Monty: ‘2018 European Ryder Cup Side Best Ever’

Elliott Heath

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

Monty: '2018 European Ryder Cup Side Best Ever'
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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.”

A-Z of the Ryder Cup

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.”

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.”