Montgomerie, Schofield and Park Jr make World Hall of Fame

Montgomerie in action

Colin Montgomerie, two-time Open winner Willie Park Jr and former European Tour chief Ken Schofield are to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

The Scots trio will join American major winners Fred Couples and Ken Venturi at a ceremony in Florida in May.

Montgomerie has not won a major title but finished as European number one eight times between 1993 and 2005.

"It is a wonderful surprise to hear that I will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame next year," he said.

"I know I am very fortunate to have enjoyed such a successful career playing the game I love and it makes me feel very proud that my achievements have been recognised in this way."

A member of the European Ryder Cup team eight times, the Glasgow-born 49-year-old never lost a singles match in the competition and captained his side to victory in 2010.

He added: "While my eight Order of Merit wins were very special, as everyone knows, my Ryder Cup experiences have provided the very best moments in my career and receiving this great honour is the icing on the cake."

Montgomerie remains a member of the European Tour's tournament committee, which is due to decide who will captain Europe at the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in Scotland.

Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley are thought to be the leading contenders for the role, and Montgomerie said: "It will be a very interesting debate and I will listen to it."

There is a possibility that the tour committee could solve the debate by giving McGinley the job for 2014 and Clarke the role for the following Ryder Cup in 2016.

A similar plan was put into action when Nick Faldo was named Europe's 2008 Ryder Cup captain at the same time as Ian Woosnam was given the job for 2006.

Montgomerie added: "There is an opportunity to do two at one time again. Both Clarke and McGinley are respected in the game and great candidates.

"The fact that Tom Watson has been made America's captain should not colour our judgement. We should have only one criteria - picking the best man for the job."

Montgomerie's induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame comes at the same time as that of Schofield, 66, who became executive director of the European Tour in 1975.

During Schofield's 29-year tenure, the tour expanded from 17 events with an official prize fund of €599,084 (£487,476) to 45 events with prize money of €106,010,654 (£86,261,161), in addition to 29 European Challenge Tour events and 21 European Senior Tour events.

Musselburgh-born Park won the Open in 1887 and 1889 before becoming a successful golf equipment maker, writer and course architect.

The 53-year-old Couples won the Masters in 1991, while Venturi, now 81, won the US Open in 1964 and also went on to have a career in golf broadcasting.