Montgomerie puts his foot down to stop slow players

COLIN Montgomerie is determined to do everything in his power to prevent next year's Ryder Cup in Wales setting a bad example to club golfers when it comes to the pace of play.

Due to the fact the biennial match is being held at the start of October – a fortnight later than normal – there are concerns about being able to complete the two sessions that are played on the first two days to the light.

Montgomerie, for one, is well aware of that fact and the European captain will be urging his players to do everything in their power to ensure that matches don't have to be concluded the following day.

The Scot also doesn't want fans going away from the Celtic Manor Resort thinking it is acceptable to take up to six hours for rounds when they return to their golf clubs.

"There should be no six-hour rounds in the fourballs, as was the case at Kiawah Island when everyone remembers the silhouette of Seve in the darkness – these days have gone," said Montgomerie. "Four-and-a-half hours should be enough for fourballs – even in a Ryder Cup situation.

"We have to get round as quickly as we can next October. It is two weeks later than normal and a lost half an hour will be the difference between finishing a game or not. The latter is not the type of message we should be putting across to club golfers. We should be playing quicker than them because it's not as though we are having to look for golf balls."

At last year's Ryder Cup, the two captains had an agreement that players shouldn't have any practice putts after a hole had been completed. If someone ignored that advice, they were effectively yellow-carded by receiving a warning from the referee and, if they did it again, then it would have evoked a penalty.

"My players will not be practising their putting once the match is underway," insisted Montgomerie. "They'll have had three days to do that earlier in the week."

Both Montgomerie and his American counterpart, Corey Pavin, were impressed with the condition of the Twenty Ten Course when they played in a challenge match at Celtic Manor on Monday. While Montgomerie has suggested some changes he'd like to be made ahead of next year's match, the eight-time European No1 is adamant that he isn't trying to trick the course up in any way.

"You can tie yourself in knots if you worry too much about a course set-up and, in any case, I want the best golfer or golfers in the foursomes and fourballs to win their matches on the day," he remarked. "This is a driver's golf course."

Pavin, who played in three Ryder Cup matches – five less than his counterpart – added: "This is a very fair golf course. It's all there in front of you and there are no tricks out there."

Both captains paid close attention to last week's Presidents Cup in San Francisco, where Tiger Woods won all five of his games as the United States beat the Internationals.

"The Presidents Cup has certainly become a big and important event, but it's very different to the Ryder Cup. It doesn't seem to have the same passion as that," said Montgomerie.

While Montgomerie enjoyed playing with broadcaster Chris Evans in the challenge match against Pavin and opera singer Bryn Terfel on Monday, he insists his backroom team next October will be made up entirely of professional golfers and, in particular, people who have played in the Ryder Cup in the past.

At Valhalla last year, Nick Faldo allowed two of his friends, DJ Spoony and Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain, into the European team room.

"I don't think we will need a drummer in there this time and there will be no DJs either, including Chris Evans," said Montgomerie. "I don't think the players will need that type of geeing up on this occasion."

At the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in August, the European captain revealed he had scribbled down the names of the players on a list which was effectively his Ryder Cup dream team. Asked if he'd taken that out of the drawer home recently to check it, he said: "I don't have to as I know it off by heart.

"I think we've played for 13 or 14 per cent of the total money up for grabs in the qualifying process and Simon Dyson has certainly got off to a flyer. I would like to see the so-called nucleus of the team to be winning again, though."