Monty shapes up for victory

A slimline Colin Montgomerie begins the defence of his Scandinavian Masters title tomorrow feeling the benefits of a rigorous new fitness regime.

The 37-year-old Scot has shed more than a stone since his disappointing British Open campaign two weeks ago and is determined to lose even more weight to make the most of the rest of his career at the highest level.

"I feel that I've got five or six years left in the game. I feel that I owe it to myself to be fit for it - and I was going the wrong way," said Montgomerie, European number one for the last seven years. "If I win eight, nine, 10 Order of Merits it doesn't really matter any more. I'd like to win a major. I feel I've got 20-odd majors to go and I'd like to give myself the best opportunity of winning one."

Something else that has changed is Montgomerie's putting grip after his chances at St Andrews were blighted by a poor display on the double greens on the Old Course.

The new grip has not been tried in competition yet, but Montgomerie will still be among the favourites for victory at Kungsangen Golf Club outside Stockholm.

Montgomerie faces stiff competition in the battle for the £164,000 first prize with Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke and Jesper Parnevik all in the field.

Westwood won his first European Tour title in Sweden in 1996 and has tasted victory since, including twice already this season. The 27-year-old world number five also finished joint third last week in Holland and is in confident mood.

Stablemate Darren Clarke is equally bullish, especially after yesterday's pro-am in which the Ulsterman shot a nine-underpar 62 that included a hole-in-one on the fourth, before a torrential downpour saturated the course.

"I was a bit disappointed," Clarke said with tongue in cheek. "I was eight under after 12 holes but dropped a shot and hit it into water on the 16th.

Home favourite Jesper Parnevik will be aiming for a hat-trick of titles after victories in 1995 and 1998.