Monty's new club

Colin Montgomerie, who has lost his normal dominance on the European Tour in the last fortnight largely because of his putting problems, will use a brand new putter at the Deutsche Bank Open in Hamburg today in a bid to put things right.

The 32-year-old Scot, who played with a different putter on each of the four days of the Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth over the weekend, is convinced he has found the secret.

"My latest putter has more loft so I'm not hitting the ball into the ground and making it jump into the air," Montgomerie said yesterday.

"I finished three or four under in the pro-am and that was good. It's true I used four putters at the PGA and I did the same at the TPC tournament in America earlier this year. But I hope to stick to this one here."

Strangely perhaps, Montgomerie has taken no advice on his putting. "It's all upstairs," he said, tapping his head. "If you believe you will sink a putt, you will. If you are doubtful about it, you have already missed it before you take the club back. It's all about confidence."

Montgomerie will have plenty of competition this week. Ian Woosnam, Bernhard Langer, the holder, Seve Ballesteros and Costantino Rocca, the Volvo PGA winner, are all playing for a first prize of pounds 120,000.