Mrs Doubtfire, Act II, Scene I

Colin Montgomerie is back, leaner and more determined than ever

Colin Montgomerie may or may not be able to defend the Caltex Singapore Masters title at the lovely Laguna Golf Resort here in Singapore, but he's making heads turn on this island nation.

Once nicknamed "Mrs. Doubtfire" for his resemblance to the movie character played by Robin Williams, Monty is slimmer, fitter and more than eager to get going in 2005. His inspiration: current world number one Vijay Singh.

The makeover is complete. Sixteen kilos lighter, a new set of irons, a belly putter with a shaft longer than before and a new ball. In short, a new Colin Montgomerie.

"I look at Vijay's work ethic and I'm determined to stay at the course for longer each day and put even more effort into improving."

This is the same Monty who once said it was impossible to improve much after turning 40.

But Monty, now 41, is saying, "Vijay has disproved that thinking, and he's a year older than me. If I'm younger than the number one player in the world, there's no reason why I can't also improve my ranking and try and get closer to where I was before."

Montgomerie, who went through more lows than highs in 2004, triumphed at Singapore's Laguna National's Masters Course in March following a superb final round of seven-under-par 65. But then came the crash.

He did not win another title in 2004, but played a crucial role in Europe's triumph over the United States in the Ryder Cup where he holed the winning putt.

During the course of the year Monty, who once came agonisingly close to becoming number one in the world "" he was also Europe's number one for seven successive seasons "" went down as low as 80.

His game deteriorated and as stress piled on, he put on weight, going well over a 100 kg.

The pendulum swung his way once more, just as the year ended, as Montgomerie led for three days before being upstaged by a resurgent Tiger Woods.

But now the Scot is looking lean, mean and raring to go. He has lost 16 kg in 10 months and tips the scales at 87 kg.

His eyes twinkle as he discloses that stress apart, he has been suffering back problems for three years, and that affected his golf. So, the 41-year-old Scot decided to lose a bit of weight to relieve the pain.

"I decided to eat less, and it worked dramatically," he said. The temptation to eat often arose out of sheer boredom. "When you are away from home in hotel rooms abroad, the mini-bar stares at you and the room service menu always looks a lot better than it is."

His determination and discipline has worked wonders. He added an inch in length to the shaft of the new putter and brought a new set of Yonex irons.

Under the watchful eye of his coach, Dennis Pugh, he tested them in Dubai, where there is a golf course which bears his name, and in Mumbai, where he had a corporate clinic.

He will also be testing a new make for the ball. "I'm sticking with the belly-putter, but in order for the club to rest comfortably on my stomach they've had to increase the length of the shaft by an inch," he said about the putter.

The new Monty once again wants to be among the game's elite in 2005. So, is there a Major lurking somewhere for one who has lived under the tag "Best Player not to have won a Major" his entire career? Watch this space.