European Tour Insider: Monty's Ryder Cup team shaping up

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Before the Madrid Masters, Luke Donald had been winless for four years.

Colin Montgomerie had a wish. He made it clear that he wanted to see his prospective Ryder Cup players at three events.

He desired to see Europe's best at the BMW PGA Championship, Europe's flagship event at Wentworth. He also hopes for a good turn out at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles at the end of August. He's the tournament's chairman, and will be announcing his three wild cards to supplement the nine players who will have already qualified for the European team.

Finally, he decreed that it would be good to see potential team members at this week's Celtic Manor Wales Open, being played at the Twenty Ten Ryder Cup course in Newport, South Wales.

This time last year he'd said "I can't insist... but I can ask. I would expect a number to be participating anyway, because of course, it's a qualifying event, anyway."

Aside from the continued absence of Sergio Garcia, Wentworth ticked the appropriate boxes; but the Wales Open sees Captain Monty changing his tone a little.

With a number of would-be Ryder Cup stars missing, he said "considering we are opposite the Memorial Tournament which is one of the biggest events of the year on the PGA TOUR, I am delighted with who is playing in what will be the strongest gathering for the Wales Open in a long while."

Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, Rory McIlroy and Garcia have been joined by Padraig Harrington and Robert Karlsson in side-stepping the event. Harrington has had knee surgery; Karlsson is working on his game.

Still, Monty is positive: "I had a look at the current top 20 in The Ryder Cup standings and of that 20, 12 will be in Wales."

DOMINANT DONALD: Monty's thrilled to see the form of Luke Donald, who's now back up to No. 9 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

The 32-year-old had been winless for four years. He suffered a collapse at the PGA Championship to finish second, but has made amends in front-running fashion, claiming the Madrid Masters.

Donald will play in Wales this week, and will be considered one of the favorites to continue his run.

He trusts the down times are well behind him. "There were periods at the ends of tournaments when I didn't finish them off," he said in Spain "and tough times during the wrist injury when I was out for so much and missing Ryder Cups, but you try to find the positives, and I knew eventually it would turn around."

WELSH PRESENCE: Exciting young Welshman Rhys Davis, who has already won in Morocco this season, was edged by Donald by one stroke for his third top five finish. Monty has spoken of wanting a Welsh presence on his team in Wales in October. He's praised the 25-year-old's form on the greens -- "one of the best putters I have seen at that age" -- and may well factor the East Tennessee State graduate into his plans.

If top Europeans are missing from Celtic Manor this week at least the home nation can boast that its Welsh stars are in prime form.

Jamie Donaldson made Madrid his fifth top ten finish in six events, and there was a time in Spain when Bradley Dredge, Stephen Dodd, Phil Price and Sion Bebb were all making moves.

JAMMY JAMIE: Donaldson had something else that was remarkable last week, at his first hole -- something he'd be very happy to relate at the 19th hole.

"I hit a 5-wood into 10 which I thought was alright," he said. "And it pitched in the water and bounced onto the fringe. I've never done that before."

"I have practiced skimming across the water," he said. "It's amazing what you can do, if you hit a low shot across the water, it does skim. You can get three or four skips out it. I suppose it's like Vijay did in practice in the Masters."

LUCKY DROP?: Oliver Wilson -- another of Montgomerie's potential Cuppers -- arrives in Wales this week, hoping his luck has turned. He's not been in the best of form to say the least, but Madrid proved an eye-catching week. He eventually claimed a top-10 finish via a third-round 70 and a closing 65.

He said of the last round: "Good to see lots of birdies again. Needed a steady round like that."

Not that the third day was steady in the least. He had an eagle, seven birdies, six pars, two bogeys, one double and a triple! There was a 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 on his scorecard, though sadly not a 1 or 2.

Is there a reason for a perceived change of fortunes? Well, some believe it's good luck when something untoward falls from the sky right onto a fresh, black shirt! There was no sign of the feathered culprit in the clear, blue sky, and Wilson had no opportunity to go back and change his attire.

SING WHEN YOU'RE WINNING: Luke Donald resisted bursting into song in Madrid, and that's a shame given his prowess. Did you know he used to be a choirboy?

Apparently, he had the voice of an angel before he was 11. "I actually have a CD somewhere with a few songs on it," he said. "But that's hidden away for no one to see but me!"

It was "before things started to change, if you know what I mean."