Montgomerie wants change

Ryder Cup veteran says Europe needs to adopt U.S. system

Colin Montgomerie hopes the Europeans respond to their Ryder Cup loss by adopting the American qualifying system of four wild-card picks instead of two.

Montgomerie said he'd like to see Sandy Lyle become the next captain of the European golf team. But if Montgomerie ever gets the job, he'd scrap the current system of 10 automatic qualifiers and two wild cards.

"If it hasn't changed by then, I'll certainly be asking for that change by the time that I possibly do this job," Montgomerie said in Sutton Coldfield, England, on the eve of the British Masters at The Belfry, which has hosted four Ryder Cups.

Montgomerie, who was overlooked for selection by captain Nick Faldo after playing in the previous eight Ryder Cups, praised U.S. captain Paul Azinger for pushing for more wild-card picks.

"I think Paul Azinger was very strong to go to the U.S. PGA and demand a change," Montgomerie said. "Having lost five of the last six Ryder Cups, a change had to be made for their setup, and I'm sure that change will remain for the next captain. I think that for the future, eight and four is the way to go."

The U.S. team beat Europe 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 on Sunday.

WEDNESDAY'S ROUNDUP

USGA SENIOR AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP: Buddy Marucci, 56, of Villanova, Pa., and George Zahringer, 55, of New York, advanced to the final, winning quarterfinal and semifinal matches at Shady Oaks Country Club at Fort Worth, Texas.

Marucci, the runner-up to Tiger Woods in the 1995 U.S. Amateur, eliminated 17-time Shady Oaks club champion John Grace 3 and 2 in the morning quarterfinals, then beat Frank Ford III of Charleston, S.C., 2-up in the afternoon semifinals.

Zahringer, the 55-year-old New Yorker who won the 2002 U.S. Mid-Amateur, edged Joe Keller 2 and 1 in the quarterfinals and topped Randy Nichols of Connersville, Ind., 1-up in the semifinals with a par on No. 18.

USGA SENIOR WOMEN'S AMATEUR: Two-time champion Diane Lang and left-hander Toni Wiesner each won two matches at Tulsa (Okla.) Country Club to reach the final.

Lang, 53, the 2005 and 2006 winner from Jamaica, beat U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur champion Joan Higgins of Glendora, Calif., 3 and 2 in the quarterfinals, and edged Claudia Pilot of Austin, Minn., 2-up in the semifinals.

Wiesner, 61, from Fort Worth, Texas, beat Boodie McGurn of Richmond, Va., 3 and 2 in the quarterfinals and topped qualifying medalist Carolyn Creekmore of Dallas 2 and 1 in the semifinals.