Ryder Cup captain? You can count on me in 2014 says Monty

'Many people find when they get into their 40s their life takes a different turn,' said the 44-year-old. He certainly has three big changes coming up which represent a whole new direction for European golf's most compelling character.

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The wedding to Gaynor Knowles will take place before a 400-strong gathering on the shores of Loch Lomond, while the marital home is an idyll halfway between Auchterader and Gleneagles.

As for the captaincy, here's an announcement to make golfers sit up and take notice. The general feeling had been that Monty would be persuaded to take charge at Celtic Manor in 2010.

'I could give you a diplomatic answer on that one but here's how I genuinely feel,' he said. 'Even if I don't make this year's team and have a bad 2009, I would be completely focused on making damn sure that it wasn't three bad years in a row in 2010.

'So if the Tournament Players' Committee see fit to make me captain, then it's in Scotland in 2014 where I would like the honour.'

That's the future sorted, then. How about the present? Monty kicked off his year in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Thursday fully aware that he is facing the toughest challenge of his career to make it nine Ryder Cup appearances in a row in September.

As if to emphasise that it is not just policemen who are getting younger, last year's rookie of the year Martin Kaymer carried on from where he left off, the 23-year-old German firing an accomplished 66 to lead after the first round, with desert specialist Henrik Stenson a shot behind.

Lee Westwood fared best of the home players with a 69, while Ian Poulter and Luke Donald could be satisfied with their day's work after completing a difficult test under par, scoring 70 and 71 respectively.

Montgomerie looks at players like Kaymer and thinks to himself: Oh gawd, there's another I've got to try to keep at bay.

'I think it's fair to say I am in the fight of my life to keep my Ryder Cup run going, but that's OK at my age,' he said.

What will decide Monty's fate is whether he can correct a putting stroke that has declined alarmingly in recent years. There was a horrible dribbled effort at the ninth that didn't augur well and led to a back nine full of familiar angst. But he still emerged with an eminently respectable 72.

Montgomerie, currently 61st in the world, knows the importance of three events he is playing in the next four weeks. 'The first thing I've got to do is get back inside that all-important top 50, so I am looking for three top 10s or a couple of top fives to get my career moving again,' he said.

How does he banish thoughts of the dreaded cliche about putting being the first thing to go?

'As you know, there's nobody more positive than me going into a tournament but I have allowed thoughts of self-doubt to affect my putting,' he admitted.

'There is now a lack of belief when I stand over the ball and I've got to start hitting the putts harder. OK, I might miss a couple coming back. But if I hole five more per tournament, then a three-shot swing is all I need to be a contender again.'

As for his love affair with the Ryder Cup, it is clear that it has survived his little spat at the Seve Trophy last year with captain Nick Faldo.

Monty speaks with gratitude regarding the phone call he received from Faldo before Christmas, the latter worried that things were getting out of hand. But it is clear Faldo's criticism that Monty didn't attend team meetings at the Seve Trophy has left a scar.

'If there is anyone who can tell me what team meetings I didn't attend I'd like to hear from them,' he said. 'I tried to talk to Nick about it but never really got to the bottom of it. True, I didn't attend a dinner where he spoke on the Tuesday evening, but that was because I had a previous commitment I couldn't break.

'What I did give up were three corporate days I had planned for that week simply to play under Nick, which I thought was pretty good bearing in mind the number of players who never bothered turning up at all.'

That said, he is keen to move on. As if to emphasise things are back on an even keel, Monty said he would even be a willing non-playing vice-captain if he doesn't make the team and Faldo gives him a call.

'I think everyone who knows me knows I would do anything to help the European cause,' he said.