Golf: Confidence that Scots will be back in Ryder Cup action after six-year absence

COLIN Montgomerie, the winning Ryder Cup captain in 2010, is confident Scotland will avoid an unwanted hat-trick by having at least one player in the team defending the trophy in America later this year.

His optimism is founded on a recent resurgence by the country’s leading players after a proud tradition of Scots lining up in Ryder Cup teams was broken at Valhalla in 2008 and then continued two years ago at Celtic Manor.

Montgomerie is delighted to see two Scots – Martin Laird and Paul Lawrie – riding high in the top 50 in the world and flying the Saltire in events such as the recent WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona, where they met in the last 16. He also believes Stephen Gallacher, who recently made it three Scots in the world’s top 100 for the first time since 2004 but has slipped to 101st in the latest rankings, is good enough to play in a Ryder Cup as well, though a more realistic target for him is likely to be the 2014 match at Gleneagles.

Lawrie, who partnered Montgomerie in four out of five matches when making his Ryder Cup debut at Brookline in 1999, is on course to qualify for Jose-Maria Olazabal’s side for the September match at Medinah.

Helped by his recent win in the Qatar Masters, the Aberdonian is sitting third on the European points list, from which five of ten automatic selections will come at the end of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in August.

Laird is hoping to either make it off the world points list or secure one of two wild cards up for grabs and both him and Lawrie will be aiming to pick up more valuable points when they line up in the second WGC event of the season, the Cadillac Championship in Miami, later this week. “We haven’t had representation since 2006 and we don’t want to continue that,” said Montgomerie of the prospect of Scots challenging for Ryder Cup spots again. “If it [the European team] were picked tomorrow, Paul Lawrie would be in the team and all credit to him.

“Martin Laird as well has been showing real signs [of being a Ryder Cup contender]. It was a pity they had to meet each other at the WGC Matchplay, but they’re both pressing.

“It will be difficult for Martin just getting world points as there’s not a lot of room for error – Justin Rose is in the same boat – but that’s their choice and it’s up to them.

“I also still believe that Stephen Gallacher can be a Ryder Cup player in the future, so there’s three in particular who are capable of making the team.”

As for his own prospects of being involved in some capacity at Medinah, Montgomerie added: “I would have to win twice (to have a chance of making the team) but I’ll make myself available for the European defence in all aspects, which means off the course as well as on.

“I’ll help the European cause in any way shape or form, as I’ll do when we’re at Gleneagles in 2014.”

Montgomerie is off to Singapore this week in his ambassador’s role for the BMW World Amateur before returning to action on the European Tour with back-to-back events – the Andalucia Open and the Hassan Trophy in Morocco.

The eight-time European No 1 is lying outside the top 100 in the Race to Dubai after the opening two months of the season.

“My game’s rusty but I’ve been practising hard and will see if I can get it going. There’s no reason why I can’t perform,” he said.