Saturday October 30, 2010, 02:10 PM

Europe's victorious Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie said on Saturday he wanted his successor to be given more wildcard picks, to avoid having to leave out world-class players.

Montgomerie was forced to disappoint fellow Britons Paul Casey and Justin Rose for this year's clash at the Celtic Manor in south Wales, and said the next captain should be given more choices.

He said he hoped a meeting of Europe's Ryder Cup committee in Abu Dhabi early next year would come up with a solution.

"It was a very hard day, having to leave out world players and the way it was done, there's no question the timing was wrong," he said.

"I was picking a team where I had to tell people on the golf course, or not on the golf course in America, whether they were in or not.

"I wouldn't wish that on anybody, having to do what I had to do -- to tell world players that unfortunately on this occasion you're not going to be playing."

Casey and Rose chose to stay in America in the two weeks running up to the team announcement, when returning to Europe could have seen them qualify, so Montgomerie was left with five players in the world top 22 chasing three picks.

"I think that more captain's picks the better," Montgomerie said at the pro-celebrity Star Trophy golf tournament in southern China.

"Imagine if I'd only had two -- it was bad enough with three. I think that would be the consensus, that the captain would have more picks rather than less."

Europe next do battle with the Americans on the fairways of the Medinah Country Club in the United States in 2012.

© 2010 AFP/sid