Colin Montgomerie said today he would leave himself out of the Ryder Cup team if he was selecting the side to represent Europe right now.
"I would pick (Luke) Donald and (Padraig) Harrington," stated the Scot, who showed some of his old form in finishing second at the French Open last Sunday.
However, Montgomerie insisted he still felt he had one Ryder Cup left in him as a player.
And the 45-year-old Scotsman, who on Thursday begins the defence of the European Open title he won in Ireland last year at the London Club in Kent, south-east England, knows Europe captain Nick Faldo doesn't have to name his two wildcard picks until the end of next month.
By then Montgomerie will hope to have gained an automatic spot or, failing that, convinced Faldo that a combination of his current form and Ryder Cup record make him well-equipped to face the United States yet again.
"I'm not resting on any laurels," said Montgomerie. "It's getting harder, there's no question about it. I'm 45 now and you have to dig a little deeper every time. But it's nice to know that it's there.
"Last week's last putt (a 40-foot effort that saw him finish runner-up to Spain's Pablo Larrazabal) felt like a win, but I've got to keep going here.
"I don't feel I've played my last Ryder Cup - it will be a shame if I have. I think I have at least one left to play.
"It's been part of my life since 1991 and I don't feel I'm ready to give that up."
Montgomerie, one of the best golfers never to have won one of the sport's four majors - the British Open, the US Open, the Masters and the US PGA - believes there will be all to play for at Royal Birkdale later this month.
The course, near Liverpool, north-west England, stages the British Open from July 17-20 and, with Tiger Woods missing through injury, picking a winner is far from simple.
Montgomerie, runner-up to Woods at St Andrews three years ago, admitted: "The door is a little wider open and it's given a lot of players on form the opportunity of winning a major. Someone is going to win these next couple of majors and it's not Tiger Woods.
"This is a big week for me defending here, then I have the Scottish Open, which speaks for itself, and then the British. I'm looking forward to it."
