I've given up on technique. I'm trying to will the ball in and I'm going to think every putt is for a half

Colin Montgomerie

Monty has a great Ryder Cup record

Monty's record in the biannual contest with America's finest is excellent. He has won 12 of his ties, halved four and lost seven.

At Brookline in 1999, despite repeated heckling from the over-zealous galleries, Monty formed a great partnership with rookie Paul Lawrie, winning two of their four matches and halving an other before winning his singles tie with the late Payne Stewart.

At Valderamma in 1997, it was left to Monty to close out victory for Europe in the final singles match against Scott Hoch, which he did flawlessly.

Other Ryder Cup highlights include his incredible comeback from five down with five to play to tie with Mark Calcavecchia in his 1991 debut at Kiawah Island.

Spectacularly consistent

Alarmingly, Montgomerie's current dip in form has seen him drop out of the top ten automatic picks for Ryder Cup selection. He is also in danger of losing his spot in the world's top ten, having fallen to ninth in the latest rankings.

With 15 counting events to be played before the battle at The Belfry commences, there is plenty of time for Monty to find his touch again.

This week's English Open is at the Forest of Arden course, where he has won twice. And the US Open, which tees off on 14 June, is a tournament in which Monty has twice finished as runner-up and favours accurate iron play - an element of the Scots' game which remains spectacularly consistent.

European Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance said at the weekend he had "absolutely no concerns" regarding Monty's form, but he must praying that his fellow countryman starts picking up qualifying points.

Parnevik is in line for a captain's pick

With Sergio Garcia and Jesper Parnevik playing almost all of their golf in the US, Torrance will desperately want to use his two captain's picks for them, unless either man performs in the three remaining majors to make the team automatically.

The Spaniard and the Swede, who have both won on the US Tour this year, performed brilliantly at Brookline, winning three-and-a-half points from a possible four as a partnership.

Little to impress

Torrance's recent assertion that "European golf has never been so strong", cannot mask the fact that, as things stand, his potential side looks anything but.

Monty is not the only worry. Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke are not firing on all cylinders, while Pierre Fulke has done little to impress since his huge cheque for second place in a weak World Matchplay field in January.

Andrew Oldcorn and Robert Karlsson are not names that will have Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson quaking in their boots.

Every two years the bookmakers make the Americans very short priced favourites to lift the Ryder Cup and every time the Europeans upset the odds by making it an incredibly close contest.

If Europe's big guns don't get back into the swing soon, this could be the year the bookies get it right.