Monty gives Langer Ryder Cup hope

Montgomerie and Langer formed a formidable Ryder Cup partnership

European captain Colin Montgomerie has not ruled out selecting German veteran Bernhard Langer as one of his wild card picks for next year's Ryder Cup.

Langer, 52, has played in 10 Ryder Cups - winning 21 of his 42 matches - and skippered Europe to victory in the 2004 event in Oakland Hills.

"Bernhard is professionally perfect in everything he does and you could do a lot worse," said Montgomerie.

"He would be a great foursomes partner. He's still very competitive and fit."

Langer is regarded as one of the most successful golfers of his generation, winning 40 times on the European Tour as well as securing the Masters in 1993 and 1985.

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Langer started playing seniors golf in 2008, topping the money list on the US Champions Tour last year, and is leading it again after winning four events in 2009.

His Ryder Cup career spans 21 years and during that time he formed an impressive partnership with Montgomerie, winning 5½ points out of a possible seven when paired with the Scotsman.

And although he would be 53 by the time the Ryder Cup comes to Celtic Manor in Wales next year, Langer still thinks he could be competitive.

"Obviously, there is no way I could qualify but I've proved in two of the events I've played on the full European Tour this year that I can still compete at this level," he added.

"My swing has got better technically because I've had more time to work at it and that breeds confidence. My back has been consistently better. So who knows? It's totally up to the captain."

Former European number one Lee Westwood also believes Langer is a force to be reckoned with.

"Even if Bernhard lost 50% of his work ethic he'd still work harder than most players," said Westwood.