Colin Montgomerie has advice for anyone tempted to follow the example of Ian Poulter and Ernie Els, who made recent statements about themselves, their golf and Tiger Woods.

It comprises one word: “Don't. You piss off Tiger Woods and Tiger Woods is going to beat you. Stephen Ames tried it and what happened to him? He lost the first nine holes [in an 18-hole match against Woods].”

Poulter said recently that if he ever played to his potential, it would be between him and Woods. “That has put Ian in a difficult position,” Montgomerie said. “He has put himself under a lot of unnecessary pressure. Poulter's confidence is his strongest suit. If he loses some of that because of this it would be a shame.”

Then what about Els's well-publicised aim to become the world's No1 within three years? Different question, same answer. “Don't. Don't say anything about Tiger Woods apart from saying we are very lucky to be playing this game in this era because he is helping us all. You can still beat him in a tournament. You can beat him in a matchplay situation, but you are not going to beat him over a year.

“I'm not saying give in. You have got to be confident. But when the subject of Tiger Woods comes up I am very positive about him and say he is the best player ever to play the game. I don't go on to say yes I can beat him or no I can't. You have your own private thoughts.

“Yes, he won't win every event but over one season he is going to beat you. We would all love to be No1, but be realistic. He is only 32 and for the foreseeable future he is going to be the No1. Foreseeable? Five years. He is going to be No1 for five years.”

Montgomerie was at Dukes Meadows Golf Club in West London to launch the start of the 2008 HSBC Wee Wonders Championship. As he tucked into a plate of bacon and eggs, a joke was cracked at his expense. “I can think of you as a wonder but I am struggling to think of you as wee,” someone said. To his credit, Montgomerie laughed. “I weighed 11lb when I was born and I have slimmed down since then.

“I saw an eight-year-old out there - Ryan - and he hit the ball, well ...” Even Montgomerie's known capability to effuse failed him. “And there's another one called Tim, too. Well ... what am I doing out here?” At 8, Montgomerie was not in the same class as these two prodigies. He was 14 before he broke 100 and at 18 his handicap was six.

Then it dropped like a stone - within two years he was down to plus three.

Montgomerie will be 45 in June. His eyes are on his wedding in April, [to Gaynor] on improving from his world ranking of 60th in order to qualify for the Masters, and the Ryder Cup in September. So far, a chance to make a ninth appearance in the biennial match is miles away. “Come back to me after July and see how I stand then,” he said. “If I play well I will be in the team and by playing well I mean win at least twice and have a number of top tens. The Ryder Cup is a part of my life. It's the week I always put down in my diary. But I have to show Nick [Faldo, the Europe captain] some form.”

Montgomerie is making a slow start to the year. He finished 25th in Abu Dhabi in January, sixth in Qatar the next week and 65th in Dubai this month, playing the first two rounds with Woods. He competes in the Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona next week, where a probable first-round match against Justin Rose awaits him before going on to the Johnnie Walker Classic in India, the Ballantine's in South Korea and the World Golf Championship event in Doral, Florida.

On these pages last autumn, Faldo criticised Montgomerie for missing team meetings during the Seve Trophy. Asked about Faldo, Montgomerie was diplomatic, saying that players would give Faldo more respect than any other recent captain. Then Montgomerie was asked: “Do you like Faldo?” The question stopped him in his tracks. He paused for several seconds before saying: “I don't socialise with him. But then I try not to socialise with my peers.”

He admitted that the prospect of not making the Europe team for Valhalla had occurred to him - and been quickly dismissed. So had the possibility that Europe might not win a fourth Ryder Cup in a row. “I know how competitive Paul Azinger [the US captain] is from playing with Nick against he and Fred Couples at The Belfry in 1993,” Montgomerie said. “He has altered the selection system, increased the picks, and they have home advantage. I think it will be very close, back to one player holing for victory late on Sunday afternoon. There won't be any record margins this time.”

Ryder cup race

World points list: 1, L Westwood (GB) 134.38; 2, J Rose (GB) 120.83; 3, D Chopra (Swe) 103.93; 4, H Stenson (Swe) 100.47; 5, M Kaymer (Ger) 97.06; 6, I Poulter (GB) 82.74; 7, S Hansen (Den) 70.49; 8, N Dougherty (GB) 69.52; 9, M Á Jiménez (Sp) 59.65; 10, R Karlsson (Swe) 59.50.

Other: 52, C Montgomerie 19.78.

European points list: 1, Westwood 1,228,905.40; 2, Rose 1,133,349.78; 3, Dougherty 789,054.61; 4, Kaymer 724,184.20; 5, S Webster (GB) 715,868.42; 6, Stenson 673,142.95; 7, Karlsson 669,191.32; 8, Hansen 652,801.94; 9, S Kjeldsen (Den) 639,424.89; 10, Jiménez 569,805.91.

Other: 37, Montgomerie 236829.78.

— Top five on world points list qualify, plus top five on European points list not otherwise qualified from world points list. Two remaining players to be chosen by Nick Faldo.