Sandy Lyle believes he has what it takes to captain Europe's Ryder Cup team if he is given the job of replacing Nick Faldo for the match.

"You know you will get some knocks, but you don't win majors without being hard inside," the former Open and US Masters champion, who has long expressed his desire to be in charge for the 2010 match in Wales.

Colin Montgomerie gave support to his countryman yesterday and Lyle said: "It's an opportunity which only comes once in a lifetime to anybody, so the nice comments from Colin are inspiring.

"It's about handling people and all the different types of egos which go around - and the personalities. You need to be a leader, I've watched the Ryder Cup for a number of years and was involved at The K Club behind the scenes. Seeing Ian Woosnam get the team going was very inspiring at the time.

"I've known a lot of the Ryder Cup players and I think I've got good feedback off them when been involved. I'll do my best - that's all I can do."

Lyle was criticised in July for walking out of The Open at Birkdale during the bad weather of the first morning. "I'm thick-skinned, not generally a quitter," he said. "Hopefully it won't leave any scars as far as being a Ryder Cup captain."

On Faldo's tactics in the five-point defeat at the weekend - he gambled by putting Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington at the tail of his singles order, Lyle said: "I know what Nick was trying to think - to load his team lower down. But unfortunately the tournament was over before the main guys got in there."