Celtic Manor Diary: Put your best out first – that is Sam's secret winning formula

Sam Torrance, Europe's winning captain from 2002, has the following advice for Monty. What makes a great captain? "Winning. There is a thin line between winning and losing," Torrance said. "Mark James got a lot of criticism in 1999 but he was a fantastic captain. The job was almost done by Saturday night. But the singles just went wrong. I learned from Tony Jacklin to put your best players out first in the singles to seize the momentum, get blue on the scoreboards, then hopefully keep it going." Bernhard Langer, winner in 2004, lends his advice for Monty. "Be a leader and a servant to the team. You don't have to yell and scream to get your point across." Got that, Monty?

Pavin's crazy for karaoke

Win or lose, US captain Corey Pavin plans to invite Colin Montgomerie and his team to party the night away at Celtic Manor. That's if he can prize Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Matt Kuchar away from their ping-pong table. "You know, you wanna beat the crap out of everybody when you are playing but, after it's over, you have a beer and hit the karaoke machine," Pavin said. "But you really don't want to hear me sing, trust me. And I hope it's more than one beer, too." Pavin said Euro-American relations have improved since the formal victory dinner was done away with. "It's much more relaxed now," he said. "We can celebrate. Two teams coming together. Plenty to drink. Enjoying each other's company. That's part of what the Ryder Cup is all about."

Mickelson the party animal...

European vice-captain Paul McGinley has revealed that everyone is on edge until the end of the singles matches and then there is a great coming together. "Lee Westwood is in a class of his own," he said. "I don't think the public knows that side of him," revealing that Westwood is the self-appointed team master of ceremonies. It started at the Belfry in 2002 when he introduced all the players and made them stand up in the bar. "And I remember Phil Mickelson standing on a table in the American team room at the K Club in 2006. He was going to sing a song then just ended up doing that 'Ole, ole, ole, ole', chant he'd heard all week from the Irish." Who knew Phil was such a party animal?

McIlroy: show me the money

Never mind the scores at Celtic Manor, Rory McIlroy is already one-up on his rivals. He has been identified as the most marketable player in the world under the age of 25, according to a survey of agents representing more than 200 players. Close behind is his Ryder Cup rival Rickie Fowler. But the Americans have the match in the bag when it comes to the most marketable golfers of all time. Tiger Woods is No 1 with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer joint second. The survey revealed the US PGA Tour remains the richest with prize money of €196 million last year, with the European Tour on €135m. And McIlroy and Fowler will be delighted to hear that players in the world's top 50 are estimated to double their prize money with off-course sponsorships and endorsements. But, as they always tell us, it's not about the money. Hey, but it helps, right?