Montgomerie auditioning for Faldo

2008-02-21

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By Andrew Both PA SportsTicker Golf Writer

MARANA, Arizona (Ticker) -- It wasn''t lost on Colin Montgomeriethat this year''s European Ryder Cup captain was watching hissecond-round encounter at the Accenture Match Play Championshipon Thursday.

Nick Faldo was sitting in the television commentary booth asMontgomerie lived to fight another day with an impressive 1-upwin over American Charles Howell III at Dove Mountain.

The big Scot showed once again that when it comes to match play,he is a fearsome competitor, which is part of the reason henever has been beaten in eight singles matches in Ryder Cupcompetition.

"I knew that Nick Faldo was in the booth," Montgomerie said."This is the only match play tournament we have before the RyderCup, and I think if I was the captain, I''d be watching veryclosely.

"I would pay huge attention to it because it is a different formof golf to stroke play. It''s like playing tennis on grass oron clay. You know, (Rafael) Nadal has got (Roger) Federer onclay, and Federer has got Nadal on grass."

Montgomerie was implying that he should be on this year''s RyderCup team to face the Americans in Kentucky in September, even ifit''s as a captain''s pick.

Faldo and Montgomerie are not the best of friends, to put itpolitely, but you can be sure they will put any pastdisagreements behind them when it comes to the one thing theyboth like so much - beating the Americans.

Montgomerie currently is a long way from qualifying for the teamautomatically, but if he puts in a few more performances likethe ones over the past couple of days, that quickly will change.

If only they played match play every week, he must be thinking,because it certainly brings out his best.

He beat Americans Jim Furyk and Howell in the first two roundsand, by pure coincidence, meets another American in Stewart Cinkin the third round.

The Ryder Cup is eight months away, but maybe we''re seeing alittle preview in the pretty Arizona desert.