Langer’s captaincy limbo worries Monty

COLIN MONTGOMERIE yesterday welcomed the new Ryder Cup qualifying system – but voiced his grave concerns over the possible loss of Bernhard Langer as captain.

Montgomerie shares Langer's view that the new method of selecting the European side should produce the strongest team possible.

Instead of 10 players qualifying from a points table based on the Order of Merit and two wild cards making up the team, five players will qualify from a special Ryder Cup World Points List which begins at this week's European Masters in Crans-sur-Sierre.

Players' world ranking points, earned from each event they play in, will be added together, unlike the Official World Rankings which take an average of points earned per event. Five more players will have the chance to qualify through money earned in official European Tour events, one euro being converted into one point, and Langer's two wild cards will complete the line-up.

However, Langer last week revealed he had not ruled out the possibility of qualifying for the team and an 11th appearance himself, and insisted he would give up the captaincy if he succeeded.

The 46-year-old German was quick to refute suggestions this could leave the team in limbo just weeks before the contest at Oakland Hills in September, but Montgomerie was clearly concerned about the possibility.

"It could be one month before, three weeks before, and then we might lose our captain," said Montgomerie, Europe's top points scorer at The Belfry last year. "He has to make a very, very serious choice as vice-captain. He has to be very careful who he chooses as his vice captain if he is close to qualifying as that guy will have to take over."

The obvious candidates would appear to be Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle, the men Langer was chosen ahead of, but Montgomerie added: "No, that's gone. That process is finished. It's Bernhard's choice and your guess is as good as mine."

Langer feels the new system should mean he does not have to 'waste' picks on the likes of Jesper Parnevik and Sergio Garcia, who failed to qualify as they spend most of their time in the United States. And Garcia, who finished 31st in the points table but was in the world's top 10 at the time of the matches, would love to oblige to make his former team-mate's life easier.

"I would like to make it easier for Bernhard and I am going to give it my best shot," said the 23-year-old, playing only his third regular European Tour event this season. "Nobody is a sure pick."

Darren Clarke's million-dollar victory in the NEC world championship in Akron has earned him the European tour's Asprey Golfer of the Month award for August. Clarke became only the second player after Tiger Woods, who has seven to win more than one of the World Golf Championships. In a field which contained every member of the world's top 50 he had rounds of 65-70-66-67 for a 12-under-par 268.

Other winners: Ernie Els (January and February), Robert-Jan Derksen (March), Fredrik Jacobson (April), Paul Casey (May), Philip Golding (June) and Phillip Price (July).