Monty yet to decide on wild card

COLIN MONTGOMERIE last night insisted that he hasn’t made up his mind on which of the contenders battering down his door for Ryder Cup places would gain the three wild card picks.

He has been left with a particularly awkward decision because of the refusal of four key men — Pádraig Harrington, Paul Casey, Luke Donald and Justin Rose — to play in the Scottish Highlands.

Obviously, he can pick only three of the quartet while there are also several others who feel they are worthy of a place, not least the Italian Edoardo Molinari.

“I had a long talk yesterday with Thomas Bjorn and Paul McGinley on-site and will hear Darren Clarke’s view when he meets up with us here on Saturday evening,” said Montgomerie. “It would be impossible to make up my mind before Sunday because the scenarios might well change. I can only rely on what happens in the first three rounds of the Barclays (where the four “rebels” are chasing $7.5m in the Barclays Championship rather than a “mere” €1.4m in Scotland) but obviously I will look at what the guys are doing. There are a few who would qualify if they won here. I have an idea but that might well change so I’ve got to be flexible.”

Montgomerie makes great play of how difficult a decision he faces and that it’s the first time a European captain would have to leave out top twenty players in the world.

“I will do what Sam Torrance did and make my mind up through the early evening on Sunday,” he declared.

“Form is changing and Peter Hanson has to be singled out in going to the Czech Open, having to win and doing so out of 156 guys. It was a bloody good effort. That’s the kind of guy I’m looking for.”

There is general delight among the rank and file members of the European Tour that the efforts of an unsung member of their group such as Hanson should be right in the mix.

And they’re also keeping their fingers crossed that others will gatecrash the top nine on Sunday or that Monty will remember them should they fail to do so.

Be under no illusion, there will be a whiff of cordite in the Scottish Highlands air should three of the Fed-Ex four get the nod. But that looks like the most likely scenario.

“I will be selecting the best twelve players,” Montgomerie declared.

“That was my remit from the start and it hasn’t changed. I’m glad that players who might well get selected are playing competitive golf in America. So I support the choice.”

Yesterday, he was forced to confess that he asked Harrington, Casey, Donald and Rose to play at Gleneagles two weeks ago at the US PGA Championship.

Each declined leaving Monty with egg over his face and accepting that “I had to go with their answer. I can’t tell anybody to play anywhere. I respect their decision and I accept it. Am I disappointed? No. As long as they are playing competitive golf, whether it be here or in America… yes, disappointed for the Johnnie Walker Championship… disappointed for the Ryder Cup cause, no.”

Having already back-tracked on his very pointed comments back in May, there is no apparent reason now to believe that Montgomerie won’t do so again.

But the wise money has to be on Harrington, Casey and Donald getting the call and in the process edging out Justin Rose and a whole host of other worthy contenders like Edoardo Molinari, Ross McGowan, Simon Dyson, Alvaro Quiros and Robert Karlsson.