Former Europe Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie has claimed that Phil Mickelson was wrong to publicly question the methods of USA skipper Tom Watson.

After the Americans suffered their third Ryder Cup defeat to Europe in a row at Gleneagles yesterday, the veteran golfer stated that the team should have adopted former captain Paul Azinger's approach.

The USA have not won the tournament since Azinger was captaining the side in 2008.

"Should we go into this one hour after we've been defeated? The answer is a flat no," Montgomerie told Golf Channel. "You support your captain under all circumstances. In public, you respect and honour your captain.

"The PGA of America selected Tom Watson as the best choice to try to win the Ryder Cup back. Unfortunately, the team didn't perform for Tom."

Watson responded to the claims by defending his tactical approach.