Colin Montgomerie is not looking forward to choosing his three captain's picks for the Ryder Cup but he is delighted to have such a tough job.
Colin Montgomerie is not looking forward to choosing his three captain's picks for the Ryder Cup but he is delighted to have such a tough job.
Montgomerie was successful in his appeal to increase the number of wildcard selections to three for this year's tournament in Celtic Manor, but he faces a tricky choice with a wealth of European talent on offer.
This was highlighted at last weekend's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship which saw three Europeans make it to the final four with Ian Poulter all but securing his place in Montgomerie's side with his 4&2 win over Paul Casey.
Montgomerie is delighted with how his team is shaping but he knows he faces a mission impossible when it comes to naming his wildcards.
"Did I really want three captain’s picks? I must have been mad. How am I going to choose three from so many?" the Scottish player said.
"Of course nine will make the team by right and it is good to all but welcome Ian Poulter into the side. We have had our spats, but that’s all way back in the past. I have texted him my congratulations and he knows how much I value his achievements.
"His putting was wonderful and that’s a superb asset in matchplay. A couple of years ago he talked about being the world number two and now he’s getting there. Ian’s a tough, tough competitor and a man you want on your side.
"Poulter and Paul Casey are proving that Nick Faldo was right about his picks two years ago."
Faldo has offered to act as a consultant for Montgomerie ahead of this year's competition, but the Scot has turned to two former captains.
"I understand that Nick is upset that I won’t be consulting him, but my main two sounding boards will be Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam because they are easy to meet up with and they are the last two British winners. It’s that simple.
"But I am sure Nick will be wanting a European success because it can only help him walking into that American commentary booth.
"We could just have the strongest team ever. I could put my top 12 players against my next 12 players over three matches and not be able to predict the result. How exciting is that?"