By Mark Garrod, PA Sport Golf Correspondent, Rochester

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Colin Montgomerie goes into his 50th major championship on Thursday determined to avoid falls outside his hotel room and with three vital ingredients appearing to be in place - good form, good memories and good mood.

Second to Ian Poulter in the Nordic Open on Sunday, Montgomerie is hoping that his long wait for a major - he played his first back in 1990 - can end on the Oak Hill course in Rochester, New York, where he helped Europe win the Ryder Cup eight years ago.

"It's always nice to come back to a course you've done well on," said the 40-year-old Scot, recovered now from the wrist injury, suffered in a breakfast time trip at his hotel, which forced him to pull out of last month's Open on only the eighth hole.

"As soon as I heard Oak Hill had been chosen for this I was looking forward to it. They've lengthened it since and with all the rough it's a tight examination."

But that has always been the way Montgomerie has liked it and although it is now also eight years since he lost to Steve Elkington in a play-off for this very title and four since he last had a top 10 finish in any major this could be as good a chance as any he is likely to get in the future.

Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer sees it that way too.

"I would not be surprised at all to see him in contention here," said Langer, who was Montgomerie's partner at The Belfry and saw there how big a part good humour can play.

"Colin was very relaxed all week last September and that's key for anybody. You play your best golf when you're able to be relaxed and yet totally focused at the same time. He was.

"You don't get to be number one in Europe for seven straight years unless you're a great player and, straight hitter that he is, any set-up with there's lots of rough and makes it so important to hit the fairways should suit him."

Langer does not believe that turning 40 makes Montgomerie any less of a threat now to join a sequence of first-time majors that currently stands at four - Rich Beem, Mike Weir, Jim Furyk and, most recently at the Open of course, little-known Ben Curtis.

"I had my lowest-ever round (a 60 at the 1997 German Masters) just after reaching 40," remembers Langer, the only other survivor from the 1995 cup side playing this week.

He is not so happy about this week's lay-out.

"For long-hitters it's playable, but for someone like me it's very, very long. That's the way we've been going the last few years, but I'm not sure it's the answer.

"I can't see too many players finishing under par, especially if the wind blows and the greens firm up. But you never know - there are so many good players now."

Best of them remains Tiger Woods. Nobody disputes that, but Woods has to go back to June last year for the last of his eight major successes.

It is pretty laughable to call it a slump when he has won four out of 13 events this year, but following the incredible victory of Curtis - world number 396 at the time - at Sandwich there is not a player in the field ruling out their chances.

Ninety-six of the world's top 100 are present and the 156-strong field includes a record 29 Europeans. Britain's last three major winners are also absent though, Ian Woosnam having just lost his father, Nick Faldo having become a father for the fourth time two weeks ago and Paul Lawrie having been unable to shake off a neck problem.

Lawrie's victory at Carnoustie in 1999 was Europe's last success in a major. But as Langer looks ahead to the qualifying race starting in three weeks' time he knows he has a band of youngsters all keen and eager to make their presence felt.

Of that band English quartet Poulter, Paul Casey, Justin Rose and Luke Donald and Scot Alastair Forsyth, all have the chance to shine this week, while Lee Westwood, fighting his way out of what has definitely been a slump, would like to repay the PGA of America for offering him an invitation.

Thomas Bjorn, meanwhile, is out of make up for the disappointment of losing the Open from three ahead with four holes to play.