John O'Sullivan looks at the battle of the captains. Colin Montgomerie peered out the window of the hotel, the Druids Glen course shrouded by the grey gloom and torrential rain.

It probably conjured memories of the inaugural Seve Trophy, staged two years ago at Sunningdale, a golfing confrontation dogged by thunderstorms; the arena reduced to a quagmire. He will be hoping that the similarities end there.

On that occasion, the Scotsman lost the battle of the captains, Seve Ballesteros dredging from memory the wonderful short game that was a hallmark of his halcyon days. Montgomerie was defeated 2 and 1 and Continental Europe nudged home 13½ to 12½. Montgomerie was one of the world's top golfers at the time, so a defeat was hardly countenanced, especially by the player himself.

Yesterday, he sifted through the memories of that encounter at Sunningdale. "It was disappointing for me, but great for Seve. It was good for him to beat me. Nine times out of 10 it might have been a different result, but that time he beat me and good luck to him. I don't envisage an easy game again on Sunday.

"If you are expected to win, it's never easy. I am expected to win. We are supposed to be a point up. Well that's what we thought the last time. It backfired terribly, so I'm not saying a damn thing this time. It's not as if I took it lightly either." He then offered an insight into playing Ballesteros.

"Whenever you play against someone who chips and putts the way he does in matchplay it's very difficult because it is a mental thing. In strokeplay, he's not against you. When it's just him you tend to focus on him and say, 'hey, he's holed it again'.

"But it was a great competition. I felt sorry for the team because they gave a lot - horrible conditions and we tried very hard. I mean, it was my game. If I'd won, we would have won, but I lost and the team lost."

Ballesteros articulated his perspective. "Last time when we played, Monty was one of the greatest players ever in Europe and in the world. Two years ago he was on top of his form and I wasn't. Perhaps he came out to play the match with a little bit of over-confidence.

"Two down very quickly, he may have thought this is not going to be as easy as expected. He didn't get the holes back and that is what happens. He didn't play the best he could and that is why he lost."

Despite the incessant rain yesterday, there was precious little casual water on the Druids Glen course - both Montgomerie and Ballesteros praised its condition - and the weather forecast for tomorrow, the start of hostilities, is reasonably good.

The minutiae of captaincy, despite fulfilling the role two years ago, are something that Montgomerie still finds taxing. It's difficult to picture him as a mother hen, but he does have to chivvy and direct his players.

"It's very tiring. That's me right now - running up and down stairs dealing with waterproofs that aren't the right size.

"I was up very late on Tuesday night, trying to sort it all out - the team uniforms and things that happen within a Ryder Cup but in a Ryder Cup it's almost easier because you have so much support. Here it's more hands on and a little harder possibly. Having to do all that and having rookies on the team; having to say to them: if you need anything at all, my room number's this and come and have a chat."

Ballesteros seemed more preoccupied with launching a charm offensive in the hope of inveigling some local support.

"There is no question that the reputation of the Irish people is the best in golf and I am sure the way the Irish people will behave towards both teams and I have no doubts about the way they appreciate the game."

The fledgling event is, according to its critics, something akin to Ryder Cup-lite, a pseudo rivalry that lacks the bite and depth of the Europe/America clashes. Montgomerie would dispute this assertion, using Sunningdale as a reference.

"Well, I thought 'it's a game between Britain and Ireland and Europe and we play each other every week'.

"Well, how wrong was that? Woosie (Ian Woosnam) and I were on the first tee against (Jose Maria) Olazabal and (Miguel Angel) Jimenez in the first game and we thought, 'this is serious'. It was like a Ryder Cup and I wasn't ready for that. I'd driven from home, nice morning, bacon sandwich then, God, what a shock. That was the success of the tournament, how competitive it was, compared to what people thought it might be."

Yesterday's inclement weather suggested contrasting attitudes from the participants. The Europeans braved the driving rain to tee off at their appointed time of 1.30 p.m., Britain and Ireland reluctantly donning the waterproofs, some two hours later in altogether more conducive conditions.

Fair weather golfers? The Seve Trophy might provide the answer.