Golf: Colin Montgomerie found himself just where he wanted to be today on his 500th European Tour appearance as a professional - at the business end of the Andalucia Open leaderboard and just one shot off the overnight lead held by fellow Scot Chris Doak.

To mark his 500th event as a professional the new Ryder Cup captain has already been presented with a cake, an engraved ice bucket and some champagne.

But his seven-birdie display means Montgomerie is now also eyeing up the possibility of a 32nd victory and his first for nearly two years.

“People say that being the Ryder Cup captain will hurt my game, but I think it will do the exact opposite,” he said after a round which left him in joint second, one behind Doak.

“I think it will improve my performances over this next year and a half.

“I’m very relaxed on the course, less uptight. I’ve thought about the captaincy every minute of every day since I was appointed, but it’s nice to show I can still compete out here at 45 and I look forward to going forward from here.”

During his amazing run of seven successive Order of Merits in the 1990s it was often said that other players were affected by a “Monty Factor” whenever his name appeared on the leaderboard.

“I don’t think it is so much the case now,” he added. “That was worth probably a shot a tournament and remember, out of my 31 wins 20 were by a shot, so it was a great deal.”

Montgomerie, however, has had only three top-10 finishes in almost 18 months, and none since he was runner-up to Pablo Larrazabal at last June’s French Open.

Four birdies in his first six holes were the perfect early boost and after going in the water for a bogey six at the long 16th, he made a 15-footer on the 18th to turn in 32 and started the front nine by holing from twice as far.

“I started the Johnnie Walker Classic with a 67 and I finished the Dubai Desert Classic with one. Things are looking up,” he added.

“For me it’s quite simple. If I have 25 putts I score 67. If I have 28 tomorrow I’ll score 70. That’s the way I play. I’ve always said that if I putt well I will be in contention.”

At 137th in the world not even a win would get Montgomerie into Masters in two weeks’ time, except in the unlikely event that Augusta National invite him.

Doak is a 31-year-old from Greenock ranked 1,329 in the world. He won last season’s Tartan Tour, then came through the qualifying school at the seventh attempt.

He did not drop a stroke and after collecting six birdies said: “Getting my card was fantastic, you just have to keep going.”

Alongside Montgomerie are another Scot, Steven O’Hara, Spain’s Juan Parron and France’s Jean-Francois Lucquin.

O’Hara, a Walker Cup team-mate of Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell and Nick Dougherty in 2001, is still waiting for his first Tour victory.

Lucquin is the player who beat rising star Rory McIlroy in a play-off for the European Masters in Switzerland last September.

“That makes it even more special,” he said after three birdies in his last four.

Jose Maria Olazabal, in only his fifth event since May last year, had two double bogeys in a 74, while Swede Peter Hanson and Dane Anders Hansen – who need a top-three finish to have a chance of climbing into the world’s top 50 just in time to qualify for the Masters - both shot 72.

Peter Lawrie was best of the Irish after his opening one-under 71 to put him one ahead of fellow Dubliner Paul McGinley (72).

The news elsewhere wasn’t so promising as Michael Hoey signed for a 75, one better than Johnny Caldwell and Gary Murphy.