Phil Price' best major performance is tied 10th at the 2003 Open

European captain Colin Montgomerie may pick 2002 Ryder Cup team-mate Phil Price in his backroom team when the showpiece is held in Wales next year.

Montgomerie wants local knowledge when he leads his team into battle against the United States when the Ryder Cup is held in Wales for the first time.

The skipper hints Price could be one of his assistants at the Celtic Manor.

"I would like to have some Welsh help in the background," said Montgomerie. "It would be great for everybody."

Price is a member of the Celtic Manor's revamped Twenty Ten course and lives just ten minutes drive from the Welsh resort in Newport.

"I'd like to think I could offer something of value to him at some point during the week," Price told BBC Sport.

Montgomerie knows three-time European Tour winner Price well as they both played key roles in Europe's memorable win over the United States at The Belfry in 2002.

Price famously stunned the then world number two Phil Mickelson in a dramatic singles shoot-out to inspire the Europeans to victory.

While Scotsman Montgomerie was the leading points scorer at The Belfry with four-and-a-half points out of five.

Now the friends could once again be reunited as Europe hope to win back the Ryder Cup following the United States' win at Valhalla last year.

Montgomerie revealed: "The fact that 65 to 70 percent of spectators here next year will be Welsh, it's only right that I encourage some of the backroom staff to be of that nationality.

As a past Ryder Cup player at The Belfry in 2002 we all know how well Phil did on the Sunday, in particular, and he's one of my potential candidates to be in the backroom staff here Europe captain Colin Montgomerie

"As a past Ryder Cup player at The Belfry in 2002 we all know how well Phil did on the Sunday, in particular, and he's one of my potential candidates to be in the backroom staff here.

"That's of course if he doesn't perform well enough to make the team on his own merit."

But Price's involvement as a player is unlikely as the 42-year-old is currently 976th in the world rankings and has not enjoyed a top ten finish since finishing ninth at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in January 2007.

So it would take a dramatic turnaround in form for Price to qualify for the European team for the 2010 Ryder Cup.

And Price concedes: "It'd be nice to think that I could but I haven't been playing that well."

Although Montgomerie hopes to have a Welsh player at the Celtic Manor as he previously said: "I think it would be a shame to go into a Welsh Ryder Cup without Welsh representation."

The highest placed Welshman in the world rankings is Rhys Davies at 155, just ahead of Bradley Dredge who in 157th in the world.

Ryder Cup captains have a tradition of picking golfers from that country in their backroom team as Ian Woosnam chose Irishman Des Smyth as one of his vice-captains when Europe secured a record-equalling win at Ireland's K Club in 2006.

Former world number one Woosnam, the 1991 Masters champion, is an ambassador for the Ryder Cup Wales but has ruled out the possibility of being one of Montgomerie's vice-captains.

Denmark's Thomas Bjorn and Irishman Paul McGinley are front-runners to be among Montgomerie's assistants but popular Price has admitted he would "love" to have a role in Europe's backroom team.

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