Colin Montgomerie is convinced his preparation at Valderrama in Spain will make all the difference as he looks to turn his dismal year around at this week's US PGA Championship at Hazeltine.

The 46-year-old – who is making his 18th successive appearance at the event – has slipped to 214 in the world rankings and has not won a tournament since the European Open in 2007.

But the PGA of America maintained their tradition of inviting the Ryder Cup captains to compete in the last major of the year and Montgomerie is determined not to waste their hospitality.

He said: “It's nice that the PGA of America have this tradition of inviting the Ryder Cup captains because otherwise I would not have been in this week's field.

“But I've come here having worked hard on my game in Valderrama and I have been practicing down there every morning for the past few weeks.

“Valderrama is a good course to practice on and if you can play Valderrama, you can play anywhere.”