Monty treating the US PGA as an ordinary event

Colin Montgomerie jets out to the USPGA in Chicago, vowing: "I'll treat it as an ordinary European Tour event".

Europe's number one golfer will tackle the fourth and final Major of the season in top form, following his landslide nine-stroke victory in the Volvo Scandinavian Masters.

It was Monty's fourth European Tour success of the season - the first time in his glorious career that he has won more than three European titles in the same year.

While there is no doubting Montgomerie's credentials as the best golfer in Europe, though, he will not be recognised as a world great until he has won a Major.

He has come close in America before but even when he has been in form he has still failed to bring home the big prize. Now he is ready to try a different psychological approach in the hope that he may, at last, crack it on the big stage.

"It feels good to be going to Chicago as a winner," said Montgomerie.

"I shall try to treat the tournament at Medinah as an ordinary European Tour event as much as I can.

"I am in a good grouping, playing with Ernie Els and Justin Leonard, and I am looking forward to 36 holes with them. I know I am yet to win a Major but I would not exchange any of my titles for one - it is great looking at my trophy cabinet and seeing six Order of Merit shields.

"I shall not start to think about Medinah until I am on the flight to Chicago. Right now I am thinking about the trophy I have just won. But I do feel confident because there aren't any weaknesses in my game.

"I am driving the ball well, and when you do that it makes the game easy."

Montgomerie shot a final-round 69 at the Barseback course in Malmo to finish on 20-under par, nine shots ahead of his nearest challenger and defending champion, Sweden's Jesper Parnevik.

It was the biggest winning margin on Tour this year, beating Paul Lawrie's seven-stroke win at the Qatar Masters.

Montgomerie's first prize of £166,000 boosted his hopes of holding off the challenge of Lee Westwood in the race to be Europe's top gun and win the Order of Merit for the seventh successive season. The Scottish ace is now £291,000 ahead of his English rival.

Montgomerie's triumph in Sweden is no guarantee he will do the same in the USPGA, however. Only last month he won a tournament the week before a Major and then blew out in the big one. That was when he stormed to victory at Loch Lomond, the warm-up event to the Open.

He will take a week off after Chicago by missing the BMW International, then fly back to America for the NEC Invitational in Ohio. He will also contest the British Masters before leading the European defence of the Ryder Cup in Boston.