Monty closes on Cup spot

When Colin Montgomerie takes his three children to EuroDisney on Thursday it will surely be as a member of Europe’s Ryder Cup team next month.

Montgomerie has moved into a share of fifth place with a round to go at the BMW International Open in Munich and it is hard to imagine that captain Bernhard Langer will not now hand him one of his two wild cards tomorrow night.

Poor form – he was 70th and 58th on his last two starts – was the big question over whether the 41-year-old should be preferred to Swede Fredrik Jacobson, England’s Luke Donald and German Alex Cejka, the other outstanding candidates as things stand.

But he has answered that question and in any case he said: “I was playing a lot worse than this in practice for the last match, but people change on Friday morning when it starts.

“It’s about who can put the ball on the tee without it falling off. I won’t do that and I’m sure Bernhard has factored that in.”

Nevertheless, Montgomerie is not taking anything for granted.

Asked if he would be astonished if he was not selected for Detroit the Scot, who has qualified automatically for each of his six previous appearances, said: “I would respect Bernhard’s decision in whatever he does.

“His job is to get 14 points and he is not going to be sympathetic or emotional. I know him as well as anybody (they have been partners in 1991, 1997 and 2002) and he will have worked it out to the point of picking whoever he thinks will help him to that 14 points.

“It would be wrong to presume anything. It will be a very strong 12-man team and hopefully I will be included in it.

“I don’t think this tournament will have altered his mind, but I don’t know. At his press conference tomorrow ask him if this tournament was important and if I am in the team ask him when he made up his mind.

“Ask him if it was 2002 (when Montgomerie was unbeaten and Europe’s top-scorer) or some time later.”

The trauma he went through following a marriage break-up in April made golf far less of a priority for the seven-time European number one, but he has been a changed man ever since he qualified for The Open at his home course Troon and then was in contention there for the first three days.

“That was key to my career,” he says now.

As for the other wild card, the final round in Munich could still have a bearing.

Jacobson, the fourth highest European in the world rankings, is also lying joint fifth and has a chance to play his way into the team yet.

Donald and Cejka are in a tie for 14th, but well though Donald has played this past month and outstanding though his amateur career was – he won seven points out of eight in the Walker Cup – Jacobson’s greater experience and higher standing may have given him the edge.