THERE are those who insist that Colin Montgomerie should be handed a passport to Valhalla in September, regardless of his form, in the belief that his presence alone will unnerve the Americans and give Europe a psychological edge but that view is not universal.
Yesterday two former Ryder Cup captains, Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam, who led Europe to victory in 2002 and 2006, jointly espoused the opinion that Monty must prove himself worthy of selection.
The big Scot, who has set his heart on continuing a
n unbroken run of Ryder Cup appearances stretching back to his debut in 1991, appeared ready to stake his claim when he finished second in the French Open last month.
But his subsequent performances in the European Open, Scottish Open and the Open have fallen well short of the standards he set in the past and given rise to doubts that captain Nick Faldo will honour him with a wild card pick if necessary.
According to Torrance, Monty will have to raise his game between now and the end of next month when Faldo names his side immediately following the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
"It's all very well that he's been a fantastic team member but unless he is going to be an asset you would have to think strongly about picking him," said Torrance. "But you can't say until you find out who has missed out and that won't be possible until the last minute because somebody can come through the field in the final qualifying event and knock out a player you thought was certainly in.
"You just have to wait and see how it falls, see who has the strength to come through and Monty as a straight wild card pick needs to play a wee bit better to show that his game is there."
Woosnam concurred, adding: "Monty played well in France but there are so many good players out there and he needs to perform over the next few weeks for Nick Faldo to pick him."
The full article contains 349 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
