Colin Montgomerie has made some famously furious appearances in front of the press during his long and superb career, but he was all smiles and good wishes at Fancourt on Wednesday ahead of the Volvo Golf Champions.

“It’s the start of the year and my first time in this part of the world and it’s fantastic, we’re all saying the same thing. I’m looking forward to a new start with a new bag of Callaway clubs, I’m excited about this week, I feel like a rookie again. It’s a fresh start and a new year,” Montgomerie enthused.

The 48-year-old Scot has a top-class record of 31 European Tour wins and a particular affinity for links courses, having designed his own at Carton House in Ireland. Which makes Montgomerie a voice to be heard when it comes to rating the Fancourt Links after his two practice rounds on the par-73 layout.

“It’s an exceptional course, I believe it’s ranked number one in South Africa and therefore number one in Africa. And deservedly so, having played it twice now. I haven’t experienced the tournament pins yet, they’ve been in areas where we’re not going to hit to in the tournament and I’m looking forward to a stiffer challenge.

“It’s a great design, an exceptional challenge and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It’s in a similar style to Carton House – the bunkers are very severe, it’s a half-shot penalty if you land in them with their riveted faces. There’s a lot of sand and it’s soft, which is more difficult than if it was firm. The run-offs are also similar … all credit to Gary Player and the design team,” Montgomerie said.

The Ryder Cup legend dominated European golf in the 1990s, winning seven successive Orders of Merit, but he admitted the advent of technologically-boosted big-hitters has had a devastating effect on his winning chances these days.

“To compete with the longer hitters, I’ve got to putt very well because they have a huge advantage. Nicolas Colsaerts [in the Fancourt field] is probably the longest in the world and I’m giving away 60 yards to him. Where he, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen can go in with a five-iron, for me it’s a three-wood on to firm greens. So it’s a huge advantage for them – if they hit it straight and can find their ball off the tee,” Montgomerie said.

“But I hit the ball well today from tee to green, my irons were good enough and I drove safely. But I’ve never won anything without putting well, so I’ve got to hole out from inside 10 feet.”

Adding to the advantage of the longer hitters at Fancourt is the fact that there are five par-fives and only four par-threes and, with the blazing sun on Wednesday drying out the course, there should be more and more run on the fairways.

Montgomerie has been paired with young Tom Lewis, who is not the longest hitter off the tees, for Thursday’s first round and is looking forward to the experience.

Colsaerts will be playing with Holland’s Joost Luiten and Montgomerie is relieved he won’t have to experience what happened to him the last time he partnered the Belgian.

“I was asked to do a drug test and both Nicolas and Stephen Gallacher just burst out laughing. They said it was for performance-enhancing drugs and I said it was a complete waste of time and I wanted my money back if that was the case. I’m hitting the ball 280 metres and they’re hitting it 340,” Montgomerie laughed.