Monty could be asked to

stay on as 2012 captain

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By SANDY MACASKILL
Colin Montgomerie could be asked to stay on as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, according to Thomas Bjorn, Monty’s assistant captain and the chairman of the European Tour's tournament committee, who will decide the leader for 2012.
The last player to retain the job was fellow Scot Bernard Gallacher, who lost twice before finally having success at Oak Hill in 1995.
Since then Seve Ballesteros, Mark James, Sam Torrance, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam and Nick Faldo have all led Europe and then stood down regardless of the result.
José María Olazábal, who was the initial favourite for this week but then hesitated over whether he wanted the job yet, remains a clear choice for the 2012 competition in Chicago. But the 44-year-old Spaniard has appeared in only one event this season because of his continuing battle with rheumatism.
In Montgomerie’s favour is the fact that he is still active on the circuit. Bjorn, who is one of Montgomerie's four assistants at Celtic Manor, said: "You can't rule out anything. It's a changing animal all the time. We have a lot of potential captains coming along, but you could have a captain who fits the bill perfectly and we listen to our players.
"I'll listen to this team when it's all done and all settled down just to get a feedback from them – and so will all the guys on the committee."
The 39-year-old Bjorn, a contender for the captaincy himself in the future, spoke with Olazábal only a month ago. "It was more as a friend just to see how he was – and he hopes to play a few of the events coming up and then a full schedule next year," Bjorn added.
"If that's the case then there are no worries at all, while if he doesn't play it would be a worry, but it won't be a deciding factor.
"He's not made his intentions clear. I think anybody would want to be captain, but I know Olly pretty well – his main focus is getting well again and that comes before anything."
Montgomerie was appointed four months after Faldo lost the last match in Louisville and there will be a similar timeframe this time.
"The next three days are very important for the Tour as a whole," added Bjorn. "And after it's over I think we will just take a step back and reflect."