Europe Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie knows the men he’d like as his three wildcard picks against the US, but is ready to change his mind depending on events this week.
The Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles is the last qualifying tournament for European players.
Of the 12 team places, three automatic qualifying spots are still up for grabs in addition to Montgomerie’s trio of personal selections.
“I do have a preferred three in my head, but I am sure something will happen here that will change that,” Montgomerie said yesterday.
Italy’s Francesco Molinari, Swede Peter Hanson and Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez are in position to qualify as of right but England duo Ross McGowan and Simon Dyson, and Spain’s Alvaro Quiros could force their way into the top nine on the list.
However, Englishmen Paul Casey and Luke Donald, and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington have all opted to take part in the opening event of the FedEx Cup playoffs in America, even though none of them are yet assured of a Ryder Cup place.
As a result, Montgomerie is going to be in a situation where he has to leave out at least two players from the world’s top 22.
He stressed that although he had asked Casey, Harrington, Donald and Justin Rose to play at Gleneagles only to be turned down by all of them, he would not pick his team based on their non-appearance.
Europe will look to regain the Ryder Cup from the US at the Celtic Manor course near Newport in Wales from Oct. 1 to Oct. 3.
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