Monty pledges passion for Celtic Manor
European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie has vowed that his team members will not be short on passion as they seek to win back the Ryder Cup from the USA next week.
In an interview with the Daily Express, Montgomerie acknowledged that Nick Faldo's team of two years ago seemed short on spunk at Valhalla in 2008 - Europe was beaten 16.5 - 11.5 by Paul Azinger's men - but the Scot was adamant that a lack of desire will not be a problem at Celtic Manor when the biennial tournament begins next Friday.
Perhaps in a veiled dig at Faldo's inability to get the best from his men, Montgomerie commented: "Last time around there did not seem to be the passion. Who can say why? But I can guarantee there will be passion this time."
Monty pointed to the determination of his vice captains Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn and Sergio Garcia, and also suggested that his controversial wildcard pick Padraig Harrington and European No. 1 Lee Westwood could each prove themselves leader on the fairways.
There may yet also be a place for Spain's José María Olazábal in Monty's backroom staff too; the popular Spaniard, who was three times a member of a victorious Ryder Cup team, has already stated he will be at Celtic Manor cheering on the home side.
Olazábal told the Evening Standard: "During all these years playing the Ryder Cup I learned a lot of things about friendship, about passion. The Ryder Cup has given me a lot of wonderful memories.
And Montgomerie remains close to the 44-year-old, saying Olazábal may yet become part of the backroom staff at Newport next week in a guest capacity.
But Ryder rookie Rory McIlroy is not quite so enamoured with the competition, admitting it doesn't mean as much to him as winning a WGC Championship.
The 21-year-old from Holywood, Northern Ireland, says he is nervous but excited to be taking part in the competition - but he admitted that given the choice between victory as part of the team and an individual triumph, the world No. 8 would still prefer to notch up the individual success.
McIlroy's likely partner, fellow Ulsterman Graeme McDowell, isn't too worried about McIlroy's prioritising, however. In an interview with radio station Talksport, the US Open winner told listeners:
"Rory is an extremely ambitious kid and he's all about major championships and WGCs. I think he'll have a different respect for the Ryder Cup next weekend when he gets out there and feels it and understands it.
"Of course it's different from a major and a WGC - it's not an individual win - it's just something a bit special. It's always been something that's pretty close to my heart. I think when Rory gets out there and feels it next week he'll maybe have a different view on it."
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