Europe Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie named Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn and Paul McGinley as his vice captains Tuesday, insisting they had the ideal qualities to help the team regain the trophy from the United States. Europe is widely regarded as favorite heading into the event at Celtic Manor, Wales from Oct. 1-3, and with three tournament veterans assisting him, Montgomerie said the team had a great chance to make it six wins from the last eight events. “The Ryder Cup is about passion, commitment and will to win and all three men I've named possess these qualities in abundance,” Montgomerie said. “They have all been part of successful European Ryder Cup teams in the past and know the players who will be part of the team. I think this is the strongest team we (Europe) have ever assembled, on and off the course.” Montgomerie still has to finalize his 12-man team, which will be named after next month's Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. Northern Irishman Clarke is a veteran of five consecutive Ryder Cups from 1997 to 2006, when he was on the winning side four times, while Bjorn of Denmark played in the victorious 1997 and 2002 teams and assisted Bernhard Langer at the 2004 event that Europe won at Oakland Hills, Michigan. Irishman McGinley holed the winning putt for Europe in 2002 at the Belfry. “The four of us will be a team. We are very much together and we will be making decisions from now on together,” said Montgomerie, a veteran of eight Ryder Cups.
