Colin Montgomerie would return to the European Ryder Cup captaincy if offered the job for the match against the United States at Gleneagles in 2014.In October, the Scot led Europe to victory at Celtic Manor in Wales.”Whether I’ll be captain or not isn’t my decision,” he said about 2014. “I’ll not be promoting myself in that way.”When pressed, he said: “If they ask me, yes. But no-one’s asked me and we have fantastic candidates in Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn and Paul McGinley.”Montgomerie, the eight-time winner of the European Order of Merit and a Ryder Cup winner as a player, suffered a slump in his own personal form in the lead-up to the 2010 match.After announcing he was standing down as captain following the victory in Wales, Montgomerie said he hoped to concentrate on his own game again – and qualify for the teams for Illinois in 2012 and Gleneagles in 2014.
However, the 47-year-old’s best finish so far this year was equal 26th at the Sicilian Open and he has missed two out of five cuts.Montgomerie hopes that, when the Ryder Cup comes to his homeland, Europe will be defending the trophy won under the captaincy of Jose Maria Olazabal in 2012.And, while pointing out that “it is not just myself” who would like to be captain, Montgomerie has now expressed his willingness to play his part in any capacity.”If the European Tour would like me to do something to help in that way, great,” he told BBC Scotland at the launch of a new golf competition that aims to raise £1m in aid of his mother’s cancer charity, the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation.”Of course I’ll help the Tour in any shape or form.”We did a great job in Wales. Everybody got together. The whole Tour got together. I wasn’t on my own there.”We had a great support there, a great team behind me to win that back against a very strong American team.”And it’ll take that strength of team to win again in 12 and, hopefully, in 14.”Monty’s Monthly Medal, to be held on the weekend of the Open Championship in July, will give British club golfers the chance to qualify for a final in September at which the former European number one will also play. – BBC
