Colin Montgomerie would leave himself out of the Ryder Cup team if it was being picked now, the eight-times European number one said on Wednesday.
“I would pick (Luke) Donald and (Padraig) Harrington (as the two wildcards),” the 45-year-old Briton told reporters on the eve of the European Open at the London Golf Club. “Right now you would have to pick Harrington and Donald ahead of me.
“If you look at the top 10 or 12 in the points list, (captain) Nick Faldo would have a real tough job. Harrington and Donald and (Paul) Casey and (Sergio) Garcia are all on the fringe. If they go on to make the team then, yes, I have more of an opportunity.”
Montgomerie boosted his flagging fortunes by finishing second at the French Open on Sunday, a performance that lifted him to 32nd in the Ryder Cup world points list and 13th in the European points list.
But he knows he faces a tough task to earn one of the automatic 10 spots for the biennial team event against the U.S. at Valhalla, Kentucky in September.
“My play has been very poor,” said Montgomerie, who last entered the winners’ enclosure in last year’s European Open at the K Club in Ireland. “As someone who is a very proud player, the scores I was putting together were dismal to say the least.
“At least now I am putting scores together. That’s eight rounds in a row now I have been under par, the best run I’ve had for a few years.”
Montgomerie said it hurt to be down at 77th in the world rankings.
“I don’t need to go down this far,” he said. “If you haven’t had it (success), you don’t miss it.
“You wonder what’s going on, if you don’t have it (any more). I have missed it terribly and it is nice to get back into a feeling of success again.”
Even when he was winning seven order of merit titles in a row in the 1990s, Montgomerie acknowledged he had self doubts.
“I have always had self doubts believe it or not, even in the 90s run,” said the Scot. “I never ever want to feel I’ve secured my last win.
“I’m not ready for that to happen yet so I do have a little bit of self doubt. I think every potential golfer has a little bit and I am probably too honest. A lot of people don’t say it … I admit it.”
