning up at Celtic Manor could be one of the hardest things Tiger ever does. He won’t worry about hitting the ball, but he will worry about how the wives of the other players will react to him," he added in his Daily Telegraph column.
"Some of them will be friends with Elin and they will sympathise with her anger and pain. Some of them might find it hard to welcome Tiger back into the group. I’m sure it is something that the American captain, Corey Pavin, will be giving a lot of thought to.
"I’m sure his apology will help to bridge the gap, but there is no guarantee all the wives will accept him."
Woods has won just 11 points from the 25 Ryder Cup matches he has played and Montgomerie is not sure if the biennial event is the right place for him, even if he is back playing.
"We know the Ryder Cup is not Tiger’s favourite event. I expect him to be playing by then but that doesn’t mean he will play at Celtic Manor. It must be very difficult for Corey with his No 1 in limbo."