Colin Montgomerie has confirmed he would accept the 2014 Ryder Cup captaincy at Gleneagles if asked to take the role by the European Tour.
Speaking at a press day for the Johnnie Walker Championship, to be held over Gleneagles' PGA Centenary Course from August 23-26, Montgomerie made it clear he would love to continue his association with the great biennial team event.
"I'll do anything I can to help the European team. The Ryder Cup has been part of my life since 1991," he said. "If the European Tour wants me to be captain, I will be. The players' committee will decide. I was on the last one so I know how it works."
"For 2012 it was easy, Olazabal is two years younger than me and it was an obvious choice. For 2014 it's likely to be more of an issue. Three of my vice captains, Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn and Paul McGinley, their names spring to mind. And then there's me."
Although in recent Ryder Cups, captains have taken the role just once, it's not unheard of for someone to captain the side on multiple occasions. Tony Jacklin took the helm four times in the 1980s and Bernard Gallacher was captain three times.
"If you go back to the days of Jacklin and Gallacher, yes, there's an opportunity to do it again," said Montgomerie. "And I don't think the rules have changed."
With just two weeks until the Johnnie Walker Championship, the last event counting towards European Ryder Cup qualification for the match at Medinah, Monty is looking forward to the Gleneagles event.
"It's going to be a great field," he said. "Those on the bubble will all be there to try and seal a place. The likes of Nicolas Colsaerts and (defending champion) Thomas Bjorn, will be battling to make the team."
And Monty knows as well as anyone, the team is not set in stone until the final putt drops at Gleneagles on Sunday evening.
"Just look what happened with Edoardo Molinari in 2010," he said. "That win secured his place at Celtic Manor."
