Montgomerie, who defeated Toms by the same score to secure the trophy two years ago, never trailed in the important opening match.
The 43-year-old Scot made a fast start with birdies at the third and fourth. He faltered with a double bogey at the fifth and after Toms hit back to take it to the 18th Montgomerie got up and down expertly from a bunker.
Montgomerie's win meant he tied Bernhard Langer's second highest Ryder Cup points tally, one short of Nick Faldo's record total of 25. He has now played eight career singles, winning six and halving two.
Sergio Garcia lost to Stewart Cink 4 & 3.
A blistering start by Cink dashed Garcia's hopes of becoming the first European to win all five games in a Ryder Cup match under the existing format.
Cink fired four birdies in the first five holes before going five up when the 26-year-old Spaniard dropped successive strokes at the sixth and seventh.
Garcia attempted a recovery with three birdies on the back nine but three more birdies by the ruthless American wildcard settled the issue.
Paul Casey beat Jim Furyk 2 & 1.
Casey can be forgiven for thinking he is living a dream after he edged out American strongman Furyk.
The Briton, who won the World Match Play title at Wentworth last Sunday and had a hole-in-one in Saturday's Ryder Cup foursomes, signalled his intentions with four birdies in the opening seven holes.
Furyk produced an inspired back nine containing four birdies and an eagle before Casey wrapped up victory by holing a 25-footer at the 17th for his eighth birdie of the day.
Robert Karlsson lost to Tiger Woods 3 & 2.
Woods, beaten twice earlier this week, looked more like his old self as he finished the match with a tally of three points.
Swedish rookie Karlsson went one up when he sank a 15-foot birdie putt at the first.
Woods, however, responded with four birdies in the next eight holes to go two up at the turn. Two more birdies coming home were enough to give the world number one three points, his highest aggregate in a single Ryder Cup and the top score by an American at the K Club.
Luke Donald beat Chad Campbell 2 & 1.
Donald enjoyed the distinction of holing the putt that retained the trophy, sinking a five-footer for a par four at the 17th.
The duo, meeting in the singles for the second consecutive Ryder Cup, played ultra steady golf to register nine matching pars on the outward half.
They each had two birdies coming home but the American also carded two double-bogeys and two bogeys.
Paul McGinley halved with J.J. Henry.
Irishman McGinley, cheered by a raucous home crowd, maintained his unbeaten record from three Ryder Cup singles.
Each player sprinkled birdies with bogeys as McGinley went round in a one-over-par 73 against rookie Henry's 71.
Darren Clarke beat Zach Johnson 3 & 2.
Clarke, playing professional golf for only the second time since the death of his wife Heather last month, broke down in tears after his victory over the American rookie who struggled to find his touch from the pairs.
Steady rather than spectacular golf was good enough to put the Northern Irishman four up after 12 and he eased to his maiden singles triumph at the fifth attempt.
Henrik Stenson beat Vaughn Taylor 4 & 3.
Swedish rookie Stenson had the honour of converting the putt which clinched overall victory for Europe - although he was unaware of it at the time - when he sank a five-footer for par at the 15th.
Taylor, another debutant but barely used in the pairs, opened with two birdies in four holes but three bogeys and one double-bogey proved his downfall.
Stenson had a run of three birdies in four holes on the front nine.
David Howell beat Brett Wetterich 5 & 4.
A flurry of four successive birdies to the 14th secured victory for an inspired Howell.
The Briton holed two putts from 25 feet, one from 10 feet and chipped in at the 11th.
Luckless rookie Wetterich became the only player of the 24 on show to fail to win a point this week.
Jose Maria Olazabal beat Phil Mickelson 2 & 1.
Olazabal hit four birdies to complete a 100 percent record from three matches at the K Club.
Mickelson had three birdies of his own but one bogey and a concession at the 12th meant he suffered his third singles defeat in a row.
The world number two endured a miserable week, picking up half a point from five matches.
Lee Westwood beat Chris DiMarco two up.
A dazzling start paved the way for Westwood to capture his fourth point from an unbeaten five matches this week.
The British wildcard put the skids under DiMarco with five birdies in the opening seven holes to charge to five up but had to survive a stirring comeback that ended only when DiMarco found water on the last.
Padraig Harrington lost to Scott Verplank 4 & 3.
Verplank registered a hole-in-one at the 14th, the second in as many days and the first by an American in the history of the team event, as he became the only member of his side to finish with a 100 percent record.
The 42-year-old Texan, perhaps trying to prove a point after captain Tom Lehman played him in only two games at the K Club having selected him as a wildcard, also had five birdies.
Harrington's defeat was his first in four Ryder Cup singles matches.
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