In the emotional swirl of Europe's Ryder Cup triumph in Detroit Colin Montgomerie grabbed the microphone.

He looked down the line of his assembled team-mates at the post-match press conference and said: "I would like to publicly thank the team here for their support in enabling me to get on with what I do best in life and that's play golf."

The pain of his divorce from former wife Eimear was still raw, but the Scot had just put his troubles behind him to score three points plus sink the winning putt as Europe retained their trophy.

Montgomerie's address was barely complete before Sergio Garcia rose to his feet and led the entire team and captain Bernhard Langer in a standing ovation to the man who is arguably the greatest competitor in Europe's Ryder Cup history.

True, there may never be another pairing to match the sheer artistry and match-winning credentials of Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal who complemented each other like no others.

Few have stamped their personality as player and captain on the event quite like Tony Jacklin, whose tie with Jack Nicklaus, when the American conceded a testing putt on the final green, has gone down as a benchmark of sportsmanship.

But when it comes to the man who has done most to wrest Ryder Cup ascendancy from the Americans, Montgomerie's record is phenomenal.

Just look at the statistics.

Out of 32 matches Montgomerie has won 19, tied five and lost only eight.

That compares with Jacklin who won 13 and lost 14, Langer who won 21 but lost 15 and Faldo, who won 23 and lost 19.

Montgomerie's figures are also capped by an unbeaten record in seven singles matches.

Not that statistics tell the whole story. Far from it.

Love and hate is never far from the surface when Montgomerie is about. Especially in America.

He has endured the taunts of Mrs Doubtfire and that now infamous American call "Oh Monty....nice tits," which once sent him into an on-course rage.

Nor do statistics tell of the drama and mental toughness required while clinching the 1997 match at Valderrama when his drive down the final fairway was the stuff of dreams on his way to halving the tensest of final singles matches with Scott Hoch, a match in which he also conjured up memories of Nicklaus when he conceded a 10-foot putt once the trophy was assured.

They do not tell of his courage at Brookline in 1999 when he ignored the vile taunts of the American gallery, jibes which saw his father James leave the course in disgust.

Montgomerie, not normally a man to ignore a rustling crisp packet, let alone such abuse, had eyes and ears only for the European cause.

He opened up by leading Ryder Cup rookie and fellow Scot Paul Lawrie in a ruthlessly efficient 2&1 win over Tiger Woods and Steve Pate in the fourballs and finished up by beating Payne Stewart on the final green in the singles for a personal tally of three-and-a-half points, even if Europe did lose the trophy that year amid the shame of the American entourage trampling over the line of Olazabal's putt.

The point is Montgomerie, under intense provocation, had competed with the sort of class and style he does not always demonstrate on occasions when he wields his clubs as an individual.

The Ryder Cup, when country and continent and team-mates intrude on personal ambition, brings out the best in Montgomerie.

Never more so than at The Belfry in 2002 when he finished top scorer with four and a half points out of five. Win or lose, so much of the action seems to revolve around him.

Last time, almost inevitably, it was Montgomerie who sank the four-foot putt on the final green which won the cup in Detroit.

Montgomerie might have won Europe's Order of Merit a record eight times. He might, by universal consent, be the best golfer never to win a major.

But nothing makes him prouder than the Ryder Cup reputation he has carved.

He said: "The one thing I am proud of is my singles, not having lost. I've been very close a number of times but I haven't lost. I don't like to lose. I think that's kept me going."

He also gave an insight into how Europe have managed to break the stranglehold of the Americans and why, for the first time, they will start as favourites at the K Club.

He continued: "We're a very close-knit team and that's where the pressure builds from. It's about not letting down your 11 other team-mates.

"You do not want to let down 11 guys who have tried and qualified and who give their all.

"That's why I enjoy this competition. I think my character and my personality come out in this event."