Monty cup doubt after sorry slump

Montgomerie will tomorrow tee off in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles knowing that not even a win is likely to earn him a ninth appearance in the European team to defend the trophy against the United States at Valhalla, near Louisville, next month.

The Johnnie Walker is the last qualifying event for the 12-man European squad. Come Sunday evening, captain Faldo will add his two personal picks to the 10 players who qualify by right; and Montgomerie's name will be missing from the roll call.

The simple truth is that for all the commitment, focus and stature that Monty has brought to the competition - since his debut in 1991 the Scot has never lost a singles match and his points total of 23.5 is just 1.5 shy of Faldo's record haul - a desperate lack of form makes leaving him out one of the easiest decisions Faldo will have to make over the next four days.

A slump that has seen 45-year-old Montgomerie score only three top-10 finishes this season, and fail to break 70 in his last 11 competitive rounds, meant he was never going to play his way into a team that will seek a fourth win on American soil on 19-21 September.

Should he get one of Faldo's picks? Padraig Harrington supported the notion back in July, when the double Open champion said: "I don't think any player would not want to tee it up with Monty in a fourball or a foursomes and go out there and take on anybody in the world."

But that was before Montgomerie shot 84 in the second round of the USPGA Championship, which Harrington also won.

Jesper Parnevik, too, has backed the man with whom the Swede fought three Ryder Cups. He said: "When that adrenaline gets going and the heart is pumping, all of a sudden you can play better than you have all year.

"The Ryder Cup is such a motivator and I would have Monty there."

But he spoke before Darren Clarke proved his return to form with a dominant four-shot victory in the KLM Open in Holland on Sunday. Having started the year 229th in the world rankings, Clarke is now 56th and will almost certainly end the weekend in the top 50.

That rise comes too late to guarantee a sixth Cup cap. But if Faldo is looking for Monty-type presence then the first of his picks must go to the 40-year-old from Northern Ireland whose emotion-charged performance at the K Club near Dublin two summers ago, coming so soon after the death of his wife Heather, inspired the European team to a record victory.

Clarke is typically measured about his chances. "I can't do anything about it," he said. "It's up to Nick and who he sees fit to help the team. I needed to play well in Holland to make him have a look at me and, hopefully, I have done that."

Choosing Clarke will be easy for Faldo. Naming that second pick will be much more difficult.

Seven players are definitely on the flight to the United States: Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, Robert Karlsson, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Graeme McDowell. That leaves six hopefuls competing for the last three automatic qualifying places.

Justin Rose, Soren Hansen and Oliver Wilson go into the Gleneagles tournament eighth, ninth and 10th in the table but they can be caught by Martin Kaymer, Ross Fisher and Nick Dougherty. Basically, Dougherty has to finish second to have a chance; Fisher needs third and Kaymer 26th. That is assuming those in possession of qualifying positions fail to perform.

Any of those players who fall short are unlikely to have a positive influence on Faldo. Instead, he will be casting a watchful eye over the first two rounds of the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston - the US Tour event finishes on Monday - in which Paul Casey and Ian Poulter are competing.

Faldo was impressed with Poulter's putting on the way to second place at The Open but since then he has failed to sparkle. By contrast, Casey, hole-in-one hero at the K Club, is in good form. "I'd love to be in that team," he said.

"Darren has put the cat among the pigeons by winning in Holland.

"We've got Poulter as well. It's going to be tough."