Montgomerie still hoping for Ryder Cup spot

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Colin Montgomerie has never been beaten in Singles competition in Ryder Cup.

LONDON (AP) -- Colin Montgomerie is still hoping for a wild-card selection to this year's Ryder Cup, even though he's skipping two tournaments this month and can no longer earn an automatic berth on the European team.

"My desire to play in the Ryder Cup is greater than ever -- as I have shown in the past and in my schedule which has been geared toward qualifying," Montgomerie said Friday on his Web site.

However, after a dismal performance at the PGA Championship, he decided to opt out of this week's SAS Masters in Stockholm and a tournament in the Netherlands next week. That puts automatic qualifying out of reach, and Montgomerie must now hope European captain Nick Faldo selects him as a wild card for what would be his ninth Ryder Cup.

Montgomerie said he would use these two weeks to "put in some serious practice time" ahead of the Johnnie Walker Championship that starts Aug. 28 at Gleneagles in Scotland -- his last chance to impress Faldo.

"I want now to work on my game to compete as well as I can in Scotland at the Johnnie Walker Championship and to have my game to a standard that would allow me, hopefully, to perform at a level to help the team (if I am part of it)," he wrote on his Web site.

Montgomerie struggled at the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills, shooting a 14-over 84 in the second round -- his worst 18-hole score in a major. He missed the cut by 10 shots.

Montgomerie's main rivals for a European wild card include Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Darren Clarke.