Tiger has determination back and is dangerous again, insists Monty

While Woods, who had been a controversial wild-card choice by American captain Fred Couples, picked up only two points from his five matches at Royal Melbourne, he saved his best for last in bagging six birdies to beat Aaron Baddeley 4 and 3 in the final-day singles.

It followed a third-place finish from Woods the previous week in the Australian Open and Montgomerie believes the former world No 1 is shaping up to have a spring in his step again by the time the first major of the new season comes around at Augusta National next April.

“If you watched him play his singles against Aaron Baddeley, he is pretty damn close to being back,” said the Scot. “He was five-under – the best of the 24 players on show – on an impossible golf course.

“What was telling in the Presidents Cup was that he had the bit between his teeth again. The determination he had was incredible – that makes him very dangerous.”

Montgomerie, a member of the Sky Sports golf team this year and pencilled in for commentating duties again at The Masters, added: “He’s got the confidence to go forward and I think we are not far from seeing the best of Tiger again as I don’t think he is far away.

“He’s not going into The Masters next year on the back of a lay-off (as the American did this year, when he finished in a tie for fourth despite the fact he had missed the early part of the season through injury).

“He’ll have been part of the Tour and will be going there to win. It will be interesting to see what happens at Augusta, where he’ll come up against the top four in the world in Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer.”

Montgomerie will also be interested to see how his own game is in the early part of 2012, having set himself a target of being in the top 20 in the European Tour’s Race to Dubai after the Dubai Desert Classic in early February.

Asked to assess his 2011 campaign, which will conclude with an appearance in the Hong Kong Open next week, he said: “I started the year at 410 in the world and now I am up to about 300 (303rd to be exact), so I have gained 100 places or so. That might be okay for some but not for me.

“The four-week run I am going to have at the start of next year – the Volvo Golf Champions tournament in South Africa followed by three tournaments in the Middle East – is going to be decisive for me.

“After those four tournaments, I would like to be in the top 20 on the Order of Merit. It is galling for me that I have never played in the season-ending Dubai World Championship (involving the top 60 on the money-list) in the two stagings so far and will be missing out on that again this year.

“I used to be winning the European Order of Merit (a feat he managed a record eight times between 1993 and 2005) so it is annoying not to be able to compete at the moment and get into the top 60.

“I would like to get that off my back next year. I should be able to. The talent hasn’t left me. I can still hit the golf ball – it’s just my putting and chipping that needs to be stronger.

“I’ve lost the consistency I once had. I am still managing to get four or five birdies in a round but the trouble is that I am having three or four bogeys as well. Silly errors have crept into my game.

“I would love to be able to say that I could drop everything else I’m involved with and go out next year and give my golf 100 per cent, but that’s not possible.

“I know I can still win. But I may have to pick the courses I play more carefully in the future as I can’t compete on bombers’ courses. I will have to play more on courses that favour me and that’s the reason I am going to Hong Kong.”

Montgomerie, who captained Europe to victory in last year’s Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, is still waiting to hear if his successor, Jose Maria Olazabal, wants to use him as a sounding board ahead of next year’s contest at Medinah. However, the eight-time Ryder Cup player reckons he is facing a tall order to become the first man in the event’s history to regain a playing role after serving as a captain.

“I will have to win twice in the next eight months to have a chance of a wild card,” admitted the 48-year-old, who is planning to visit British troops in Afghanistan in the near future. “I would like to help the European cause in whatever form and I have offered Olazabal any help he would like, be it a meeting over lunch, dinner or whatever.

“I would be prepared to talk to him about anything, things on the course and things off it. He’s not come up with any suggestions yet, but I certainly won’t be talking to him about a wild card. He knows what I can do – I don’t have to prove anything to anyone.

“I can handle playing in America, which I think can be very difficult. Chicago is a sporting town and that will certainly make it difficult for the European players in this match.”