By Paul Atherton BBC Sport Online

Colin Montgomerie wants to emulate Sam Torrance and captain a European Ryder Cup team to victory on home soil.

While Ian Woosnam and Bernhard Langer are in contention to lead the team in America in 2004, Montgomerie is targeting the 2006 Ryder Cup in Ireland.

If I could do half as good a job as Sam I'd be very happy Colin Montogmerie

"I would like the Ireland job in 2006, very much so," Montgomerie told BBC Sport Online.

"I've mentioned that to the powers that be and they have that on record.

"It all depends how it pans out, who's available at the time, who's above me in the pecking order. I don't want to stand on anyone's toes.

"But I would love to do it. I would be so ambitious to try and win the Ryder Cup.

"It is great for Ireland to have the Ryder Cup, now Ireland's job is to try and win it and I would do the utmost to help the team."

Montgomerie, who turns 40 in June, hopes to still be playing in 2006 and believes that having a captain who is competing regularly is key to success.

He said: "As Sam has mentioned in the past, it is important to captain a team when you are playing - not just as a playing captain, but when you are still playing on the tour.

"Then you can relate to the older guys on the tour and also relate to the younger guys who you are still playing with and understand them a little bit more.

"That's what Sam had in our team. He could relate to the rookies and he could relate to us. And it worked so well."

Montgomerie has been ever-present in Europe's Ryder Cup team since his debut in 1991 and believes that experience would prove crucial.

He said: "Hopefully from playing under four or five captains I have learned from them all.

"And in 2004 I'm going to play under another captain and I will have learned something from everyone and taken the best of what they've achieved and hopefully do as good a job.

"But if I could do half as good a job as Sam I'd be very happy."