Monty relaxed at not getting Wales wish

Published on Wednesday 5 May 2010 20:36

COLIN Montgomerie is resigned to having potential Ryder Cup players decline his request to play in next month's Wales Open – but insists the strong field for the BMW PGA Championship will make amends.

European captain Montgomerie wanted all potential members of his team to play at Celtic Manor from June 3-6 in preparation for the Ryder Cup at the same venue in October.

A clash of dates with Jack Nicklaus' prestigious Memorial Tournament on the US Tour means Montgomerie will not get his wish, with the likes of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy all set to be at Muirfield Village instead.

However, Monty is happy that those players, along with defending champion Paul Casey and Padraig Harrington, will compete at a revamped Wentworth later this month.

"I've asked everybody to play in Wales but I'm not sure about the entry list as such," Montgomerie said ahead of this week's Italian Open in Turin. "

It's in their own interests to play there. If you win on the Ryder Cup course four months before the Ryder Cup it can do you no harm."

He added: "I'm very happy with the BMW PGA at Wentworth, the field there is the strongest it's ever been."