‘That’s a question you should ask the Ryder Cup Captain … and he’s not here. Why not phone him … I am sure he will answer ….

But yes, I will play in the Ryder Cup.’

Whether that was determination in his words or not, Montgomerie was in bullish mood, having extended his winning sequence to 12 years (compared with 11 years for Nick Faldo). There were thoughts on the fact that the only way he could make the top 10 of this year’s Order of Merit (and repair some of the damage done to his World Ranking) was to win this week.

For Monty, a win was possible for one major reason, a drastic improvement in his putting. Having putted poorly in Atlanta (at the American Express World Championship event – plus having taken out two putters once, and reverted to the short version for a round and a half), Monty found a putting tip (we can all use if we are brave enough) that produced a 65 round Kingsbarns in the Dunhill. He now looks at the hole not at the ball as he makes his stroke.

‘It’s a bit worrying at the first hole I admit because by looking at the hole you don’t want to fresh air it. But its amazing, if you are looking at something you do extend and follow through towards it.’

That is something for you all to try this weekend.

Next up was Darren Clarke, ‘sweating’ not just on his possible participation in the US Tour Championship but just as much because of all the work that his new trainer Steve Hampson is doing with him.

Clarke has a new gym arriving at his home next in two weeks time, some of the best (and most expensive) in multi-gyms, treadmills, bikes and free weights. (Remember that our Club and Kit review will be featuring fitness stuff from December onwards).

Hampson has pushed the Ulsterman hard already, and includes boxing but no sprints (as yet).

‘He was actually quite surprised that I wasn’t as bad as he thought I was going to be – he said “You’re not as big as I thought you were going to be”.

‘Sprinting? J-o-g is about as hard as I go at the minute.’

What Clarke also revealed is that even if he misses out on the US Tour Championship, he has a work schedule that would only be made bearable if Concorde was still flying as he circumnavigates the Globe between now and Christmas. It may be (seem) glamorous, it is very well paid, but he misses his family and he will be trying to sleep more on planes than in decent hotel beds … and everyone he meets over the next few weeks will be expecting him to play good golf.

Padraig Harrington was most informative about the condition of a very wet Valderrama and that in his opinion, ‘The golf course will always play easier when it is softer’.

Like all those in front of the press today, Padraig mentioned that the wind was a factor which makes Valderrama tough even in wet conditions. Worcestershire’s John Bickerton was not so sure about what the winning score would be as he went out for a final 9 holes practice. Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia were both asked about the other factor that is Valderrama, the cork trees which line virtually every hole and make (have made) the 18th a ‘single file’ fairway.

Jose did not think that anything had been done, despite his having made his thoughts known. Garcia had seen a clearing out of the 18th fairway and maybe some changes on the 1st. One thing is for certain and that is that for the lesser mortals who play golf (99.9% of us), these specimens are very special hazards.

What is this place really like? How best can you describe Valderrama? To get to the course, you have a short drive through winding estate roads from the main coastal road. This is a palatial club and its championship course runs up the gentle hillsides of the valley which the clubhouse overlooks. There were no constraints on space for the layout so fairways do run alongside each other on occasions. On others, the holes take in the use of the land as required. There are just a few times when the trees spire upwards. As mentioned before, the cork trees that are Valderrama do not search out the clouds. They spread, across from the rough into the fairway and over the greens. What is a target in ‘real’ terms is playable as a bulls-eye.

Beautiful – yes. Tough – these guys may still shoot –10 to win this week. A perfect place to finish the season? Yes is the answer to this last question. Whilst the tropical feel may cause problems, Southern Spain in late October is a great place to finish the season. The only trouble is that whilst this may be the last Tournament of the year where World Ranking points are available, most of the players are continuing playing well into December. It’s the time of what has been called the ‘silly season’ full of limited field events which have fantastic prizes, even bigger than those on offer in the regular season. How different this is to our amateur game.

What about form guides? Sergio says his game is good and that he is hitting the ball a long way again. Longest on the practice ground? Adam Scott and Ian Poulter spent virtually the whole afternoon hitting impressive shot after impressive shot. Were they bored or are they the ones to watch this week?