Faldo to miss first British Open since 1975

(CNN) -- Europe's Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo will miss the British Open for the first since 1975 after declining an invitation to play at Royal Birkdale this year.

Faldo instead wants to focus on leading his men in their defense of the Ryder Cup at Valhalla later this year.

"I will play The Open again, but this year I need to concentrate," said the three-time champion who made his debut in the tournament at Birkdale 33 years ago.

Faldo won at Muirfield in 1987 and 1992 and St Andrews in 1990.

Now 50, Faldo has not played a tournament all year, his last appearance being in Hong Kong last November.

He was paired with Tiger Woods in the first two rounds at Hoylake only two years ago, but missed the cut just as he did at Carnoustie last summer.

Meanwhile, Faldo is confident Colin Montgomerie can emerge from his slump and be part of Europe's team for the ninth time in the match against the United States.

Montgomerie, who has never lost a singles match in the Ryder Cup, is lkely to need a captain's pick after suffering a form slump this season which has seen his world ranking slip to 90.

Faldo though has not given up on the 45-year-old Scot qualifying for the team, starting with a strong performance in this week's big-money BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

"I firmly believe Monty will turn it around. I certainly haven't counted that out," Faldo told the Press Association. "He has a great way of producing the goods when really needed. A player of his ability has enough time to make it happen."