The Betfair Contrarian: Why Monty won't make the Ryder Cup team

Ryder Cup Betting / The Betfair Contrarian / 15 February 2008 / 1

" class="free_bet_btn" rel="external" onclick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/G4/inline-freebet');" target="_blank">

The Betfair Contrarian is at it again: this time telling us why Colin Montgomerie won't be on the plane to America for this year's Ryder Cup

By anyone's standards Colin Montgomerie is an outstanding Ryder Cup golfer. In eight Ryder Cup tournaments he has never lost a singles match, and has the joint-third best Ryder Cup record of any European ever, a record that you would think would make him first name on anybody's list. However, there is no guarantee he'll be pulling on whatever eye-wateringly hideous uniform the players are forced to wear for the next edition, on September 19-21 at Valhalla, Louisville, Kentucky.

He is currently [2.0] on Betfair to make the team, with an agonizing 11 players ahead of him in the betting (Rose, Harrington, Westwood, Garcia, Stenson, Garcia, Donald, Casey, Dougherty, Kaymer and Fasth), and the Swede Daniel Chopra breathing down his neck at [2.2]. Will this be the year Monty has to watch fuming from the sidelines? Could be...
He's on the slide.

Though Montgomerie started 2007 ranked seventeenth in the world, a disappointing year means that he now finds himself languishing 52nd in the world and 37th in the European order of merit.

He's got a lot of ground to make up...

If Montgomerie intends to qualify for the Ryder Cup team without relying on the good will of Captain Nick Faldo, he'll have to be in the top 10 of the European order of merit by the 3rd September.

...but he has made a slow start to 2008.

Monty began 2008 with a modest 25th placed finish in Abu Dhabi and after finishing 6th in Qatar, could only manage to end the Dubai Desert Classic in 65th position.
Montgomerie can't rely on a captain's pick.

In the likely event that Montgomerie does not automatically qualify for the Ryder Cup team by virtue of his ranking, his fate will rest in the hands of Nick Faldo who will pick two additional players to complete the European lineup. Yet by his own criteria, the chances of that happening are slim. "If I get to 12 or 13 on the list I might get picked again," he said. "Nick knows the situation, and so do I." Few people would fancy him to make twelfth or thirteenth.
The captain can be a bit of a hardnut himself.

Nick Faldo will have few reservations about shunning a player of Montgomerie's stature, after famously leaving out Irishman Paul McGinley for the Seve Trophy - McGinley resigned as vice captain of the Ryder Cup team as a result!

And the two have a bit of history...

Faldo and Monty famously had a massive row last year, when Faldo said at the Seve Trophy that Montgomerie was a high maintenance teammate who cared mostly about himself. Montgomerie angrily responded that if Faldo wanted to say something he should say it to his face. This was by no means the first time that the pair had exchanged angry words and such hostility is hardly likely to persuade Faldo to pick Monty as a wildcard, especially if he doesn't rate his team-spiritedness.

The proud Faldo may have a hidden agenda

With 23.5 points scored in Ryder Cup history, Montgomerie is the joint third-highest Ryder Cup points scorer ever, tied with the American Billy Caspar, and only a point and a half behind the all time points leader - one Nick Faldo. Neither Caspar, Faldo nor the all-time second highest scorer, Bernhard Langer (24pts) will be adding to their total, leaving Monty with glory in sight. Is Faldo man enough to relinquish his own record for the sake of the team?

And Monty's no spring chicken.

Montgomerie will be 45 in June this year and has admitted that it's becoming increasingly difficult to compete for the major titles. American Raymond Floyd (51) remains the oldest player to have appeared in the Ryder Cup.

Then there's Daniel Chopra...

Currently thirteenth in the betting - [2.2] on Betfair to make the team, Chopra, from Sweden, would be in the team as things stand as he is the third highest European on the world list after a shock win in the US tour opener in Hawaii. He started the season ranked 120th, and so punters expect him to fall away. But if he doesn't, that will push a stronger player off the list, and give Monty even tougher competition for one of the wild card spots.

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>

(1)

Mike | 19 February 2008

You certainly like enticing debate Contrarian.

The only way Monty will not be in the team is if he is woefully out of form from now until September. I know that's obvious, but what I'm saying is if he is anywhere near the top 15 in the Ryder Cup list, then I'd be amazed if Faldo didn't give him a captains pick - regardless of their history.

Out of the players ahead of him in the betting, I would have to question whether Garcia, Fasth, Casey, Donald or Dougherty are 1) in any better form than Monty - and 2) would get picked ahead of Monty if they fail to qualify automatically.

I personally believe the signs are good for Monty this year. Two top 25 finishes (inlcuding a top 10) in the desert show his game is not far off, while I guess there will be few golfers who will accumulate more Ryder Cup points than him when the European Tour moves to mainland Europe.

Monty for the Ryder Cup team - he's an absolute certainty ;-)