Montgomerie said the winning team respected captain Ian Woosnam

The team clinched their third successive Ryder Cup success with a comprehensive 18�-9� victory over the USA at the K Club in Ireland.

Monty, 43, who is unbeaten in the singles in eight cup appearances, wants to play in the tournament in 2008.

"I'll miss this when it's gone. That's eight now and I don't know if I am due a ninth," the Scot said.

Montgomerie maintained his unbeaten singles record against David Toms, despite the American's late fightback to take their match to the 18th.

If you were at all shaky there was no way you would have managed to hit a ball off that first tee Colin Montgomerie

Speaking before his singles match Monty said there "was not one iota of complacency" within the European side and that they aimed to become the first side to win all five sessions for the first time in Ryder Cup history.

Describing the atmosphere, he said: "If you were at all shaky there was no way you would have managed to hit a ball off that first tee."

Monty, now the elder statesman among the European players, also revealed the support among the team for captain Ian Woosnam.

"The one thing that a team need of a captain is respect and there were 12 members of this team that respected Ian Woosnam as a person and as a captain," he said.

"We wanted to win for him and that's what we do on this team."

Europe's win matched the record margin of victory of Bernhard Langer's team at Oakland Hills in 2004.

Nick Faldo will captain the European side in Valhalla, Kentucky, in two years time.