Colin Montgomerie admitted he wasn't surprised by Nick Faldo's decision to leave him out of the European team for next month's Ryder Cup.

Montgomerie, 45, missed out on a wildcard spot to Ian Poulter and Paul Casey when Faldo named his squad for the Kentucky clash on Sunday, but the Scot is adamant his Ryder Cup career, which began in 1991, is not over yet.

"I do feel I have not played my last Ryder Cup, but I have to get my consistent game back," Montgomerie said.

"It will be harder next time, so I have to raise the bar as well. But I am determined to do that.

"Always you hope you might get picked because we all know what credentials I can bring to the Ryder Cup, but I think I was even fourth or fifth on the list."

Montgomerie, who is expected to be Europe's captain when the match is staged in Scotland at Gleneagles in 2014, dismissed suggestions that he and Darren Clarke had been left out because Faldo didn't want any senior pros who may question his decisions.

"I don't think that was in his thoughts. I think he picked the two players he thought would get the most points. Let's hope they do," Montgomerie said.

"I would not say it's going to be punishment watching them. I will look forward to it - to see how people react and to learn how I might do it in the future."

(AFP via China Daily September 3, 2008)