Finishing second to Tiger Woods at the Open has convinced Colin Montgomerie that all things are possible again.

With the cheers of the St Andrews crowd still fresh in his mind and the US PGA championship just a week away Montgomerie says his confidence is at a level he has not felt for five years.

And that confidence could be given another sizeable boost in the Johnnie Walker Championship starting at Gleneagles today - a top-two finish will send Montgomerie to Baltusrol as No 1 on the European Order of Merit.

That is a position he has not occupied since completing a phenomenal seven successive money list titles in 1999.

"It is nice to know it can come back," said the 42-yearold. "A lot of you - and I - had doubts, thinking 'Monty is past his best, he has had his time at the top.'

"If I win it (Order of Merit) again, it would be worth much more than all seven put together."

While he has long maintained his previous run of success contributed to the break-up of his marriage because he became so obsessed about it, Montgomerie clearly feels ready to aim as high as he can again.

Indeed, he has prepared for such a time.

"There is a trophy in my apartment with my seven Order of Merits around it," he said. "There is a gap in the middle with a question mark on it for what year might be number eight."

Before that, though, comes another chance to capture his first major.

Montgomerie finished five strokes behind Woods but the fact that he beat everyone else still made it one of the best performances of his career in his own opinion.

"I finished second to the best player in the world, the best player of our generation," he added.

"I've now finished second in three of the four majors and almost have a Grand Slam of second places, but after what happened at the Open I have to look back on the positives and not the negatives.

"You're bound to wonder how many chances you will get, but let's hope there is another and that it might be the time that the door opens for me and I can actually walk through it rather than it being closed on me.

"I'm almost back to where I was in the Nineties. I think I'm a putt a round away - four shots a tournament. That's not bad."

Montgomerie is entitled to feel unlucky that he does not already have at least one major to his name.

He lost play-offs to Ernie Els and Steve Elkington in the 1994 US Open and 1995 US PGA respectively and was also second to Els again in the 1997 US Open.

Although Woods ran away with the Claret Jug at St Andrews last month, Montgomerie out-scored the world No 1 when they went head-tohead in the third round and there could have been a different outcome had he made an eagle putt at the ninth hole on the final day.

"I would have tied Tiger and you never know. But I didn't hole it and he then birdied," said Montgomerie.

"But the one thing that springs to mind from the whole week was the support I received. And afterwards my website got hit a lots from an awful lot of people.

"I've also had European Tour members saying 'well done', 'well played' and it's great to feel that."

Especially after the uncomfortable time he spent following the "wrong drop" incident in Indonesia in March.

Although second place this week would enable him to overtake US Open champion Michael Campbell at the head of the money list a win is what Montgomerie really wants. His last one was March last year.

With the final major of the season coming up only two others from the world's top 50 take part this week at Gleneagles - Australian Richard Green and England's David Howell, who has been out of action since tearing an abdominal muscle at the US Open in June.

The Midlanders in action around Gleneagles today are John Bickerton, Peter Baker, Steve Webster, Robert Rock and David Park.