• Ryder Cup

Monty impressed by Donald

Colin Montgomerie will get a good look at several potential members of his European Ryder Cup team at this week's Wales Open © Getty Images

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Colin Montgomerie is encouraged by the number of English players in the top ten of the world rankings ahead of this year's Ryder Cup.

Madrid Masters winner Luke Donald became the fourth Englishman to move into the top ten after claiming his first win in four years, joining Lee Westwood, Paul Casey and Ian Poulter among the world's top-ranked golfers. Europe captain Montgomerie feels the depth of English talent now on show is a great sign and says Donald has forced his way back into his plans after an inconsistent 2009 season.

"He (Donald) is in the top ten in the world now, that is the fourth Englishman in the top ten and that has never happened before," Montgomerie said. "One is good never mind four, so he is well in my thoughts."

Several potential members of the Scot's team will tee it up at this week's Wales Open at Celtic Manor and the 46-year-old is adamant that a European winner would receive a distinct advantage when it comes to selecting his team.

"I can't tell people to play, but I can ask them," Montgomerie said in reference to the Wales Open. "This is a big week for European golfers.

"If I was a potential player for the team I would be putting a big emphasis on this event. This is where the Ryder Cup is going to be held. Say a European wins this tournament by ten shots it is a big tick in the column for him."

While this week offers a great chance to those competing, Montgomerie also feels the tournament will be a good test for the Celtic Manor resort as a whole ahead of October's big event.

"There is no question when you come back to Celtic Manor that everything is just building up to something very special here for Wales.

"It is a big learning curve in terms of how things work and how things operate for everyone and this week will be important for sorting out things like timings to get to the practice ground and how things works like the dining. All the infrastructure and plans are important and this week will be a real chance for everyone involved to learn ahead of October."

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