European Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie welcomes us to the 12th in his series of blogs in the run-up to The Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor which is now less than a month away. It is a highly appropriate blog number for, in it, Monty focuses on completing his 12 man team for Wales.

There you have it……
Well, now you know. After weeks of speculation in the media as well as amongst my friends and fellow professionals out on Tour, I finally named my three wild card picks to complete The 2010 European Ryder Cup Team.
I was delighted to appear before the watching world on Sunday at Gleneagles and name Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari to line up alongside Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher, Francesco Molinari, Miguel Angel Jiménez and Peter Hanson.
I am really excited about the 12 players I will have at my disposal at Celtic Manor. We have the perfect blend of youth and experience, of flair and conservativeness, and of passion and cool headedness. We mustn’t forget, of course, that they are also 12 incredibly talented golfers who, between them, have played in 19 Ryder Cups and have amassed some 149 tournament victories around the world. These guys are winners and I know they will give their all in Europe’s cause to be winners once again for a collective 150th time come the night of Sunday October 3.

Wild things……..
I’m sure every captain would say the same, but I must admit that I don’t think any captain has had the difficulty that I had on Sunday in trying to select three wild cards out of a possible ten players, all of whom would have been good enough to play in Wales. The standard of European golf has been second to none this year and all credit to every single one of the players for giving myself and my vice captains a very tough afternoon.
It was a difficult time for me. I had the incredibly difficult task of having to leave out outstanding players and to try to communicate with them when many of them were actually on the golf course in the States. The fact that world Top ten players and multiple winners this year are not in the team and yet we still say that we have a wonderful team just goes to show how far the Tour has come but my heart still goes out to those players who missed out, who are friends and great players, but we now have to look forward.
We had an embarrassment of riches at our disposal this year and I have said many times that I wished the Ryder Cup Team could contain 20 players. But it doesn’t. It contains just 12 and we are all delighted with the three players who came through to join those who qualified automatically.
Padraig Harrington has won three major championships in the last three years. He has immense stature in the game and is someone we feel that nobody in match-play golf wants to face. He is a great competitor and someone that will give absolutely everything to the team.
In Luke Donald, we have someone that is equally at home in foursomes or fourball golf and can partner anyone which is a vital component for a captain to have up his sleeve. He has played seven times in his two Ryder Cup appearances to date and has only lost once. That is hugely impressive and, don’t forget, he also played exceptionally well in The Celtic Manor Wales Open in June so is obviously comfortable with The Twenty Ten Course – another key factor.
Finally, what can you say about Edoardo Molinari and his stunning victory at Gleneagles. I can honestly say that in my time as a player on The European Tour, I don’t think I’ve seen a finish of that quality under such pressure by anyone, ever. All credit to him for having gone to Gleneagles, won the tournament, and in doing so succeeded in joining his brother as the first Continental brother partnership to play in The Ryder Cup.

Rookies in name only…….
A lot has been made of the fact that half of my team in Wales will be rookies. I cannot deny that fact as it is there on paper but, what I will say, is the fact that that word tends to be associated with inexperience. However, it is impossible to categorise any of my ‘first timers’ in that manner.
They are certainly not like I was when I made my debut at Kiawah Island in 1991. I was very new to the whole thing and playing alongside giants of the game in our team that year such as Seve Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer. Remember also that I had hardly played much competitive golf in America either by then – so how can you compare that to the likes of the ‘rookies’ I have in my team?
Martin Kaymer? Yes, technically, Martin is a rookie but he has already won a Major Championship on American soil just three weeks ago with his stunning victory in the US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
Rory McIlroy? Yes, technically, Rory is a rookie but is already in golf’s history books as the youngest player to break into the top 50 of the world rankings and earlier this year carded a stunning 62 in the final round to come from behind to beat Phil Mickelson and win on the US PGA Tour.
Ross Fisher? Yes, technically, Ross is a rookie but has already played for England twice in the World Cup in addition to the not insignificant fact that he is the reigning Volvo World Match Play Champion having triumphed last year in Spain.
Peter Hanson? Yes, technically, Peter is a rookie but showed tremendous guts and determination to go to the Czech Republic two weeks ago and win the tournament which got him into the top nine placings in addition to finishing in the top 20 at Gleneagles to cement his place.
Francesco and Edoardo Molinari: Yes, technically, Francesco and Edoardo are both rookies but they have already succeeded as a partnership by winning the World Cup for Italy for the first time last year. Francesco is one of the most consistent players I have ever seen and, as I said earlier, we all saw what Edoardo did at Gleneagles.
Not much inexperience there I would say, would you?

And Sergio makes four…….
As well as announcing my three wild cards on Sunday, I also was delighted to pull a bit of a surprise on the world’s media by announcing that I will have a fourth Vice Captain at Celtic Manor in the considerable presence of Sergio Garcia.
If there is one word that describes Sergio García in The Ryder Cup, then that word surely is passion. Along with his fellow countrymen Seve Ballesteros and José Maria Olazábal, they all brought real fervour to the contest and I know that Sergio will be a great asset to the European cause to regain The Ryder Cup.
We talked for the first time about the possibility of this happening during The Open at St Andrews. He told me he was trying his hardest to make the team but if that didn’t transpire, he wanted me to know he was there for me and the European Team 100% and if I wanted him there during the week in Wales then all I had to do was ask.
In a week of hard decisions, that was one of the easiest I had to make and I am delighted that Sergio will link up with Thomas Björn, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley behind the scenes. What an incredibly experienced backroom team that is for, in addition to myself, we have 23 Ryder Cup appearances between us so we’ll know exactly what the team of 2010 will be going through and what they will need to bring out the best in them on the course.

Thanks for reading and, until next time, I wish you all good health and good golf.

Colin Montgomerie

European Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie’s latest blog looks back at a highly successful day at Wentworth where he named his three Vice Captains and looks ahead to the contest itself which is just over ten weeks away.

My Three Musketeers…….

There are several key moments in the build-up to any Ryder Cup and one of mine came this week when I announced my Vice Captains for the match at Celtic Manor. I told you in previous blogs that I was going to do it after The Open Championship and I have to say I could not have been prouder to sit down at that press conference at Wentworth alongside three of the most respected men in the game; Thomas Björn, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley.

The Ryder Cup is all about passion, commitment and will to win and those three guys all possess those qualities in abundance. They have the respect and admiration of everyone in golf and have all been part of a combined nine successful European Ryder Cup teams in the past. Furthermore they know the players who will be part of my team as well as anyone. Respect from the other players is vital and those three guys, in addition to myself, will have the utmost respect in the team room, in the locker room and out on the course.

I am delighted to have them by my side as we head for Wales and I know they will be of invaluable assistance to me and everyone associated with the team as we attempt to regain The Ryder Cup.

I truly believe this is the strongest team we have ever assembled for Europe both on and off the course. This is a great time for European golf. We have just had great success with Graeme McDowell in the US Open, were very close to having further success in our own Open at St Andrews, and who knows what might happen in the US PGA Championship in a few weeks time.

Off the course there are now four of us who will be making the decisions from now on, not just me. There will be consultation going on the whole time and I am delighted it will be that way.

Cheers from Chema…….

Understandably, there was a lot of speculation in the media about whether I would have José Maria Olazábal as part of my backroom team. As everyone now knows, I’m not, and I’m more than happy to explain why, just as I did in a phone call I made to José Maria myself a few days ago.

First and foremost I want to say here and now that I genuinely believe José Maria will be a Ryder Cup Captain in the future.  Unfortunately, though, he is not keeping good health at the moment and, without question, getting his health back is the most important thing he should be concentrating on at the present time.  Because of that, he fully admits he hasn’t played on The European Tour very much over the past 18 months and I have always felt it important that the players who were to form my backroom staff play week‑in, week‑out on The European Tour and are together with the players on a regular basis.

Believe me, it was a phone call I didn’t want to make but one I nevertheless felt was the right one to make in the circumstances. Everyone who knows José Maria knows the passion he exudes for The Ryder Cup and it will come as no surprise that he wished us all the best in our quest to regain the fabulous trophy. He’ll be right behind us every step of the way and we all join together to wish him all the very best too.

Three is the Magic Number……

I know I said in the past that I was going to opt for four Vice Captains but these things can change and, believe me, when I looked at the calibre of the three guys sitting next to me on that top table the other day, I don’t think I could do any better than that. 

Outside the singles session, there will only ever be four matches on the course at any one time and we have four of us to monitor them. Thomas will go with one match, Darren with another, Paul with another and I’ll go with the fourth one. Between us we will be able to analyse exactly what is going on and I genuinely believe we the four of us together will be able to get the best out of the players. So I think three Vice Captains, plus me, is a good number.

Wonderful Welsh support…..

Aside from José Maria, the other question I was asked was about Welsh representation. I know none of my three Vice Captains are Welsh but to suggest we will have no Welsh representation at Celtic Manor is far from the truth. It is not outwith the bounds of possibility that we will have a Welshman in the team itself as Rhys Davies is still on the fringes of the qualification table, while Welsh rugby legend Gareth Edwards, who is Honorary Captain of The Twenty Ten Course, will be out there on a buggy alongside us. Of course there is also the small matter of having the passionate support of some 40,000 Welsh people outside the ropes every day that we shouldn’t forget. So we will have plenty of Welsh representation at Celtic Manor, mark my words.

Words of advice……

It is a huge responsibility that myself, Thomas, Darren and Paul have taken on and, together with the 12 players who will ultimately form the team, we know we have an onus on us to try and regain The Ryder Cup.  In these economic times, we realise that a home win is very important for us, and to The European Tour in general. I will urge any player to come and ask me for advice on any aspect of The Ryder Cup because I have learned a lot from the six Ryder Cup Captains I’ve played under in my career.  I’ve spoken at length to every one; Seve Ballesteros, Bernard Gallacher, Mark James, Bernhard Langer, Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam and it has been invaluable. I won’t reveal now what they said or their individual points of view but all I will say is that after The Ryder Cup is finished, you will realise that I have taken a lot from every Captain that I’ve played under.

Up for the challenge……

Somebody pointed out to me the other day that the recent Open at St Andrews was only the second time in 50 years that no American player had finished in the top six and, because of that, was there a danger of perhaps some over-confidence surrounding the European team going into The Ryder Cup. My answer to that particular question was simple; with the collective Ryder Cup experience of the four of us who sat together at Wentworth the other day, there is absolutely no chance of any over-confidence or any complacency from a European perspective. We all know that these matches are very, very close. You only have to look back at the record win that Europe had in America in 2004.

That year, 11 of the individual ties went to the last hole and we just happened to win nine of them. If they had gone the other way, however, we wouldn’t have won by a record margin, we would have lost The Ryder Cup altogether. That’s how close The Ryder Cup is and we are all under no illusion whatsoever how difficult a task this will be to attempt to regain The Ryder Cup against what will be a very strong and very talented United States team. But we are more than ready for the challenge.

Thanks for reading and, until next time, I wish you all good health and good golf.

Colin Montgomerie

European Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie welcomes us to the tenth in his series of blogs. We catch up with his movements both on and off the course and continue the countdown to The Ryder Cup itself.

Time flies…..
Hello again everyone and welcome to my latest blog. It really doesn’t seem like a month since I last caught up with you all but I guess that shows how time flies when you are having fun and I am certainly having plenty of that in the role of Ryder Cup Captain. I knew it would be hectic but if you can’t enjoy everything that goes with such an important job, then you’re in the wrong business. Of course, time flying by means there is now only four months to go to the beginning of the contest itself – and you can really feel the excitement building around everyone who is involved with The Ryder Cup – from players and officials to Tour staff and everyone at Celtic Manor. As I’ve said many times, I can’t wait for it all to begin in earnest.

Welcome back to Wales…..
Mentioning Celtic Manor is appropriate of course for we are off there this week for The Celtic Manor Wales Open on The Twenty Ten Course where The Ryder Cup itself will unfold. Together with Ross McMurray and the team at European Golf Design as well as Jim McKenzie and his greenkeeping staff at Celtic Manor, we have made a few changes to the golf course, not wholesale changes but subtle ones which I think have improved the layout, and it will be interesting to see how the players cope with it.

Playing the Field……..
Speaking of the field for the Wales Open, there has been a lot of talk in the press about its relative strengths and weaknesses. Let me say here that, considering we are opposite the Memorial Tournament in the States which is one of the biggest events of the year on the PGA Tour, I am delighted with who is playing in what will be the strongest gathering for the Wales Open in a long while. I had a look at the current top 20 in The Ryder Cup standings and of that 20, 12 will be in Wales and it would have been 14 had injury not robbed us of Padraig Harrington and Peter Hanson. That is an excellent turn-out and I wish every single one of them well. Of course, I will also be keeping a close eye on our European guys in the Memorial too.

Cool Hand Luke…….
I was delighted with the commitment of Luke Donald to come over from his base in the United States and play, not just the BMW PGA Championship, but also the Madrid Masters and The Celtic Manor Wales Open too. He very nearly won at Wentworth of course but he got his reward in fine style in Madrid with a super win. On the back of that success, he’s moved into the top nine in The Ryder Cup standings which I’m delighted about personally as Captain, while I am thrilled for him too that he has moved back into the top ten on the Official World Golf Ranking. He is a supremely talented golfer and a lovely young man and he deserves every success. While I was delighted for Luke, I was also thrilled to see Rhys Davies put in another sterling performance in what is turning out to be a fantastic rookie season for him on The European Tour. In one of my earlier blogs I commended him on his win in Morocco in March and said then that he was one of the best putters I have seen at that age and he showed that again on the greens in Madrid. As I said before, he has a big future in the game.

Extra-curricular activities……
I was pleased to play all four rounds at Wentworth myself, a course which still holds a special affinity for me following my three consecutive wins in the Championship from 1998 to 2000. As I am sure you know, the West Course has changed a lot over these past 12 months but I have to say that a lot of the criticism I heard that week was unfounded. I think it is now a modern version of course that is now a tougher test than it was before so I think they have done a great job. As I said, I was pleased to play all four rounds but, as has been the case of late the consistency wasn’t quite how I’d like it – my good shots are in there but there are still one or two too many mistakes for my liking. Not that I am making excuses mind you but it is difficult to find suitable practice time to put those matters right with all the extra-curricular Ryder Cup activities, especially during a week such as the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. There were numerous things going on, all of which I was delighted to attend, but all of which at the same time meant that I couldn’t go to the range or the putting green to work on my game. But that is fine – I am well aware of the situation. I have said all along that my main goal this year is to regain The Ryder Cup for Europe and I can continue the serious work on my own game once that, hopefully, has been achieved.

Time on my hands…..
One of the glittering occasions I attended during the Wentworth week was in the splendid Rolex unit in the hospitality pavilion running alongside the 18th fairway where I saw the Rolex watch that each of my Team Members will receive at Celtic Manor in October. It is a truly beautiful timepiece and I am delighted to say that I was given one too which I will truly cherish.

Simon Khan do it……
Final word on Wentworth of course must go to the new champion, Simon Khan, who I must say did tremendously well. Simon has had ups and downs in his career of late and even had to attend the Qualifying School at the end of last season after losing his card. But he showed his talent and determination by winning that event, the same talent and determination which saw him through to win our flagship event on The European Tour. I actually partnered him on Saturday and he played very well. Good luck to him.

Moving Day……
One other thing that has taken up a lot of my time at the moment is our house move. Gaynor and I and the kids have been in temporary accommodation near Gleneagles for the last 18 months but now our new house is finally ready and we are in the process of shifting everything from one place to the other. It’s said that the two most stressful things you can do in life is get married and move house. I wouldn’t say the move has been particularly stressful but, as all of you who have done this and tried to find various things in various boxes will completely understand, I’ll be glad when it’s all over!

Golf Live…….
Of course there have been a number of golfing activities I’ve been involved in over the past few weeks too with one of the most enjoyable being the inaugural Golf Live event at the beautiful Stoke Park near London. I was delighted to be given the role of Ambassador for the event and I am pleased to say it was a huge success with over 11,000 in attendance over the three days. Myself and other professionals such as Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Retief Goosen and my fellow Scot Catriona Matthew as well as a range of renowned golf coaches put on a range of masterclasses to illustrate all aspects of the golf swing as well as undertaking a series of three hole challenges during which spectators were encouraged to ask questions as we played along. I think it’s fair to say it is the only time in my entire golfing career that I have actively encouraged spectators to shout out from behind the ropes while I’ve been playing! But seriously, it was great fun for everyone involved and here’s hoping it is something which can be repeated in the future.

Back where it all began…..
I was also delighted recently to take part in an R&A Patrons Day at St Andrews. Any time you get the chance to play at the Home of Golf, you take it, as there is really nothing like walking up the 18th hole on the Old Course to get the heart racing. When I was there, memories flooded back to the many good times I have had on that hallowed turf – leading Scotland to victory in the Alfred Dunhill Cup in 1995, triumphing personally in the Dunhill Links Championship in 2005, and, of course, my memorable battle with Tiger Woods earlier that year in The Open Championship. History shows that Tiger came out on top that day but the level of support for me that final afternoon, and the sheer crescendo of noise which rolled down in waves from thousands of people lining each fairway and green, is something that will live with me forever.

Looking ahead to Gleneagles…..
My most recent piece of off-course work involved one of the shortest journeys I have made this month, namely the three minute drive from my old house at Gleneagles to the course itself to take part in the Media Day for the Johnnie Walker Championship. Obviously this is a tournament which is close to my heart anyway in my role as Championship Chairman, but it will be a tournament which takes on much greater significance this August as it will not only be the final counting event in terms of Ryder Cup points, but also the venue where, once the tournament has finished, I will announce my three wild cards to supplement the nine players who will have qualified automatically. That will be a momentous occasion but, before that, we look set for a great tournament and, like Wales this week, we will have a great field in action for the Scottish golfing public to enjoy watching.

Well done Rory and Alvaro…..
Finally, in my last blog I praised Lee Westwood for his superb effort in the Masters at Augusta which, unfortunately from a European perspective, came up just short. However, since then, we have enjoyed European success in America of course, thanks to Rory McIlroy. It wasn’t just the fact that Rory claimed his first triumph on US soil but the swashbuckling way he swept to victory at Quail Hollow that was so impressive; making the cut right on the line before shooting up the leaderboard with a 66 and then a final day 62 which ended with six threes! It was a super showing just as Alvaro Quiros provided earlier that same day to win the Spanish Open. There is a great thrill in winning every tournament as a professional golfer but, having won the Scottish Open in the past, I can vouch for the fact that there is that little extra spring in your step when you claim your own national title and I know Alvaro would have felt that way in Catalunya that afternoon. Well done to them both.

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Ryder Reminiscences
In my last blog I looked back at Europe’s historic victory at Oak Hill Country Club in 1995 which represented my first taste of Ryder Cup success. This time, in the fourth of my series of Ryder Reminiscences, I look at another history making moment – The Ryder Cup’s first staging in Continental Europe at Valderrama in 1997 – and of course our extraordinary Captain that year…..Seve.

1997: The year of One Memorable Drive and Ten Memorable Seves!
Following our victory at Oak Hill, we were keen to capitalise on that success at Valderrama and we really showed that in the first two days, not losing any of the four sessions on Friday and Saturday to take a commanding 10 ½ – 5 ½ lead into the singles. In my debut at Kiawah Island in 1991 I had played one match with Bernhard Langer which we won and Seve decided to resurrect that partnership with great success. Bernhard and I won two of our three matches together – including a 5 and 3 thumping of Tiger Woods, who was making his Ryder Cup debut that year, and Mark O’Meara in Friday’s foursomes – while I also contributed another point in the company of Darren Clarke in the Saturday morning fourballs.
Therefore, going into Sunday’s singles we had every reason to be confident. We only needed four points for victory and, when Per-Ulrik Johansson and Costantino Rocca delivered two of them from matches two and three, we looked on our way – but we had reckoned without the stubborn American rearguard action.
Playing at number ten in the order, I really didn’t think it would come down to me to get us over the line but, as more and more victories went the American way, it suddenly dawned on me that it would. A Thomas Björn half point with Justin Leonard and my old pal Bernhard’s 2 and 1 victory over Brad Faxon meant we couldn’t lose the contest but we desperately wanted to win outright and so it was down to me to come up with the goods against Scott Hoch. The tension was incredible as we stood on the final tee and those of you who know Valderrama know it is not an easy tee shot. But I am proud to say I hit one of my best ever drives – a shot later voted European Tour Shot of the Year. It gave me the impetus to go on and get the half point with Scott that Europe needed to win 14 ½ – 13 ½.
However, as I said at the start of this segment, many of my fondest memories of Valderrama centre on Seve Ballesteros. Being Captain in his native Spain, you knew he desperately did not want to be on a losing side and, as a result, he was everywhere that week. We joked there must be ten Seves on the course because, whenever you were about to get ready to hit a shot, he seemed to be there – I think he was the only Captain in living memory to have put his golf buggy through a 10,000 mile service at the end of the week!
My favourite memory came when Bernhard and I were playing Lee Janzen and Jim Furyk in the Saturday afternoon foursomes. We were one up playing the last but I hit the tee shot into the trees and I remember saying to Bernhard on the way to the ball, ‘Just focus and play your own game because Seve is bound to be there’ and, sure enough, when we walked down to the ball, Seve was there, with his hands on his knees, peering down to study the ball. Where he had come from, I don’t know, he just appeared – but that was the way it was all that week.
Anyway, he was at the ball, looking at the shot, but the ball was dead, absolutely dead. The only way to play it was to chip it out sideways and start again. But Bernhard and I could see Seve bending up and down, squinting, trying to visualise the shot with his hands, going round the trees, starting with a slice and then with a touch of fade before hooking, dipping and swerving it onto the green – honestly it was a shot you’d only make about one in every 50 attempts! As Seve was pacing up and down the fairway, Bernhard had already chipped out – believe me it was the fastest shot he ever played in his life! Then I found the green and we halved the hole to win the match but I can still see Seve in the trees trying to figure out the way he’d have played the shot in his prime….while we’d played two shots already and won the match! Priceless!
Thanks for reading and, until next time, I wish you all good health and good golf.

Colin Montgomerie

Welcome everyone to my latest blog and it is good to be back…..literally! As with a lot of people across the world, I was caught up last week in the flight chaos which followed the eruption of that volcano in Iceland. Following my trip to China and Vietnam, I was due to fly home but ended up in Dubai for a couple of days while the situation cleared. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are worse places in the world to be stuck than Dubai but it is always nice to get back home isn’t it? After a few days in Scotland, I am now back on the road for a couple of weeks – in Seville for this week’s Spanish Open and then Turin next week for the BMW Italian Open.

Broadening the mind…..
As I told you in my last blog, the reason I was in Vietnam was to open the newest golf course in my portfolio, the Montgomerie Links in Denang. It is always exciting when a course opens up that has your name on it and it was a fantastic occasion. I am truly proud of the course I have managed to create there in the China Beach area of the country. I hope a lot of people manage to go and play it over the next few years. A lot of people say to me that they don’t know how I can be bothered with all the travel I undertake and indeed have undertaken over the past 23 years as a professional golfer. My answer to them is always the same though – I love it. I have always looked forward to travelling and you can learn so much from it, far more than you will ever learn in a classroom – it truly broadens the mind. It has been a fantastic benefit to me and I look forward to doing more over the years to come.

Consistent in China…..
Before then, I was in China of course to compete in the Volvo China Open at the Jinji Lake Golf Club in Suzhou. I have always enjoyed competing in China over the years and indeed have had success in the country in the past. No silverware for me this time round but I was pleased to play all four rounds and I was particularly pleased with my second round 68 which exhibited many elements of the consistency in my game that I have been looking for of late.

Hey old buddy…..
It was good to catch up with a lot of people in China but one person who received a particularly warm handshake on the first tee was, of course, my American counterpart in The Ryder Cup, Corey Pavin. It was his first time competing on mainland China and it was nice that we played the first two rounds together. I know he enjoyed the week as he too, like me, made the cut and played all four days. As well as playing together on Thursday and Friday, we also joined forces with Chinese golfing star Zhang Lian-wei to plant three Sweet Olive trees as part of the host club’s commitment to environmental sustainability. Throughout my golf course design work, environmental considerations are always at the forefront of my thoughts and so I was delighted to take part in this initiative.

Ryder Cup reach…..
As I have said in the past, the influence and the reach of The Ryder Cup never ceases to amaze me and I was given further evidence of that during the week in China. Remember, here were Corey and myself, an American and a Brit, talking about an event which does not involve anyone from Asia – yet the interest there was huge. It just goes to show how global The Ryder Cup has become. As golf is now an Olympic sport, it will continue to boom in China and in Asia as a whole and that can only be good for our game.

Clothes maketh the man (and woman!)…….
With only five months to go to The Ryder Cup, the finishing touches are being put to all our uniforms and clothing and I want to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have worked so hard for myself and Gaynor in every aspect of the clothing that the Team, Officials and Partners will wear during the week in Wales.
It was an interesting design challenge as the temperatures will be cooler than last time out in Valhalla so with both Glenmuir for our playing wear and ProQuip for our waterproofs, we have gone for a more autumnal look with optional layers to wear in case it is very cold. For our formal wear, Canali have been excellent in creating a range of outfits for us to appear in at events such as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the Gala Dinner, while we were also delighted to welcome Bushnell recently to our range of Preferred Suppliers to the Team and they will provide us with laser rangefinders, binoculars and sunglasses. Level 4 have been superb in the design of the golf bag and all the accessories you can think of, while I know, from Gaynor, that she has loved working with Paul Costelloe and his team in producing a range of outfits for the wives and partners to wear and feel comfortable in for the week. A big thank you to one and all.

It’s in the Bag…..
Talking of the our golf bag, I have to thank my caddie Jason Hempleman who has worked hard with me alongside the guys from Level 4 to provide the best looking and most practical golf bag I have ever seen. It is a very special item and every member of my Team should be very proud to own it. They all take them away after The Ryder Cup and it is theirs to do with as they see fit. I know a lot of guys auction them off for charity and, although I have done a lot for charity myself over the years, auctioning my Ryder Cup bag has never been a thing I have done. I just feel they are such special mementos and I have all eight of mine in a trophy display cabinet at home. I will be delighted to add the ninth one to that come October because, don’t forget, the Captain gets one too!

Well done Phil…..
First and foremost, let me offer my own personal congratulations to Phil Mickelson on his wonderful triumph at Augusta National. Phil and his family have been going through tough times off the course in the last few months but their unity and strength is getting them through it, factors which were for all to see moments after he sank the winning putt. As for the European contingent, Lee Westwood performed superbly on the course and handled himself impeccably off of it. Having been third, third and now second in the last three Major Championships, it simply cannot be long before he wins one and, what is more, he will truly deserve it when it does happen. Following his victory in the Accenture Match Play, Ian Poulter showed up well once again on American soil to finish tenth while I must also recognise the performance of young Italian Matteo Manassero who became the youngest player in history to win the Silver Cup as leading amateur in the Masters. The 2010 Ryder Cup might have come a little too soon for young Matteo but I bet future European Captains will have him in their sights.

……and Tiger
Finishing up on the Masters, it was great for everyone involved in the game to see Tiger Woods back in action. Being the fearsome competitor he is, I know he was disappointed not to have won but he did well and, particularly in the earlier rounds, showed glimpses of the genius that he is on the golf course. Understandably he was not quite match-fit, to use a football analogy, but that will come back the more he competes.

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Ryder Reminiscences
In my last two blogs I looked at my debut at Kiawah Island in 1991 and my first home match at The Belfry in 1993. Of course, the only thing missing from both of those occasions was a victory but that was soon to be put right in unforgettable circumstances at Oak Hill Country Club in New York State in 1995.

1995…..Triumph at Last
Having come so close to victory in my first two Ryder Cup appearances, I was desperate to try and put that right in 1995 but before all that unfolded, the main thing I recall about Oak Hill was the fact I had to hit the very first tee shot of the entire contest for the first time. As professional golfers, we are all faced with pressure situations from time to time but, believe me, the pressure facing the first shot in a Ryder Cup is as intense as it gets.
Nick Faldo and I were paired, ironically, against my opposite Captain this year Corey Pavin and the man who will be one of his assistants at Celtic Manor, Tom Lehman. It was the third Ryder Cup in a row that I had played Corey and was keen to add to my two earlier victories. Of course, in Ryder Cup tradition, the guests always have the honour on the first tee and Nick, in his infinite wisdom, decided that it was my tee shot! We had practiced together well and it was going okay and I was using my driver off the first tee but Nick said he felt it was a three wood so we went with that. For those of you who understand the game, a driver is much easier to hit off the first tee when you are not breathing! – but I teed the ball down, had a practice swing and thankfully, managed to make contact, which is all you can really ask for in those situations. Nick and I played well but Corey and Tom edged out a victory on the last green thanks to Corey’s superb holed chip shot down the putting surface from the back of the green. That was a little disappointing although Nick and I did get a point on the board in the Saturday morning foursomes, beating Curtis Strange and Jay Haas by 4 and 2.
We trailed 9-7 going into the singles and, realistically, no-one outside our Team Room thought we had a chance but, collectively, we produced a truly superb Sunday showing, one of the most remarkable in history. I did my bit by beating Ben Crenshaw 3 and 1 while there were five other victories and Woosie halved with Fred Couples before it came down to Irishman Philip Walton against Jay Haas. I will never forget the scenes of sheer unadulterated joy amongst our group when Philip’s putt disappeared below ground.
While personally thrilled, I was also particularly delighted for my fellow Scot and Captain Bernard Gallacher. Bernard was very popular amongst all the players and we were delighted the Ryder Cup Committee gave him another chance to triumph following our narrow defeats in 1991 and 1993.
Talking of Captains, next time I will talk about one of the most extraordinary captaincy performances anyone has seen in any Ryder Cup – Seve at Valderrama in 1997.

Thanks for reading and, until next time, I wish you all good health and good golf.

Colin Montgomerie

European Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie welcomes us to his eighth blog where he looks at how his Team is shaping up, previews the Masters and the return of Tiger, rounds up the Ryder Cup news of the month and continues his own Ryder reminiscences….

Countdown Continues…..
Hello everyone and welcome to my latest blog as I continue to look forward to The Ryder Cup which is getting closer and closer. You may have noticed recently, as I did on March 15, that it was only 200 days to go to the first tee shot.
I’ve said all along that it’s been incredible how time has flown by in the countdown to Celtic Manor and that particular milestone proved that. When I was made Captain in Dubai last January there was something like 700 or so days to go and now we are down to 200….even less now of course. You can feel the excitement building as each week goes by and I have to say I’m delighted with how my potential Team is shaping up. I can’t wait for it all to begin in earnest.

Shaping Up……
Talking of the shape of my Team, I used the 200 day marker to study the players who currently occupy the nine automatic qualification places and I have to say, I was impressed by what I saw. I’ll just run the nine names past you if I may – Westwood, Poulter, McIlroy, Harrington, McGowan, Kaymer, Dyson, Casey and Wilson. I think that’s pretty impressive, don’t you, especially when you consider the guys who complete the top 12 are the vastly experienced Sergio Garcia and two young exciting talents in Alex Noren and Francesco Molinari? Of course, we haven’t even mentioned players like Stenson, Karlsson or Quiros or indeed Ross Fisher, the reigning World Match Play champion, who is at number 13. The reason for this surge of talent is simple; standards are rising due to increased competition among the players. All the guys mentioned above, and many more, are battling week after week to prove how much they want to play in The Ryder Cup. By their good play and wanting to outdo each other’s achievements, they are actually bringing out the best in each other and that is exactly what we want to see.

World Beaters……
Before we look ahead to what is coming up, it would be remiss of me not to applaud once again the overall European performance in the first two World Golf Championship events of the season; the WGC – Accenture Match Play and the WGC-CA Championship.
I said before the start of the Accenture tournament that I was looking for a strong showing in the match play arena and, boy, did I get that. The European contingent in Arizona were superb all week and it was fantastic that, in the heart of the United States, we had three players in the last four battling for the main honour. Sergio played some great golf on his way to the semis and for Ian and Paul to move through to contest the final was wonderful to watch. I’ve always said winners in match play are the guys who are the strongest putters and Ian holed out extremely well all week. It was a wonderful win for Ian who looks very comfortable in that environment. Of course, Paul has now made the final two years in a row there which is a fantastic effort.
In the CA Championship despite not having a European winner – although all credit must go to Ernie Els for his stirring triumph – we did occupy half the places in the top ten. Padraig Harrington proved once again what a world player he is while Martin Kaymer showed that he is as good as anybody out there at the moment. It was also great to see Paul Casey and Alvaro Quiros feature once again alongside Graeme McDowell who showed glimpses of the grit and determination which got him two and half points from four outings in The 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla.
Congratulations and well done to all.
 

Master Blasters……
There are two things that signify to most club golfers that spring is here and it’s time to dust off the clubs from the back of the cupboard. Those are: (i) the clocks going forward as they will do this weekend, and (ii) the Masters on the television.
Along with every other golf fan, I will be glued to the coverage watching every shot from Augusta because I truly believe that our European players are now seriously eyeing victories in Major Championships and why not?
European success is overdue at Augusta, simple as that. We had great success there in the 1980s and 1990s but we haven’t had that domination in recent years and it would be great if another European player could experience the thrill of slipping the Green Jacket onto his shoulders come Sunday night. You need a bit of luck round there too because no-one has ever won the Masters being unlucky that’s for sure, but there is no reason to believe one of our players can’t do it.
A lot of people thought I’d gone mad last August at Hazeltine when, pre-tournament, I predicted that four or five Europeans would finish in the top ten of the US PGA Championship and I admit I was wrong – it was five in the top nine!
In all seriousness I cannot see why a similar situation cannot unfold at Augusta in a couple of weeks time and I will say here and now that I fully expect three out of the top five players come Sunday night to be Europeans. I wish them all the best.
 

Welcome Back Tiger……
While the majority of my interest will centre on the European players among the azaleas, there will be one person who will, of course, command the bulk of the world’s attention that week and that will be Tiger Woods.
I think he has been shrewd in the choice of Augusta to make his comeback and while, in his first television interview the other day I was interested to hear him say he was a little nervous about what kind of reception he might receive on the first tee, the patrons at Augusta – they don’t call them spectators or fans – are knowledgeable about the game and, in the most controlled Major arena on the circuit, I believe they will give him the best reception possible.
What I do feel is that he is not coming back thinking he is not going to win. Tiger has come back for a Major Championship and to put all the events of the past four months behind him. He has got something to prove and it has been a long time since Tiger went out to play in any tournament feeling like he had anything to prove. All of which will make him an even more daunting opponent than before. He will want to go out and prove he is still the best in our game and I really do feel, as has been the case in the past, that whoever beats Tiger at Augusta, will win the Masters.
There has been a lot of talk too about the fact he will not be ‘match-fit’ to use a football analogy. In all honesty, I just don’t think that will be the case. I realise this is to a lesser degree but I took four months off myself back in the winter of 1995 and came back to play in Dubai and won – the first tournament I teed up in since my break. I always remember that Miguel Angel Jiménez, who was second to me that week, said in his press conference, ‘Once a winner, always a winner’. That was said about me 14 years ago and the same applies to Tiger now. He is a born winner and now he has the bit between his teeth I think he’ll be a very dangerous opponent.
 

Once A Winner……
Talking of that win in Dubai in 1995 brings me neatly round to my own game. Without question my main focus these past 15 months has been on all the preparation required for The Ryder Cup but I never forget that I am still a golf professional and I still have a burning desire to play well and win tournaments. That is the reason I am currently in the United States with my coach, Paul Marchand, working on various aspects of my game before I play in this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and next week’s Shell Houston Open.
Trust me, I haven’t come over here to spend money and time away from my family because I think I’ve had my last win. Paul truly believes that I can win again before I stand in front of my Team and speak to them at Celtic Manor and so do I. That’s why my playing schedule is busy between now and October, starting with these two weeks here in America and then on to the Volvo China Open in Suzhou before the big run of events begin in Europe.
 

The Links Effect…….
After the Volvo China Open I have one more very important engagement before I return home and that is the opening of The Montgomerie Links in Denang in Vietnam, a course I have been designing there and one that I am very proud of indeed.
The course is built on China Beach and is a fantastic site and to have a name such as The Montgomerie Links – Vietnam is a great honour. It is a fine piece of land, just off the beach so it is a sand sub-soil and of course it has that special links feel to it too. They’ve built a super clubhouse there too which will hopefully help attract golfers from all around that part of Asia to stay there and play a bit of golf on my course.
 

A Solid Foundation…..
On the topic of personal projects, I was delighted to report recently a hugely successful first year of The Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation, the organisation I set up in memory of my late mother and whose aim is to help provide support to people affected by cancer because, as statistics shows, that is currently one in three of the population in some shape or form.
Our first project is raising funds to build a new Centre in conjunction with the Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre in Lanarkshire in Scotland and I am delighted to say that we have now secured 75 per cent of the funding needed for that which is superb.
I am thrilled with such progress in these tough economic times and it is so encouraging, believe me, to have this support. A lot of it has come from my wife Gaynor’s associates within the Perthshire and Glasgow areas, as well as my own contacts and there have been donations from all over. The donations we had from people at our wedding started the whole thing off and it has just boomed from there. We have had all sorts of support from all quarters and all I can say is a huge thank you to everyone.
When I started this project it was a dream, now it is close to becoming a reality. We have a top architect in Neil Gillespie on board to design the Centre and we have the plans set to start the build early next year with the hope being that we can open the building in early 2012. My dad, who will be 80 in June, will be with me to cut the ribbon. For obvious reasons, that will be an emotional day for him as well as for me and the rest of our family.
 

Reading, Writing……and Ryder….
I have said all along I am genuinely thrilled by the impact The Ryder Cup has in all aspects of society, not just golf, and another fantastic example of that arrived earlier this week when The European Tour, in conjunction with Newport City Council, unveiled a Ryder Cup-themed curriculum for primary schools in the Newport area which will, hopefully, be expanded across Wales in the run up to October.
I think it is a brilliant initiative and one that will get the children involved in The Ryder Cup in their own community. They will find out what it will mean to Newport and how busy everything will get as well as what the millions of pounds generated for their local economy will mean.
Golf can offer many facets for education and I truly believe The Ryder Cup should be part of that. It is super that this initiative has been set up and hopefully we can see that moving forward to 2014 and the schools in the Perthshire area around Gleneagles where my own home is, to encourage them too.
 

Well Done Rhys…..
While we are making mention of Wales, I must say I was delighted for Rhys Davies who secured his maiden European Tour win with a fine victory in the Trophée Hassan II in Morocco at the weekend. As soon as I heard news of his win, I got out my lap-top and emailed my personal congratulations to him because your first win on Tour is the toughest one in many ways and there have been a lot of people who have taken years to achieve it.
He is a fantastic putter and to shoot 25 under par in your first victory shows there is obviously a lot of talent in his game too. I read Brian Huggett say that he thought his putting stroke reminded him of Ben Crenshaw and if he can putt like Crenshaw for the next 25 years or so, he’ll do all right in this game.
I fully understand the excitement in Wales about the prospect of this new young talent possibly pushing through to be a part of my Team at Celtic Manor but I also read Rhys’ own comments where he played that down and I think he is right to do that because there will be so much else for him to take in at this moment in time.
In a year when there is so much focus on Wales, it is super that we have had a Welsh winner on The European Tour and I will be watching Rhys’ progress with interest. I’m sure he will be a Ryder Cup player in the future if not this year.
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Ryder Reminiscences
Last month on my Blog I began a mini-series designed to look back on my eight Ryder Cup appearances as a player. I began with my debut at Kiawah Island in 1991 and now I’ll look at the first Ryder Cup I played on home soil, in 1993 at The Belfry.

1993….The Year of Plant Pots, Pavin and Perspective…
Obviously, in any Ryder Cup, the result – and whether you win or lose – is the main thing. I’d be foolish to try and suggest anything else. However I have to say that after some of the unsavoury aspects of The 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island we all felt, coming back home to The Belfry in 1993, that at least part of our job that week was to put The Ryder Cup ‘right’ for want of a better word. We needed to get The Ryder Cup back to the honourable spectacle it had been before and to show the sportsmanship that is the bedrock of our game. I think we achieved that.
Personally, I remember beating Lee Janzen on the final green of our singles encounter which was a big deal for me as he was the reigning US Open Champion at the time having won the tournament three months previously at Baltusrol, so to claim his scalp gave the team a big boost.
However it was not to be for Europe as, despite holding a one point lead going into the singles, we eventually lost 15-13. Of course, it was also the second Ryder Cup in succession that we only had 11 singles ties instead of 12. Steve Pate was withdrawn on the final day of 1991 meaning David Gilford had to sit out and this year Sam Torrance had to step down after bizarrely injuring himself on a plant pot while sleep walking in The Belfry Hotel the night before the singles meaning Lanny Wadkins sat out. To this day, I still wonder what might have happened if Sam had been fit and had played where he should have done in the singles order. Would the outcome still have been the same or if Sam had played and won, would it have shifted the momentum to our side? Of course, we’ll never know but it is fun to speculate.
Of course 1993 was also memorable for two other reasons: (i) My partnership with Nick Faldo was born and (ii) I faced Corey Pavin for the first time. I have to be honest and say that I learned an awful lot from Nick that week as he was World Number One at the time and we became a pretty formidable pairing with two and a half points out of four including, of course, a 3 and 2 foursomes victory over a certain Mr Pavin and his partner Lanny Wadkins on the Saturday morning. I’m sure I might remind Corey of that if I get a chance at Celtic Manor in October!
As I said, it was a shame that the overall result went against us for the second time but for me personally, even though I didn’t realise it at the time, there were much better days in terms of Ryder Cup success just around the corner.
 

Thanks for reading and, until the next time, I wish you all good health and good golf.

Welcome to my latest blog and I hope the start of 2010 has been a successful one for you. I must admit, in terms of The Ryder Cup, it has been fantastic.
We have just finished our traditional Gulf Swing on The European Tour and, to be honest, I don’t think it could have gone any better. We had three European winners in Martin Kaymer, Robert Karlsson and Miguel Angel Jiménez, in addition to three largely European chasing packs challenging near the top of the leaderboards on the Sundays.
I was particularly delighted for the three champions. For Martin and Robert, it was great to see them back in the winners’ circle after spells out in 2009 with injury. Martin had shown a bit of form towards the end of last season with a couple of top tens but I know Robert was a little worried, not having been near a top 30 since he came back from his eye problem. Therefore, it was not surprising he was more pleased than anything in Qatar with the fact he once again played at the level which saw him win The Harry Vardon Trophy in 2008. To shoot 65 in the final round at Doha Golf Club, which I think everyone appreciates is the most demanding of the three courses we play in the Gulf, was some feat. And what can I say about Miguel? Some players just seem energised in a Ryder Cup year and he is definitely one of them. I already have an espresso coffee maker on standby for the team room at Celtic Manor because I have a feeling I might just need it!

Well done to all…
It was not all about the winners in these three weeks though. As I said, there was strong European representation at the top of each of the final standings. The current number one in The Ryder Cup rankings – Lee Westwood – was in fine form in Dubai and Qatar, Rory McIlroy was in contention once again as was Ian Poulter – and how great was it to see Martin, Rory and Ian battle it out together in the final day three ball in Abu Dhabi? Also prominent were players such as Edoardo Molinari, Henrik Stenson, Ross Fisher, Oliver Wilson, Søren Hansen and Sergio Garcia. Finally, let’s not forget Paul Casey – another player who, thankfully, looks to have put his injury woes of 2009 behind him. Paul finished 11th in Dubai and fifth in Qatar, the latter being excellent as he’d never made the cut there in the past. Funnily enough, his new caddie – Christian Donald – told him before the week that he’d never missed a cut in his life in Qatar and didn’t intend to start now – that’s motivation I suppose! Great too to see Christian’s brother, Luke, finish second behind Steve Stricker at Riviera on the US PGA Tour. See, it is not just in Europe that I’m watching!

Bravo Alvaro…
My final reflection on the Gulf Swing centres around one player – Alvaro Quiros. He didn’t win but he was a common denominator on the leaderboards of all three tournaments. He is someone I want to see mature into a Ryder Cup player and I have to say that every time I see him play, he is doing just that. I’m delighted with his progress and his form in the Gulf is exactly the sort of consistency I’m looking for. Because of having to go ‘in the envelope’ at last season’s Vivendi Trophy after the injury to Anthony Wall, he was bitterly disappointed not to be able to play in the singles because I know he wanted to show me his potential in that realm and he wasn’t allowed to do that. However, trust me, he is someone that everybody should watch.

A Gee Up from GMac…
I was interested to hear an interview with Graeme McDowell recently and in particular, two things he said. Firstly, when asked what his main goal for the year was, his reply was “to make Monty’s team for Wales.” I have to admit, I hear that a lot from players in interviews and, from a Captain’s perspective, it’s music to my ears. Every player wants to be part of this European ‘family’ I am trying to create and which will come to fruition at Celtic Manor. From the players to the caddies to all the staff at the Tour, everyone wants to be part of this European Ryder Cup experience. They all believe it will be a successful experience and I believe that too.
Secondly I heard GMac say that, from his current position of World Number 46, in the past, that would have made him a certainty for a European Ryder Cup Team but not any more – and he’s right. I remember, in the past, going down much further than that in teams I played in, but now with European players occupying half the world’s top 20, it just goes to show the huge wealth of exciting talent I now have at my disposal.

Flying High…
Ever since I was appointed Captain, I have overseen many developments off the course relating to The Ryder Cup and I was delighted to be part of yet another special occasion in Dubai a couple of weeks ago when Emirates Airlines were announced as the Official Airline of The 2010 Ryder Cup as well as Official Partner to The European Team in 2012.
Emirates Airlines have supported our Tour since the Desert Classic tournament began in Dubai in the late 1980s and the standards involved in the airline have always been first class. As one of the great Blue Chip companies of the world, I think it is a fabulous association we now have with them in an official Ryder Cup sense and one that can only be beneficial to us.
Personally speaking, of course, Dubai will always have a special place in my heart in terms of The Ryder Cup because it was there over a year ago now that my announcement as Captain was made official.

Take it to the Bridge…
Another off-course development was unveiled recently when the new bridge over the River Usk – which will help transport players and spectators to and from the new practice ground at Celtic Manor – was officially opened.
The £2 million twin-suspension bridge completes a £16 million investment by Sir Terry Matthews and The Celtic Manor Resort in building a new course clubhouse and internal infrastructure, all geared to making this Ryder Cup the best ever.
Right from the word go, Sir Terry and his staff got one hundred percent behind everything to do with The Ryder Cup and I think the opening of the bridge – in the company of the new First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, and our own Ryder Cup Director Richard Hills – showed that once again.
They built an entirely new practice ground and when it became apparent that the existing transport layout wasn’t quite right to get players from the practice ground to the course and the clubhouse, they immediately said, “Well, let’s get two million together and build a bridge!” In these difficult economic times we have a lot to thank Sir Terry, Celtic Manor and the Welsh Assembly for in terms of their continued backing and support. We now must have the most expensive walkway from the practice ground to the first tee ever assembled on any golf course in the world and we all look forward to making big strides over it come October.

A Match for Anyone…
With the Gulf Swing now behind us, it is time to look forward to the next part of the season and one which contains the first two World Golf Championship events of the year; the WGC – Accenture Match Play in Arizona and the WGC – CA Championship in Florida.
It is great as both events will see European players contend at the very top level of the game but, for obvious reasons, I am intrigued to see how the match play unfolds.
We had a finalist last year in Paul Casey while Ross Fisher made the semi-finals and Rory McIlroy the quarters, so let’s hope this year we can again have a good representation into the latter stages. This is a great opportunity for all European players to show me, in a match play format, just exactly what they can do and I will be watching every shot hit. I’ll be looking out for the results of all of the European players but also, and perhaps even more importantly, how they achieve those results.
I want to see guys who show guts and determination, guys who are maybe two or three down with four or five holes to play but who battle back to win. It doesn’t matter if that’s in the first round or the final, trust me, I’ll be taking note of it. Don’t get me wrong, the 8 and 7, 7 and 6 wins are great and show a player is playing well, but it is the matches which are tight and where a player comes out the other side that are crucial, and the ones which could be key in shaping my Team.

Colleagues for Corey…
As I’m sure you are aware, my opposite number Corey Pavin recently announced the four men who will be his assistant captains in Wales: Tom Lehman, Davis Love III, Jeff Sluman and Paul Goydos.
I have been around the game long enough to understand why the media wanted me to comment on each and every one; ‘Why did Corey pick so and so?’ ‘What will so and so bring to the American team room?’ ‘Why did he pick so and so who hasn’t played in a Ryder Cup’ etc, etc – you get the drift.
However I said then, and I’ll reiterate here, I’m not going to do that out of respect for Corey and his team – who he has in his backroom staff is his business, not mine.
All I will say is that, as good friends of Corey’s, all four were natural choices because you want people around you that you are comfortable in the company of. I wish them all well.

Patience is a virtue…
Of course, that leads me neatly into the subject of my own assistant captains, a topic I am continually quizzed on whenever a microphone is placed in front of my face and The Ryder Cup questions begin.
Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity here in my own blog to make it crystal clear, exactly what my position is.
First and foremost, I do not feel there is any rush at all to name my assistants. I have said publicly that I am hoping to select a younger generation of assistant captain and, because of that, I am going to leave the decision for a few months yet as the range of players I have in mind will all be trying to qualify for the team first and foremost. Therefore, I will be making NO decision on that, or naming ANY names, until at least after the conclusion of the Open Championship at St Andrews in July. At that time, there will be just over a month to go until the end of the official qualifying period and I feel that is a more realistic time to take stock of the overall qualification situation to see where we all stand. So let’s all have a little patience on this issue – I’ll name the names when the time is right.

An Eight-some Reel…
Those of you who know me will know the number eight has played a central role in my professional golfing career. Not only does it represent the number of Harry Vardon Trophies I won as European Number One, it is also the number of Ryder Cups I have contested as a player.
Now, as we sit here in the middle of February, there are also eight months to go until The Ryder Cup kicks off at Celtic Manor and I wanted to use that countdown to look back over my eight Ryder Cup appearances, all of which were memorable and all of which I could write volumes about.
Therefore, to kick off the series, I am going to start with the year of my debut, 1991, at Kiawah Island.

1991: The Year I Made My ‘Mark’
As everyone knows, The 1991 Ryder Cup boiled down to Bernhard Langer’s putt against Hale Irwin. But the reason he had that opportunity was because of what happened prior to their game with the players out on the course beforehand. Of course, one of those matches was my own against Mark Calcavecchia.
Understandably, on the verge of making my Ryder Cup singles debut, I was a little nervous and I’ll never forget, before I went out, our captain Bernard Gallacher saying to me; ‘Colin, the one thing you don’t want to do against Mark Calcavecchia is let him get ahead. He’s a gritty player and a great front runner so, whatever you do, try to stay with him.’ Of course, I immediately forgot all that and was five down by the turn!
What was going through my mind? In all honesty, when I lost the eighth and ninth to go five down, I was thinking that if I lost the next three holes, I would lose 8 and 7 to equal the heaviest defeat that anyone had ever had in Ryder Cup singles – I really wanted to avoid that so I knew then that I had to do something about it!
However I was lucky in a way that the walk from the ninth green to the tenth tee at Kiawah Island was about half a mile so, during that time, I managed to get my head together and I managed to birdie the tenth and 11th to get back to three down which was pretty good. Unfortunately though, I made a mess of the 14th to hand Mark that hole which saw me four down with four to play.
It is then written in history what happened, but it’s fair to say that into a left to right wind over those closing holes, Mark struggled and I managed to win all four of the holes to square the match in the end. I must admit it really helped me feel part of the team having won half a point for Europe while at the same time taking a half point from the Americans – all of which helped Bernhard have the opportunity to come within inches of holing the putt that would have seen us retain the trophy.
Thinking back on it, I was playing those holes down the stretch, not for me, but for the half point gained for Europe. That is exactly what I will be saying to my Team at Celtic Manor. On that Sunday, wherever you play, that point counts incredibly towards the end of the day to give the opportunity to the guys coming behind you to win The Ryder Cup. No-one must ever forget that.

Happy New Year everyone!
The start of a new year is always a stimulating time isn’t it, where people’s thoughts turn to the 12 months ahead and what they hope to achieve.

Now, I don’t think I really need to spell out what I want to achieve this year, do I? – which is why the arrival of this January has me more excited than any other year of late. Here’s hoping we all get what we want out of 2010.

How Time Flies…..
They say time flies when you are enjoying yourself and, whoever ‘they’ are, they are so right.
Ever since I was named as European Ryder Cup Captain, the months have flown by and now, here we are almost a year into my official tenure with only nine months left to the day until the first tee shot is struck.

I have noticed too that everybody within our game is now beginning to talk about The Ryder Cup a lot more. For instance, I saw an interview with Ross Fisher on the television recently, talking about how well he had done at a particular tournament and he went on to say that he hoped I’d taken notice. I find that everybody is saying they are hoping I’m watching them nowadays. It is amazing because you realise how much everybody wants to be part of The Ryder Cup and part of a European Team that is going to do everything it possibly can to regain the trophy. As Captain, that is great to hear and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

In Good Shape…..
Although I appreciate there is a long, long way to go in the qualification process, at the turn of the year I have to say I’m very pleased with the way things are shaping up. Everyone knows any Ryder Cup Team has to possess that crucial blend of practised experience and talented youth and we have both of those elements at the moment. I am pleased that the wealth of exciting young talent we have in the European game at the present time in the shape of players such as Rory McIlroy, Ross Fisher, Alex Noren and the Molinari brothers Francesco and Edoardo have staked their claim while, at the same time I am delighted that the likes of Ryder Cup veterans such as Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington have made decent starts and therefore don’t have to play too much of a catch up later in the year.

What I don’t want to do, and I’ve said this all along, is use my three picks on people who should be there in the first place. I want to use my picks on people who can supplement my Team and add something extra to it. If we keep going the way we have been going, hopefully I’ll get my wish.

Well done Pablo and Richie…..
Although we are barely a day into 2010, the 2010 season on The European Tour has already started and I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly congratulate the two young European players who claimed the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the South African Open Championship respectively last month; namely Pablo Martin and Richie Ramsay.

I have gone on record in the past to praise the wealth of young talent Spain possesses in the shape of players such as Alvaro Quiros and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño and, at only 23 years old, Pablo Martin can certainly be mentioned in the same breath as these two as he is a very good player indeed.

A week after Pablo’s win at Leopard Creek, speaking purely from a Scottish perspective as well as a European one, it was also great to see 26 year old Richie Ramsay give a boost to the game north of the border with his win at Pearl Valley. It is incredible to think that Richie is the first Scot to win on The European Tour since Alastair Forsyth won in Madeira in March 2008. Everyone seems to be jumping on the doom and gloom bandwagon about Scottish golf at the moment but there is a young guy who has come through and won an excellent tournament against a quality field, so good luck to him.

…..and Lee too!
Before we consign 2009 completely to the history books, I would also like to say well done to Lee Westwood for his truly stunning end to the season.

It has been well documented that I contacted Lee after his narrow misses in the Majors last year to first and foremost congratulate him on his performances and to reiterate that I truly believe he will be a Major Champion in the near future, so it was no surprise to watch what he did to win the Dubai World Championship and with it, the inaugural Race to Dubai.

Lee’s performance on the Earth course was probably bordering on the four best rounds of the year all together at the same time. I saw him at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year evening in Sheffield and congratulated him personally which was nice and I’m delighted to do so publicly here too. As well as Lee, I also talked to his great mate Darren Clarke that evening and it is noticeable that, like Lee, he is really keen to be part of this upcoming Ryder Cup as well. It is definitely good to see them both on such good form.

Take a bow Seve…..
Talking of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year evening, I think it is fair to say that it was a truly special night for everyone of us involved and for the sport of golf itself.

Personally I think it was the best Sports Personality of the Year programme the BBC has put together and one which was definitely enhanced by the wonderful live audience present on the night at the Sheffield Arena. I knew I had to say a few words to Seve Ballesteros before he received his Lifetime Achievement Award from his great friend José Maria Olazábal at his home in Spain but what I hadn’t realised was that I had to say them in front of 12,000 people – that was a bit of a surprise I have to admit!

But it was fantastic to be asked to do it, a great honour for me personally, especially in front of all the people who were on the stage with me. My goodness that really did represent the world of golf didn’t it? Our chairman Neil Coles was there as was our Chief Executive George O’Grady, past Ryder Cup Captains and players that I had played alongside, as well as commentators such as Peter Alliss. It was a truly amazing turnout and all credit to everyone for making the effort to get there.

We all realised the Lifetime Achievement Award was going to Seve and we all felt we should be there because he is such an important figure within our game. As I said on the night, we wish him well in his convalescence and we will all keep our fingers crossed that we will see him back with us soon – if that happens to be at St Andrews in the run-up to this year’s Open Championship, then that would be fantastic. Even in not the best of health, Seve’s character and charisma still shines through and I am sure you join me in hoping his recovery will be quick and full.

Walk like an Egyptian…..
Since my last blog I have undertaken a fair bit of travel around the globe and one of the most interesting places I visited was Egypt to play in the Egyptian Open. I was helping promote the event which will be a fully fledged Challenge Tour event in 2010 and 2011 with the potential to perhaps go on to become a fully fledged European Tour event after that.

While I was there I also paid a visit to the course I’m designing at Sharm El Sheikh – the City Stars Course – and I have to say I really enjoyed my time in the country. The hospitality was superb, the standard of everything was exemplary but, without doubt, seeing the Pyramids for the first time was the icing on the cake for me.

We went up this grand staircase within one of the Pyramids and it was then I fully appreciated that they really are something extraordinary. When you’re walking up there you’re thinking, this is going way beyond anything we can even begin to comprehend. I ended up buying a lot of books on the subject and filling up my library at home with them and I have to admit I have become really interested in subject as a whole.

There is a lot of speculation on how the Pyramids themselves were built and if you were to ask ten academics – or Egyptologists as they should be known – you’d get ten different views on how it was done. Nobody really knows and that is the real interest and intrigue in the subject for me. There are still so many more questions than answers about what went on back then – it is truly phenomenal.

Way to go….!
As well as walking up a Pyramid, I also undertook a trek a little closer to home recently, namely along the West Highland Way in Scotland.

For those of you who don’t know, the West Highland Way was the first officially designated long distance footpath in Scotland. It was opened in 1980 and runs from Milngavie beside Glasgow to Fort William in the Highlands, a distance of some 153 kilometres or 95 miles.
I did the first 21 miles from Milngavie to Balmaha – a little hamlet on the eastern shores of Loch Lomond. I started at 8am in the morning and got to the car park at Balmaha at about 3.30pm in the afternoon and I have to say, I’ve never been so glad to see a car park in my entire life! The first 16 miles were okay but the last five miles featured four of them uphill over Conic Hill and then the last mile downhill – it was so muddy and wet that it was almost as testing going down as it was going up!

But I was really glad that I did it as I did it for my mum’s charity – The Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation – and all credit must go to Robert Cook and all the team from the Malmaison Hotel Group; there was 38 of them started the trek and I think 36 of them completed the entire 95 miles. I was also delighted former Scottish rugby stars Gavin and Scott Hastings and former Scottish football international Craig Burley took part – all of which helped us raise £100,000 in total for the Foundation which was a superb effort from all concerned. Thank you, each and every person who gave up their time to take part.

Good luck to all…..
I’ll sign off now and all it leaves me to say is that I hope everyone has had a very Merry Christmas and an enjoyable New Year – or Hogmanay as we call it in Scotland – and that 2010 is a wonderful year for us all.
To Corey and Lisa Pavin, Gaynor and I send our best wishes and we look forward to catching up with you and all our other friends at the PGA of America during the year before our final gathering at Celtic Manor in September.
Finally, to all my European players, congratulations on what you have achieved thus far and good luck for all you hope to achieve in 2010. Remember, I’ll be watching…..

If you remember, at the end of my last blog, I was just about to head off for the official ‘Year To Go’ Function at Celtic Manor so I want to take this opportunity to bring you up to date with what was a truly resounding success all round.
Everything about the day was absolutely perfect, from the gloriously warm autumnal Welsh sunshine to the sumptuous Gala Dinner in the evening and I know that Corey and Lisa Pavin, along with all the PGA of America officials who accompanied them, enjoyed the trip immensely,
As I said in one of my earlier posts, the warmth of the hospitality afforded to every visitor who comes to Wales is legendary and this time was no different, so thank you to everyone at The Celtic Manor Resort and also to all the staff at The European Tour who played their part in making the whole event so special…..

Vital Service…..
The day began when Corey and I paid a special visit to the Tenovus Mobile Cancer Support Unit. The unit, which is the official charity of Ryder Cup Wales and which was launched in February this year, enables cancer patients to access chemotherapy, cancer support and advice on money matters close to their homes at the heart of their community.
We were told that, since February, over 2,000 people have visited the unit as it delivers services throughout south east Wales, and through its partnership with Ryder Cup Wales and support from The European Tour, Tenovus hopes to fund a further unit delivering vital services elsewhere in the country.

As you know, this is a subject very close to my heart having lost my mother to cancer in 1991. I am very aware of the devastating effect the disease has on patients, carers and their families, which was the reason behind my decision to set up The Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation two years ago.
Corey and I were extremely impressed with the work Tenovus is carrying out and it’s heartening to know that The Ryder Cup can play a role in helping the treatment of this terrible disease in Wales.

All square……..
After leaving the Tenovus unit, we got our spikes on for a special challenge match over nine holes of The Twenty Ten Course where I partnered my old friend, BBC Radio personality Chris Evans, while Corey joined forces with Welsh operatic legend Bryn Terfel.
As you can imagine, there were a lot of laughs on the way round and it was a great idea that the four of us were miked up so that galleries, who walked behind us down the fairways like the old days of The Open Championship, could hear all the interaction between us.
Although absolutely nothing like the pressure the players will feel when The Ryder Cup tees off for real, it was fun for Corey and I to notice how visibly nervous Chris and Bryn were facing their own first tee shots on the day. They did well to get them away but I think they now have a little more respect for what we both have had to face for real in the past and what our players will face next October!
Befitting a day played in the perfect spirit, the match ended in a half when Chris’ 20 foot putt to secure a win for our ‘team’ on the final green just shaved the edge of the hole to theatrical ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the watching crowd.
Great fun….and who’s to say one player won’t be faced with a similar putt from exactly the same spot to win The Ryder Cup in just under a year’s time…..?

Any questions…….?
After a spot of lunch, Corey and I met the world’s media in the afternoon for the day’s official press conference. As usual there were several thought-provoking questions and in general I think we agreed on most aspects about the upcoming contest.
One thing we were definitely both in accord with was our praise for The Twenty Ten Course itself. Ross McMurray and the European Golf Design team have done a wonderful job merging nine new holes into the original Wentwood Hills layout while Celtic Manor’s Director of Golf Jim McKenzie and his staff have excelled themselves in producing a golf course in superb condition. I know it will prove to be a true gem for everyone next October.

After the conference ended, we both then embarked on a series of one-to-one interviews with various television outlets and radio stations as well as one or two special feature requests from a selection of the newspaper guys.
Let me tell you, it is amazing how time flies on these occasions. We sat down for the press conference at 3pm and I eventually got back to my hotel room at about 5.30! But, that is what it is like when you are The Ryder Cup Captain. Incredibly busy, but incredibly enjoyable.

Glorious Gala……
The evening ended, as I said at the start of this blog, with a superb Gala Dinner at which around 700 people were treated to a delicious spread of food from the Celtic Manor kitchens in addition to some wonderful entertainment.
Corey and I did our bit when we were interviewed on stage by Chris Evans who I know had a great time along with his lovely wife Natasha – who he actually met at Celtic Manor a few years ago when he played in The All Star Cup contest – and their little boy Noah.

Chris is a naturally funny guy and put us both at our ease and, as a result, we both enjoyed our time on stage. There was a fair amount of hilarity but there were a few more reflective moments too, especially when Chris asked Corey and I to sum up each other.
I encapsulated Corey by using one word; ‘competitor’ and went on to say that I know he will bring the same resilience and determination which flowed through his own playing career, to his time as captain. He returned the compliment by saying he would love to have ’12 Colins’ playing for him on his team next year. That was a lovely sentiment and one I very much appreciated.
As we both said at the press conference in the afternoon, although we will be trying our hardest to beat each other next October, Corey and I were friends before we were made respective captains of Europe and the United States and we will remain friends after it, whatever the outcome.

Spine Tingling……
One final reflection on the Gala Dinner, I think it is fair to say, most of us think we can sing a bit. Whether in the shower or driving along the motorway, if a song comes into our head or on the radio, we all belt out a bit of the chorus at least, don’t we?
Well, I can tell you, you truly realise you can’t sing when you hear professionals do it properly and there are surely no better voices around than Bryn Terfel and the man who joined him on stage for the latter part of the evening, his fellow Welshman John Owen-Jones, who has enjoyed the lead in several West End shows such as Les Miserables.
I know the Welsh, as a nation, have a reputation for producing great singers but, gee whizz, these two guys must be the best in the business. I still have tingles down my spine thinking about the tone and power of their respective voices and their finalé together is something I’m sure all of us lucky enough to be in the room that night will remember for a long time.

I’m watching……!
Turning back to golf before I close, the quest for Ryder Cup points is now in full swing and in the last few weeks since my last post there have been several excellent victories on Tour including Simon Dyson at St Andrews, Ross McGowan in Madrid, Michael Jonzon in Castellon and, of course, Lee Westwood in Portugal, a win which took him back to the top of The Race to Dubai.
Talking of that, we are now entering the home straight in the inaugural ‘Race’ and I’ll be tuning in with interest as events unfold this week at the Volvo World Match Play in Spain and the Barclays Singapore Open, along with the upcoming WGC-HSBC Champions in China where, of course, Sergio Garcia is the defending champion, the UBS Hong Kong Open, the JB Were Masters in Australia and the season-ending Dubai World Championship.
All of these events offer big money prize funds where someone can take a significant step towards automatic qualification for my Team next October.
I wish good luck to all European competitors in action over the

 next month or so and remember, I’m watching……!

It’s a common topic of conversation in the pub, isn’t it; ‘What do you think you’ll be doing in a year from now?’
Well I know precisely what I want to be doing exactly a year from now on – October 3, 2010 – namely lifting a certain gold trophy high into the air at Celtic Manor and thanking my Team for their sterling efforts in regaining The Ryder Cup.
I know it will not be an easy task.
I know the Americans will be tough opponents.
I know we will have to be at our best.
But I also know I will have the players on the golf course backed up by a team of people behind the scenes that will enable The European Tour to succeed and I will leave no stone unturned in my attempts to do so.
 

The Countdown Is On……
Talking about the match being only a year away just goes to show, doesn’t it, how amazingly quickly time goes by?
When Wales was successful with its bid to host The Ryder Cup back in 2001 it seemed such a long time away but now, here we are, almost in the home straight.
I also guarantee this next year will fly by too, now that the qualifying process has begun and my Team are starting to gather points. I know it has only been a few weeks but it has begun and we now look forward to the whole Ryder Cup experience taking place.
It will be great to see all the players fighting for automatic qualification over the next 12 months and those that don’t make it, of course, will have to try and impress me in other ways, so it is exciting for me, exciting for The Celtic Manor Resort, and exciting for Wales.
The countdown is on. This is a massive, massive deal for Wales and I am so honoured to be able to take a Team there and to captain them in the quest to regain The Ryder Cup. We have a golden opportunity, so it is our responsibility to go down to Wales in a professional manner and win the Cup back.
 

Vive La France…
I was delighted to be in France recently to take in events at The Vivendi Trophy with Seve Ballesteros. Congratulations to Paul McGinley and his Great Britain and Ireland team on their victory there and commiserations to Thomas Björn and his Continental Europe team who battled hard throughout the four days of competition but who just came up short on this occasion.
However, I think the whole thing, from a Ryder Cup perspective, was a marvellous exercise in many respects. I made a lot of notes in my room at night regarding what I had seen both on and off the course during the week, all of which will be very helpful for me both in the year ahead and in the week at Celtic Manor itself.
 

To The Four……
One important thing which did strike me very quickly in France is the fact I now know I will need a minimum of four helpers on the golf course come the match itself next year.
When I was out on the buggy, I found I was not seeing as much golf as I thought I would. One man, trying to watch four or five games at the same time, is just impossible. When I was watching stuff in the studio for Sky Sports, I saw more because the coverage switched back and forwards between matches but it’s very difficult to do that when you’re out on the golf course.
So I need not just the two helpers next year. I need a minimum of four. I’ve already put that to the Tour and they have accepted that; I need someone with every game, at least, and then I can oversee them. Being two places at one time has never been one of my strengths – let alone being in four places at once!
 

Let’s Wait and See……
I have made no secret of the fact that I have huge admiration for both Paul McGinley and Thomas Björn and I would like to have both of them alongside me in Wales.
Paul took to the captaincy role in France like a fish to water, and I’ve always known about Thomas’ passion for The Ryder Cup and the respect he accords from all the players in his role as chairman of our Tournament Committee.
However, it is not official that they will be two of my vice captains as they are both still superb golfers and I am therefore giving them every opportunity to qualify for the team.
There’s no point in announcing vice captains now only for them to go and to win two or three tournaments in a row and then I’m stuck. I don’t want that embarrassment for them or for myself.
So what I’ll do is I’ll wait until the final opportunity where it’s almost mathematically impossible for a player, whoever he may be, to make the Team and then announce them. Until that stage, I can’t. It’s not fair.
Let’s wait and see……
 

Well Done Lads……
I was delighted to get a close up look in France at a few players I hadn’t really seen much of before and that was the beauty of the Vivendi Trophy – they were given a great opportunity to come and compete because of the absence of other players through illness or FedEx Cup commitments.
I have to say, I was very impressed with what I saw. I know the strengths and abilities of players such as Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer and Alvaro Quiros but the tournament gave me the opportunity to see players such as Francesco Molinari and Chris Wood at close quarters.
They both gelled well with their respective partners and looked good in the singles arena too with Chris, of course, ending the week as the top points scorer from either side with four and half points out of five. If he makes my Team at Celtic Manor, I’d certainly take that same points haul from him again!
 

Under Pressure……
The other good thing the Vivendi Trophy did was to give players a little bit of a suggestion of what the pressure of playing in a Ryder Cup will be like.
Although there is nothing that can quite compare with that, it was interesting to see players commenting on the pressures they felt in France.
I heard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño, for example, say that that was the most pressure he’s ever felt on the golf course over a 12 foot downhill putt. He had to two putt to win the hole and at the end of the day he managed it, but it just goes to show the merit of this event, doesn’t it?
That was exactly what we wanted from the Vivendi Trophy. I wanted to see how players handled different sorts of pressure and different sorts of situations to the ones they normally find themselves in on a golf course.
Because, believe me, that is exactly what The Ryder Cup is all about.

Although today’s date marks what will be the end of The Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in a year’s time, the celebrations for Wales go on, because next week sees us stage the official Year to Go Function at Celtic Manor itself.
Myself and Gaynor are delighted that Corey Pavin and his wife Lisa will be making the trip over along with a selection of officials from the PGA of America. As always, we will ensure they are accorded the warmest of welcomes.
It promises to be a wonderful occasion and I am sure everyone in attendance will enjoy the experience. I will let you know how it all went during my next blog.
Until then……thanks for reading, good luck and remember……I have three picks!!

Welcome to my latest blog and I think the headline says it all, doesn’t it? Eight months after I was appointed Ryder Cup Captain in Dubai, the race for points to be part of my Ryder Cup Team in Wales begins this week in the Omega European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre. Here we go indeed, the most thrilling year of my professional career is about to get underway……and I can’t wait!
It has been a tremendously exciting time up to now and I can only imagine that excitement is going to be heightened over the next 12 months as, week by week, the Team begins to take shape. I’m watching more golf now than I ever have before and from next week, trust me, I’ll be watching even more and not just from Europe, from all around the world as European players compete on the global stage. As you know, my mantra right from the start of my Captaincy has been that I will leave no stone unturned in my quest to regain The Ryder Cup for Europe and this is another part of that quest.
It is a great opportunity for everybody to start from scratch this week in Switzerland and a great opportunity for everybody to make that Team, because I can speak from personal experience, it’s a fantastic atmosphere and a fantastic occasion to be involved with. It’s our Olympic Games, if you like, and I wish everybody every success in their attempts to make it.

Top Drawer…..
It’s the perfect game to play with your fourball partners at the 19th hole or with your mates in the pub isn’t it – ie: guess the 12 men who will be in Europe’s next Ryder Cup Team. So I thought, seeing as I am the Captain after all, I should have a go too….which is exactly what I’ve done.
In a secret drawer in my house there currently sits a list of 12 players I think will stand beside me during the Opening Ceremony at Celtic Manor in a year’s time and it will be very interesting to see how many I get right. Obviously, I can’t tell you the names of the 12 but all I will say is that there are a few rookies on the list and, again, it will be intriguing to see how many of them I get right too.
It is amazing, though, how a year is a long time in any sport, in any walk of life to be honest, and how things can change over that period. You never know, the names I have written down might well turn out to be exactly the 12 or they might not….it’s all part of the fun.
However, using my experience of trying to qualify for The Ryder Cup – and I have quite a bit of that! – I think someone will show form, someone will come through. Whether that be somebody in their 30s or 40s, or some rookie that has a sensational year – you just never know.
I moved up myself from 14th on the list in 1990, and not being a Ryder Cup player, to fourth in 1991 and on the way to my debut.  So that type of person, whoever it might be, could progress as I did, learning the game at the same time and becoming better until, in the end, he becomes a Ryder Cup player. But, all I can say is wish everybody, every member of the Tour, all the very best.

Well Done Alison…..
Sticking with team golf for the moment, I would like to say what a great job Alison Nicholas did as captain of the European Solheim Cup team during the recent contest with the United States in Illinois.
Obviously we, as Europeans, didn’t quite get the final result we wanted but I thought Alison handled herself, her players and the demands of the media fantastically well. She instilled a belief in her team that they could win on American soil for the first time and, but for a few putts dropping the European way instead of the American way, they would have done just that. But, as we all know, that is golf sometimes.
I am sure, however, that the European girls will provide formidable opponents for the United States in Ireland in 2011 where they will be aiming to add the Solheim Cup to The Ryder Cup which, hopefully, will already be residing on this side of the Atlantic.
Home Comforts…..
While watching the Solheim Cup, it struck me once again just how important home crowd advantage can be. There is no question that it is easier playing at home than it is away. In Wales, we will have a fantastic advantage being that 85 or 90 per cent of the crowd will be European. I don’t feel that myself or my players will need to work on getting that crowd involvement behind us….it will be there already.
European golf fans are hugely knowledgeable about the game and, having lost the last Ryder Cup, to regain it on home soil is very important. Everybody there, every European supporter there will understand that situation and get behind the team 100 per cent. Of that, there is no doubt.

One Step Closer…..
I was delighted to see recently that golf took another important step to becoming part of the Olympic Games in 2016 when, together with Rugby Sevens, it was the sport chosen by the International Olympic Committee to go forward for the final selection process in Copenhagen on October 9.
I was part of the golf party which travelled to Lausanne a few months ago to put the sport’s case in the first place and I am delighted that our campaign seems to be working so far – fingers crossed for the final vote.
I won’t personally be playing in 2016 but I am sure the players who will be around at that time will relish the chance to be an Olympic champion and have the glory of having that gold medal hung around their neck while the nation anthem plays. I know just how proud having your national anthem played is before the start of a Ryder Cup, and it will be no different in the Olympics.
Of course, golf has been an Olympic sport in the past but the last time it was contested was in Paris in 1904. I think it is time it was back, don’t you?

A Tasty Stew……
Since my last blog we have had the final two Major Championships of the 2009 season and how enthralling they were in their own way, weren’t they?
Congratulations, first and foremost, must go to Stewart Cink for his victory in The Open Championship at Turnberry. He played very well on the final day and that must not be forgotten although it most probably has been given the performance that day, and indeed all week, of Tom Watson.
For a man just six weeks short of his 60th birthday to have a putt on the 72nd hole to win The Open was truly remarkable and gives renewed hope and encouragement to us older players who have to compete against golf’s younger brigade on a weekly basis.

Tiger Tamer……
Following on from that, history unfolded before our very eyes in the US PGA at Hazeltine when Tiger Woods took a lead into the final round of a Major Championship……..and didn’t win! On each of the previous 14 occasions that had happened he did win but this time he came up against a fantastically inscrutable opponent in Y E Yang who went toe to toe with the great man and emerged victorious.
The Korean, of course, had beaten Woods before, in the HSBC Champions on The European Tour in 2007, but he didn’t play with him that day in Shanghai. In Minnesota he did which made his victory all the more impressive.
Funnily enough, during the presentation to the Olympic Committee I mentioned earlier, one of the points we made was how quickly the game was growing in Asia and how, by making golf an Olympic sport, that growth and development could be further encouraged.
Now I’m not saying that I predicted it but, good heavens, within a couple of months of making that statement, an Asian player goes and wins a Major Championship for the first time. It’s fate I tell you…….!

Told You……
Now, while I am not going to claim bragging rights about forecasting Yang’s victory at Hazeltine, I feel I must take the chance to say here and now that “I told you so” about the performance of our European players in the final Major of the season.
When I was in the Media Centre the day before the tournament started I stated publicly that I expected to have four or five European players finish in the top ten such is the growing strength and the fantastic wealth of talent in Europe right now.
I know a few people went away from there thinking I had possibly spent too much time out in the blazing Minnesotan sunshine but I was delighted to say by the end of the week I was proved right……and then some!
Not only were there actually five European players – Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Søren Kjeldsen and Henrik Stenson – in the top nine, there were also another six – Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell, Francesco Molinari, Ross Fisher, Ian Poulter and Oliver Wilson – within the top 20.
Well done to each and every one of them – it truly was a week which gave me immense satisfaction from a Ryder Cup Captaincy stance as well as from a European golfing fan viewpoint.

Captain Calling…..
Starting this week and right through to the final counting event, the 2010 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, there will be increased focus on players’ positions within The Ryder Cup points tables and, by association, the tournaments they are contesting in a bid to further their chances.
Although The Ryder Cup is a team contest, golf is very much an individual game and every player has his own private agenda to attend to. I appreciate that and understand that fully but, however, there are three particular tournaments next year that I’d like to have everyone in attendance if possible and, now that I have the facility where I can email the whole Tour as I have done on a couple of occasions already, I’ll be doing that again with this request.
The first of these tournaments is the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. I feel every European player that is qualified for what is our flagship event should be playing there and I will be asking for that personally in my role as Captain. The second event would be The Celtic Manor Wales Open. I think it would do them no harm at all as a European if they were to win in Wales….for obvious reasons.
The last event on my mini-list is the final counting event, the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. To be honest, I don’t think I’ll really have to ask on that one. I think it will be automatic that in the last event under the spotlight, every player on the verge of the Team will want to be there and be master of his own destiny.
What we must never forget is the fact that this is a European Tour campaign to win back The Ryder Cup. It is economically important for everybody from Chief Executive George O’Grady down; a home win is so important for the economy of the Tour, especially in these times.  So I can only ask for the players to compete to help me get my best 12 assembled at Celtic Manor next year.

Thank You……
Speaking of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, I was delighted this year to return once again not only as a competitor, but also in my role of Championship Chairman to help the event celebrate its tenth anniversary.
I was also delighted that the tournament afforded me the honour of naming my own Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation as the dedicated charity for the event this year. I started the Foundation in honour of my late mum who died of cancer and in whose memory we are trying, through various events on and off the golf course, to build a centre in the grounds of Monklands Hospital in Lanarkshire to help fellow sufferers of this disease.
The target figure is difficult to say, but it’s in excess of £3 million, and so we need a lot of support from everybody.  I am delighted to say we have had that already, even in these difficult economic times, and the support is growing.  The more people that know about the Foundation the better and it’s been a superb journey so far. But it will only finish when we have the Centre up and running. I know we will do it and it will be superb when the doors finally open. Believe me, that will be a very proud day for me, and for my dad James too.
So thank you very much to everyone who has helped and contributed so far.

Get Carter…..
Another highlight during the week at Gleneagles was undoubtedly The Ryder Cup Forum on BBC Radio Five Live which was staged at my house and which featured, alongside myself, European Tour Chief Executive George O’Grady, Daily Mail golf writer Derek Lawrenson and Five Live’s golf correspondent Iain Carter.
We talked about a lot of issues, including The Ryder Cup of course, and it was a fun evening. Iain tells me we had a lot of positive feedback from the listeners too which is good to hear.
One memorable part of the session was when I took on the role of link man and introduced some of the football matches being covered by the station that evening too.
So there you have it, not only does my CV have ‘Ryder Cup Captain’ on it, I can now legitimately add the line ‘Radio Presenter!’ Watch out Iain….!