Isn't the Ryder Cup supposed to be friendly?

Colin Montgomerie's captaincy of the European Ryder Cup team encountered more turbulence over the weekend, when its last captain, Nick Faldo, revealed that his attempts to sit down and talk with Montgomerie have been for naught.

"I didn't want just to make my views known to him through the media," Faldo said at the BMW International Open in Munich, Germany, where he missed the cut. "So I wrote to Monty three weeks ago suggesting we meet up for a chat, but I have not had a reply. I don't think I need say any more than that. It says it all."

Montgomerie also was playing in Munich and made the cut. When asked about meeting with Faldo, he replied, "I think Nick missed out here (the cut) so I don't know what he is doing."

Of course, the cynic might ask what insights Faldo could possibly impart from a former captain's viewpoint given the drubbing his team took, 16 1/2-11 1/2, in 2008.

The larger issue is Montgomerie, who continues to make headlines beyond the simple promotion of the Ryder Cup. Last month was his warning to potential team members that they'd better play the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in Scotland in August, despite a conflict for European players who play the PGA Tour: The Barclays, the first event in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Say this for him, notwithstanding the ongoing contentiousness, there's never a dull moment.

UPDATE: Montgomerie said on Sunday that he does intend to meet with Faldo, "hopefully the next time we're together."

-- John Strege