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Captain Colin's progress report

Luke Donald showed quality in all departments at Wentworth © Getty Images

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While the argument regarding the changes made to Wentworth's West Course layout for the PGA Championship took up the majority of British column inches, the issue of Ryder Cup places simmered away nicely in the background. With Europe captain Colin Montgomerie in attendance in a playing capacity, several of the continent's top guns committed to the European Tour's flagship event - with the exception of Sergio Garcia - after several years of poor attendance.

In total, 11 of the team that was beaten at Valhalla in 2008 were on show, while the likes of Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Martin Kaymer, Ross Fisher and the Molinari brothers arrived with the intention of putting on a show for the Scot. Surprise winner Simon Khan stole the big boys' thunder but the idea of him making Montgomerie's final 12 is unthinkable at this stage, despite playing himself into contention with his second career win.

Despite missing out on his first triumph on either tour since 2006 by a single stroke, Donald gained the most from his week in the sun. A second-place finish moved him to 20th on the European Ryder Cup points list and did his chances of picking up one of the three captain's picks, should he need it, no harm.

Clearly enthused by Donald's first European Tour appearance of the season, Montgomerie said: "I'm delighted he's made an effort to come over here and also made an effort to play in Wales. That's super of Luke Donald to change his schedule to miss the Memorial Tournament to play Wales. That's a big tick in his column."

Perhaps the most important of Montgomerie's observations though would be of a struggling McIlroy. The biggest lesson Europe's captain may have learned so far is that his young maestro might need more care and attention to perform than he had previously realised. The Quail Hollow champion's form may not be a concern yet, but his showing at Wentworth provided an interesting insight as he failed to settle on the tricky twists and turns of the revised layout and cut a frustrated figure for much of the four days of play. A McIlroy on form would be a terrifically-strong force in October, but any recurrence of the body language of the past week will need the correct handling to prevent his first Ryder Cup appearance becoming one to forget.

Graeme McDowell has long been touted as a perfect partner for McIlroy after they combined to devastating effect at the Vivendi Trophy. Another week of fluctuating form did little to catch the eye but the putting ability of Northern Ireland's second best golfer could be a key factor in his inclusion. McDowell impressed at Valhalla under pressure and that will weigh heavily on Montgomerie's mind, as will the potential of his calming influence alongside McIlroy.

Justin Rose will need a fine late run of form to secure his place in the team © Getty Images

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While the likes of Lee Westwood, Padraig Harrington, Paul Casey and Ian Poulter are all virtually guaranteed of their place, 2008 Ryder Cup player Justin Rose is in danger of missing out this time around. After dovetailing nicely with Poulter at Valhalla, Rose endured a poor 2009 season and recently dropped out of the top 50. His first top-10 finish of the year at Wentworth showed signs of a return to form but Rose's season will rely heavily on qualifying for the majors and the chance to earn the extra points on offer. Any failure to do so would almost certainly leave him at Montgomerie's mercy.

Five of the top nine players in the current European points list are potential Ryder Cup rookies but with a summer of major championships ahead that is sure to change. The 2009 Players Championship winner Henrik Stenson will certainly be hoping so. The Swede continued to struggle with the driver, relying on his power out of the rough to make the weekend and at 33rd in the list, he will need to turn his form round sooner rather than later if he is to make the automatic places, but his ability to go well in the majors should see him over the line. Fellow countryman Robert Karlsson should also fall into the same bracket. His course-record 62 in the third round showed him at his best, although a final-day collapse of sorts will definitely hurt him as important points slipped away.

Montgomerie has spoken on numerous occasions about his desire to have a mix of power and precision in his team in order to give his fourball line-ups more depth. A combination of the accuracy of Donald and the length of Fisher would seem a favourable combination. The latter has not enjoyed the best of starts to this season but is still well in contention on the points list after winning the Volvo Matchplay Championship at the end of last year. Fisher's stock is still fairly high after finishing fifth at last year's US Open and, despite an inconsistent four days at Wentworth, the 30-year-old is reportedly seen by Montgomerie as a player he would prefer to have among his 12-man team.

That would seemingly leave Alvaro Quiros needing an automatic qualification place to make it to Celtic Manor for October's event. The Spaniard would also fill the quota of big-hitting talent but his errant short game would go against him if he was left relying on being picked. His missed cut at Wentworth could have deeper-lying consequences further down the road. The same could be said for Oliver Wilson and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Several other players such as Chris Wood and Danny Willett showed further signs of potential, while Fredrik Andersson Hed continued his run of fine form, but the strength of Montgomerie's European pool of talent will likely see them miss out this time. With the points list so close, the Scot's extra captain's pick will play a big part in his preparations; expect there to be a couple of surprises in his eventual line-up. Perhaps even the great Garcia could be vulnerable.

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