Talisman Montgomerie born to play captain's role

IN SPITE of all his close shaves in the majors, fate decreed for Colin Stuart Montgomerie that the Ryder Cup would be the arena in which he overshadowed all of his golfing peers, including even Tiger Woods.

Although Nick Faldo won more points and Seve Ballesteros was the vital figure in restoring competitiveness to this biennial fixture, Monty was the man over the past 20 years who did more than any other against the USA to make European golf feel good about itself.

When the BBC conducted a poll during the 2006 match at the K Club near Dublin to identify Europe's greatest-ever Ryder Cup player, the Scot received a staggering 49 per cent of the vote and came out well ahead of either Ballesteros or Faldo.

Whether the sweeping majority expressed in that poll was just or not, it said something about the public's memory span. In appointing Monty, 45, as Ryder Cup captain for the 2010 match at Celtic Manor, rather than an older hand such as Ian Woosnam or Sandy Lyle, the players also indicated their overwhelming preference for the devil they know.

While it may come as a surprise to many of those who are only familiar with Montgomerie from his occasionally fractious outbursts on the course, the Scot is widely popular with his peers on both sides of the Atlantic. He's not everyone's blue-eyed boy, but he's a bright man, good company and enjoys a sense of humour.

As well as having a clear voice of his own, Montgomerie is a good listener who will take on board the views of others before making up his own mind. The primary consideration of his captaincy – in fact, the only one – will be to win.

That desire stems from his standing as the most prolific British winner in European Tour history with 31 victories and eight Order of Merit titles. In a role where the troops expect the general to wear his medals, the Scot is well equipped to command the respect of those he's been asked to lead in Wales.

As a gladiator who never lost a singles tie against the USA and collected 23 points in eight appearances between 1991 and 2006, Montgomerie brings intelligence and passion to the European cause. If Seve played the game like a man possessed, compensating for missed fairways and greens by hitting stunning recovery shots, the Scot introduced a clockwork certainty to his work off the tee and conviction to his putting which might have secured a handful of those elusive majors had he only been able to hole out as effectively in the most prized stroke-play competitions.

His deep passion for defeating the USA began in 1991 when he made his debut at Kiawah Island under Bernard Gallacher's captaincy. His mother, Elizabeth, had passed away earlier that year and he saw the opportunity to play in such an illustrious event as a fitting tribute to her.

When reminded yesterday of where the Ryder Cup journey has taken him over the past 18 years, Montgomerie could hardly take in how far he's come. "When I was first a player under a Scottish captain, that was an experience I'll always remember, a chance to play in the same team as heroes of mine – Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam and Bernhard Langer. If I dreamed one day this opportunity (to be captain] might come my way, those were far-off dreams."

Montgomerie's capacity to inflict hurt on the USA met with shameful retribution at Brookline in 1999 when he was singled out for foul-mouthed abuse from a disreputable element in the galleries. Whether that experience meant he was a non-runner for the captaincy in America always seemed a misrepresentation to this observer. Even the hostile US galleries came to respect the Scot who was greeted with deafening acclaim from the supporters of both sides at Oakland Hills in 2004 when he defeated David Toms and holed the match-winning putt.

Lee Westwood, when asked to sum up the contribution made by the Scot on Europe's behalf, said: "Monty is simply a leader on the course and off it." First handed the role of on-course leader by Sam Torrance at The Belfry in 2002, when he played the golf of his life, the Scot now faces the challenge of duplicating that success off it.

All the evidence suggests Montgomerie was born to play the role of Ryder Cup captain. As the Americans know only too well, his involvement at Celtic Manor will re-energise the European cause.

FACT BOX

1963: Born Glasgow, June 23.

1984: Runner-up to Jose Maria Olazabal in British Amateur.

1985: Scottish strokeplay champion. Walker Cup debut.

1987: Turns professional.

1988: Rookie of the Year.

1989: Wins first European Tour title at Portuguese Open.

1991: Makes Ryder Cup debut but Europe lose.

1993: Scores 3 points in Ryder Cup, but Europe lose again. Begins seven-year reign as European No 1.

1994: Loses play-off for US Open to Ernie Els.

1995: Loses play-off for US PGA Championship to Steve Elkington. Part of winning Ryder Cup side.

1997: Second in US Open again, clinches Ryder Cup victory with halve against Scott Hoch.

1999: Seventh Order of Merit in a row plus Cisco World Match Play but heckled as Europe lose Ryder Cup at Brookline.

2000: Wins third successive Volvo PGA championship.

2002: Stars in Ryder Cup victory at The Belfry.

2004: Sinks winning putt as Europe retain trophy in Detroit.

2005: Second to Tiger Woods in Open, wins eighth Order of Merit.

2006: Joint runner-up in US Open after double-bogeying last hole. Wins Ryder Cup again.

2008: Fails to make Nick Faldo's team for Ryder Cup.

2009: Appointed 2010 Ryder Cup captain for Celtic Manor.


Five other Scots who have been European leaders

• George Duncan: 1929

A former carpenter who turned down the chance to play football for Aberdeen, Duncan went on to become Open champion in 1920 and was a member of the Great Britain & Ireland side from 1927 until 1931. He also led the team by example at Moortown in Leeds, defeating Walter Hagen 10&8 in the course of a 7-5 victory.

• Johnny Fallon: 1963

Runner-up to Peter Thomson in the Open at St Andrews in 1955, the Scot made his only appearance in the match as a player that same year. He played once in foursomes and established a 100 per cent winning record. His tenure as captain was less rewarding. GB&I lost 23-9 at East Lake in Georgia. To add insult to injury that year, the British PGA declined to pay air fares and expenses for the players' wives.

• Eric Brown: 1969 and 1971

A formidable Ryder Cup competitor who won all four of the singles ties he played between 1953 and 1959, the fiery Bathgate golfer took charge of GB&I at Birkdale in 1969 when the match was halved thanks to that memorable gesture from Jack Nicklaus to Tony Jacklin on the 18th green.

• Bernard Gallacher: 1991, 1993 and 1995

The odds against two men from the same club in Bathgate becoming Ryder Cup captains were astronomically long. Yet, after making his debut at 20 under Brown, Gallacher went on to lead Europe three times and earned a notable 14-13 victory at Oak Hill in 1995.

• Sam Torrance: 2002

There was much debate before the match at The Belfry in 2002 over whether the Largs man was temperamentally suited to the post. As it turned out, Torrance was one of Europe's most diligent as well as passionate captains. His attention to detail played a key role in helping Europe defeat the US 15-12.