If there is one subject guaranteed to spark life into Colin Montgomerie, it is the Ryder Cup, a competition that has inspired and defined him more than any other. And yet, at Gleneagles yesterday, Europe's former talisman had the look of a man resigned to the inevitability that his run of eight successive appearances in the biennial event was coming to an end.

While form alone could not justify his inclusion as one of Nick Faldo's two wild-card picks for the 12-man team who will play the United States in Louisville, Kentucky, next month, it is the perceived manner in which he is being discarded that Montgomerie will be finding hardest to bear.

Speaking on the eve of the Johnnie Walker Championship, the final counting event for those still in with a chance of qualifying automatically for the team, a subdued Montgomerie was asked if he had had any contact with Faldo, the team captain. “None at all,” he said. “And I have no idea how he feels I have to perform.”

With Faldo avoiding Gleneagles until he announces his decision on Sunday evening, that is a state of affairs that is unlikely to change. Even so, Montgomerie attempted to make a case for himself. “I'm past the stage of justifying my Ryder Cup potential,” he said. “Everybody, and I speak for the captain as well, understands my love of the Ryder Cup.”

There is, however, growing speculation that Faldo has already given the nod to Ian Poulter, who, curiously, has decided to remain in the United States rather than compete at Gleneagles and attempt to play his way on to the team. “He [Poulter] seems to have a hotline to Nick Faldo,” Montgomerie said.

Among his reasons, Poulter said that he needed to play in the US this week to fulfil his commitment to playing 15 events on the USPGA Tour - a slight bending of the facts considering that there are five tournaments he could enter after the Ryder Cup. “You might have thought he would have known that before he either entered here or pulled out,” Montgomerie, who would consider a role as vice-captain if asked, said.

Darren Clarke, another tipped for a wild card, would not be drawn on the Poulter issue, while Justin Rose - eighth in the standings and determined to make the team as of right - was surprised by his close friend's withdrawal. “I don't believe he's got the nod,” he said. “He's certainly well placed in terms of world rankings [at No23] and the Open Championship [in which he finished runner-up]. Maybe he thinks he has done enough.”