Colin Montgomerie insists Ryder Cup places will be up for grabs when the revamped Volvo World Match Play Championship gets underway in Spain.

The seven-time European Tour Order of Merit winner will be able to pick three wildcard players – one more than previous incumbent Nick Faldo – at Celtic Manor next October.

The Tour’s top 16 ranked players will play a round-robin group phase before the winners of each of the four groups progress to the knock-out phase at Finca Cortesin.

And Monty, who has never lost a singles match at the Ryder Cup, challenged Europe’s finest to prove their worth.

“I am thoroughly looking forward to seeing how some of these intriguing match ups unfold,” said Montgomerie.

“This will be very interesting viewing for me with my Ryder Cup hat on.

“There really are some tantalising match ups and it is going to be a thoroughly entertaining week.”