• Ryder Cup

Monty ready to open with McDowell and McIlroy

Colin Montgomerie feels his side is as strong as Europe has ever put out © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Montgomerie admits to captaincy concerns
  
• News: Europe must be wary of Pavin's USA - Faldo
  
• Profile: Colin Montgomerie

Sir Nick Faldo went to great lengths to keep his pairings under wraps in 2008, but his successor as Europe captain Colin Montgomerie is so confident he is ready to divulge his pairings a week before the Ryder Cup starts.

Montgomerie is counting down the days to the start of the clash with USA at Celtic Manor on October 1 and he is brimming with confidence. The Scot is looking for his side to make an early statement of intent and has hinted he will let Ulster pair Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell lead from the front.

"You've got to be thinking of Graeme and Rory for the first match, it's an obvious possibility," Montgomerie told the Daily Mail. "They are quick players, feed off each other and did wonderfully well when they teed off first for Britain and Ireland in the Vivendi Trophy last year."

Lee Westwood has proved his fitness this week and Europe's No. 1 golfer could be paired with US PGA champion Martin Kaymer.

Montgomerie said: "The feedback I got was that everyone wants to play with Luke Donald, who is the Bernhard Langer of this team, and everyone would like to partner Martin Kaymer. But I like the idea of Martin and Lee. They're both such good drivers. I could see a situation where you just let them go, and play them together in the afternoon foursomes as well."

Montgomerie is not fazed by the prospect of allowing his opposite number Corey Pavin an insight into his plans.

"I could tell you the line-up now for Friday morning and it wouldn't be any secret to my opposite number, Corey Pavin," he said.

"This is going to be a very open campaign and while some will think this is me showing my hand, it's important to know where I am coming from. We don't have a team like we had in the 1990s, where it was split down the middle and I felt very junior and very rookie.

"I made my Ryder Cup debut before I played my first American major. Kaymer has won an American major, for heaven's sake, before he has played in the Ryder Cup. So I feel the team is much closer and the standard separating No. 1 from No. 12 is negligible. That's why they all play on the first day."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.