Montgomerie has not won for nine months and he has not been European number one for the past two seasons.

But the man who for the previous seven years reigned supreme as leading money-winner, earning more than €19m in the process, insists he wants success as much as he ever did.

Ending a 10-year partnership with caddie and close friend Alastair McLean on Sunday night was done with that in mind, but to win just seven days later would leave nobody in any doubt that Montgomerie is a long way yet from being considered a fading star.

The 38-year-old, whose burning ambition nearly cost him his marriage two years ago, accepts failure more calmly now. But he still hates it.

‘‘I’ve got my distance control back and I’m really quite confident,’’ he said.

‘‘I’m in the position I want to be, and we’ll see what happens.

‘‘I’d like to do well because of the Ryder Cup. I want to prove to myself and the team that I can compete.

‘‘I’m not just out on this tour to make up the numbers. I enter every tournament to win, and my ambition is as great as it ever was.

‘‘If any Ryder Cup player wins this it’s a huge momentum boost for him and his fellow team-mates.

They’ll know come September that this guy has won a tournament round here, and that would be very important.

‘‘Having been number one for seven years and then finishing sixth and fifth has to be seen as a failure. In my eyes it was - I hadn’t been outside the top four since 1990.

‘‘I want to be the best European player and I’m not right now.’’

Montgomerie shared top spot as the third round started today with Mansfield’s Greg Owen and South African Roger Wessels, both seeking their first European tour victory.

One behind are Ian Woosnam, John Daly, Michael Campbell, Anthony Wall and Peter Baker, whose last win was before his Ryder Cup debut on the course back in 1993.

The other members of this September’s side in hot pursuit are Ireland's Padraig Harrington, Phillip Price and Thomas Bjorn.

Paul McGinley, second last year, crashed to an 81 yesterday.

Darren Clarke, suffering from ‘‘a touch of tonsillitis’’, bogeyed the last to miss out by one on three over along with Pierre Fulke, while Lee Westwood’s opening 79 left him too much ground to make up.

Torrance, himself through to the final two rounds, will be looking to focus on the positives rather than the negatives.

Montgomerie, the player he described as his ‘‘rock’’ last year, could provide the biggest positive of all.

Conversely, a win for Daly would be a psychological boost for the Americans.

He is not in their team, but it would send a message to the 12 who are.