Colin Montgomerie will spend all but one of the next nine weeks attempting to remind Nick Faldo that he is worthy of Ryder Cup selection.

The Scot, who re-married last month, restarts a stalled quest for a place in Europe's Ryder Cup team for a ninth successive time, starting at the Irish Open which begins at Adare Manor today.

Montgomerie, one of a dozen Scots vying for the £331,000 first prize, tees-up in only his seventh event this season and second since his lavish Loch Lomond wedding.

While he and his new wife, Gaynor, settle into their Perthshire home, he has also kept an eye on the current Ryder Cup points standing. His name is not among the top 30 on either qualifying table.

"I've looked at the Ryder Cup points table a few times over the past weeks and I really need to earn some points quickly to prove to Nick that I can still win," he said. "So far this year I haven't won and there's urgency to win again."

"I practised hard last week at Gleneagles - that's only five miles from home, so I guess that's my local club now. All I want to do is start contending again."

Montgomerie will have stiff competition however, with Darren Clarke stating his desire to score points in the Ryder Cup qualifying race - and success in his home Open will do for starters. "My whole schedule is based around Europe, to start climbing up the world rankings, which I've done," said Clarke. "It's all worked out as we would have hoped so far and I'm doing everything I can to try to make the Ryder Cup team. It's one I desperately want to play in."

However, the organisers of the Irish Open have done Alastair Forsyth few favours by giving him an 8am tee time this morning.

Forsyth and Marc Warren handed over £6900 to hire the eight-seater private jet owned by Clarke and Lee Westwood so that they could support Rangers in last night's UEFA Cup final in Manchester. The duo left Shannon Airport at 3pm yesterday but were not scheduled to return to Ireland until the early hours of this morning.

Forsyth starts his first round at 8am and is grouped with the holder and reigning Open champion Padraig Harrington, as well as Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell.

Warren is a little better off and may get a lie-in: he tees-up at 12.50pm.