Colin Montgomerie is confident of finally achieving his goal and making a return to the world's top 50 after this week's Dubai Desert Classic as the in-form Scot heads to the Emirates Golf Club full of confidence on the back of a recent run of form.
After securing a second top-ten finish in five outings at last week's Qatar Masters, the 44-year-old former Dubai champion moved up eight places to 57th on the current world rankings, the same spot where he began 2008.
The 31-time European Tour winner is seeking a return to the top 50 to secure a place at April's Masters, but his plans suffered a temporary setback after slipping down to 65th place after the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, the first event of the three-week desert swing, despite being satisfied with his five-under-par 23rd place finish.
But after recording back-to-back 69s at the Doha Golf Club last weekend to finish sixth, Montgomerie returns to the scene of his 1996 triumph determined to reach his goal.
‘I have to keep doing this because it keeps me ticking along. I have got to do this. I just have to keep going, this week is very important,’ said Montgomerie, who had set himself a goal of ‘three top tens or a couple of top fives’ from his three-week trip in the desert.
‘I was tenth in Dubai last year, so I will lose some points, but I have won there too so I just have to keep it going and practise hard and do the best I can.’
Montgomerie's rise up the world rankings will also see him handed a more favourable draw at the WGC Accenture Match Play event in Arizona at the end of February after he was initially heading for a first-round meeting with world number one Tiger Woods.
Due to the rules of the world golf rankings which operate on a two-year rolling period, Montgomerie's points from last year will further depreciate, but with the presence of Woods and world number five Ernie Els, there is a healthy haul available on Sunday.
‘Sixth was good last week. I need top tens, if you finish in the top 10 you do tend to climb,’ he added.
‘I am hitting the ball well off the tee and hitting the fairways and that will be key in Dubai, more so than in Doha. The world ranking points available this week are huge with Tiger and Ernie playing.’
His form will hopefully see the eight-time Order of Merit winner make a better start to his challenge this year after he shipped four shots over his opening nine holes in 2007 before salvaging a first-round 73, one over par.
But after a bogey-free 66 was followed up with weekend rounds of 68 and 69, Montgomerie claimed a tie for tenth at 12-under-par, seven shots adrift of winner Henrik Stenson.
