Monty: '2018 European Ryder Cup Side Best Ever'

The Ryder Cup winning captain says Thomas Bjorn's team could be the best ever

Monty: '2018 European Ryder Cup Side Best Ever'
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Ryder Cup winning captain says Thomas Bjorn's team could be the best ever

Monty: '2018 European Ryder Cup Side Best Ever'

Thomas Bjorn's European Ryder Cup side attempt to regain the trophy in September at Le Golf National after losing 17-11 at Hazeltine in 2016.

The Europeans are underdogs if you look at the odds, with the USA side boasting the likes of Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler and potentially Tiger Woods.

However, Colin Montgomerie, playing in this week's Senior Open at St Andrews, says Bjorn should be "very, very confident" and that he may possess the best European side in history.

"It was him and McIlroy and Rose came through very well, and you put all those three together with Molinari's win, Thomas is probably looking at the best team that we've had assembled for, well, almost ever."

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Montgomerie was the winning captain in 2010 at Celtic Manor

Monty also believes that none of the players making their first Ryder Cup appearances can realistically be called rookies anymore.

"When you add up the new boys coming through, they are not rookies anymore, the way that we were in '91, you know.

"It's very much world players now. Alex Noren hasn't played before, but he's a world player. Jon Rahm, world player. Molinari's played before, and Tommy Fleetwood, world player. And these are rookies. Now, we haven't had that before. Our rookies were rookies and had to be hidden and, you know, protected, fathered, really, through that."

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Molinari's victory broke the string of five American major victories in a row, with Koepka winning last year's US Open, Spieth winning the Open, Thomas winning the USPGA, Reed the Masters and Koepka the US Open again.

Montgomerie believes that the streak ending will have given the Europeans confidence.

"Now it's very different. We've got a straight strength, great strength and depth, as well and it's looking extremely good for Thomas. As I said, the mentality of a European breaking an American duck as well. We've had four American winners, across TPC, it was about time Europe came in and broke that duck and we have now.

"That will give confidence to the rest of the lot, as well."

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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV