Padraig Harrington effectively called on Nick Faldo yesterday to include Colin Montgomerie in the Europe Ryder Cup team if the Scot fails to qualify automatically for the side that will take on the United States in Kentucky in September.

A day after he had successfully held on to his Open Championship crown at Royal Birkdale - and sealed his place in the Ryder Cup team in the process - Harrington turned his eyes towards the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville and the role he pictured for Montgomerie, who has become a talisman for the team. “Now I'm in the team, I hope to tee it up with Monty at Valhalla,” the Irishman said. “I look forward to playing with anybody in the team, but going back to the last couple of times I played, he would certainly be a pick of mine.”

In five four-ball and foursomes matches that the two have played together, dating back to The Belfry in 2002, Harrington and Montgomerie have won three and lost two. But for anyone who was there, it is impossible to forget the monumental start they gave to the team at Oakland Hills in Detroit in 2004.

That year, Montgomerie was one of the two picks of Bernhard Langer, the captain (the other was Luke Donald), and was inspired by the awareness that his team-mates had asked for his inclusion. He and Harrington led the team off in the four-balls on the first morning against the US “dream” pairing of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and went on to seal a 2 and 1 win from which the hosts did not recover.

“He's a totally different man when it comes to the Ryder Cup,” Harrington, who rose to No3 in the world after his Open win and should regard himself as the senior player, said. “I don't think any player would not want to tee it up with him in a four-ball or a foursomes and go out there and take on anybody in the world.

“I captained teams at school, but I felt with the Ryder Cup there were other people that get more out of being in that position. I'm quite happy that I can perform to my level, regardless of my position in the hierarchical system of the team, whereas Monty [who is unbeaten in eight singles matches dating back to 1991] clearly performs better by being the player-captain.”

While Harrington pictures Montgomerie in this role, it is questionable whether Faldo does. As captain of the Great Britain and Ireland team at the Seve Trophy in Ireland last year, Faldo kept Montgomerie at arm's length and it was noticeable how the former European No1 seemed to lose interest in proceedings. Faldo is not a man to massage egos.

Harrington is aware that he is Europe's most established player and should perhaps consider himself for the senior role. “Some of the players are young enough that I could feel like being the [playing] captain,” he said. “But I still feel that's Monty's job. If he shows the form he has for the past couple of months, I'm sure he'll be right up there for a pick.”

Montgomerie was touched to have been given such a ringing endorsement. “That is incredibly kind of Padraig after all that he has achieved this weekend,” the Scot said. “I have the utmost respect for him and if I make it into the team, I'd be delighted to resume our partnership.”

Faldo will take a little more convincing. He was pleased with what he witnessed at Birkdale, with Ian Poulter, the Englishman, finishing as runner-up and Henrik Stenson, of Sweden, moving back into form, but Montgomerie was not mentioned in dispatches. “In Ryder Cup terms I was really pleased with the result,” Faldo said. “I was delighted to see Ian Poulter battling away at the top of the leaderboard and was very impressed with Padraig's performance.

“Padraig has worked his way to the top of the qualification table in one event and in great style. The last person I'd want to have to pick for the European team is a past Open champion and his addition will bring real backbone to our campaign. Padraig's not only a seasoned campaigner, but he's now a two-time major winner and it's worth noting that the US team doesn't have a current major champion.”

Montgomerie lies in fifteenth place on the European points list and could face stiff competition for one of the two wild cards. The qualifying race has a month to go, but at the moment Poulter, Montgomerie, Sergio García, Paul Casey and the injured Donald would require a captain's pick.

Ryder Cup table

Europe

World points list

1, Padraig Harrington (Ire) 238.64
2, Lee Westwood (Eng) 229.18
3, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 200.02
4, Robert Karlsson (Swe) 194.05
5, Miguel Ángel Jiménez (Sp) 192.36
6, Sergio García (Sp) 189.80
7, Ian Poulter (Eng) 173.21

European points list

1, Westwood 2,141,552.72
2, Karlsson 2,087,550.28
3, Jiménez 2,005,780.63
4, Graeme McDowell (N Ire) 1,899,335.72
5, Harrington 1,763,740.27
6, Stenson 1,640,824.60
7, Soren Hansen (Den) 1,340,921.93
8, Oliver Wilson (Eng)1,326,431.56
9, Martin Kaymer (Ger)1,316,335.15
10, Justin Rose (Eng) 1,272,327.75
11, Ross Fisher (Eng)1,246,850.73
12, Ian Poulter (Eng)1,237,412.66
13, Nick Dougherty (Eng)1,043,412.16

The top five from the World list and, excluding them, the five highest from the European list qualify automatically. Nick Faldo, the captain, will then have two wild-card picks.

United States

1, Tiger Woods 11,365pts
2, Stewart Cink 4,906
3, Phil Mickelson 4,570
4, Kenny Perry 4,444
5, Jim Furyk 4,186
6, Anthony Kim 3,806
7, Justin Leonard 3,277
8, Boo Weekley 2,591
9, Steve Stricker 2,556
10, Woody Austin 2,380
11, Rocco Mediate 2,203
12, Hunter Mahan 2,171

The top eight after the US PGA Championship ends on August 10 qualify automatically. Stricker, who is ninth, would be in because of Woods's injury. Paul Azinger, the captain, will then have four wild-card picks.