- Ryder Cup
Montgomerie says his team are all fit and firing
European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie has declared that Lee Westwood and Peter Hanson are ready to play, insisting that his team have "no fitness worries" ahead of the titanic clash with USA at Celtic Manor.
The eagerly-anticipated biennial event takes place this weekend in Wales, with Montgomerie hoping his troops can reclaim the crown that Sir Nick Faldo's squad lost two years ago at Valhalla.
There had been concerns that world No. 3 Westwood and his team-mate Hanson might struggle to be 100% fit for the contest, with the former struggling to shrug off a long-standing calf injury and the latter pulling out of the Vivendi Cup at the weekend due to a chest infection.
But Montgomerie says he has been assured having spoken to the Swede and he has also been encouraged by Westwood's ability to get multiple rounds under his belt.
"Lee played 36 holes over the weekend and can cope," he said. "We have no worries with our fitness."
The Scot also denied claims he would not have chosen Tiger Woods had he been making the big calls as captain of the American team.
"I've always said Tiger is the best player in the world and in my opinion, the best player to ever play the game," he said. "Of course he'd be in my team. I'm delighted to see him here and we welcome him with open arms."
Europe are odds-on favourites with some bookmakers to regain the trophy, but Montgomerie was quick to add a note of caution ahead of any one-sided predictions.
"These matches will be closely contested as they always are, he added. "It will probably come down to a Sunday putt and that's the beauty of this Ryder Cup. It will be extremely tight, extremely close, and that's great for the event."