EUROPEAN TOUR:COLIN MONTGOMERIE was just where he wanted to be yesterday on his 500th European Tour appearance as a professional – right at the top of the leaderboard.

Europe’s new Ryder Cup captain, with only three top 10 finishes to his name since the start of last season, returned a five-under-par 67 to lead the Andalucian Open with fellow Scot Steven O’Hara and France’s Jean-Francois Lucquin in Seville.

Montgomerie, now a lowly 137th in the world and with no hope of qualifying for The Masters in two weeks, was presented with a cake on Wednesday and an ice bucket yesterday to mark his achievement.

For a while the hole must have looked as big as the bucket. After four birdies in his first six holes he ran up a six on the long 16th after going in the water, but then converted chances of 15 and 30 feet at the 18th and first.

An 18-footer also went in for par at the 451-yard second and after a second bogey two holes later he holed from the same distance at the fifth and parred in.

“The best gift was that 67,” he said. “That’s three tournaments in a row with a 67. Things are looking up.

“People say that being Ryder Cup captain will hurt my game, but I think exactly the opposite. I’ve been looking for ways to relax on the course and I thing I’ve found it.

“It was a very nostalgic round. I was thinking about all sorts of things – my three PGA wins, eight Order of Merits, how far I’ve walked (all the way to Hong Kong) and being Ryder Cup captain. I’ve thought about that every minute of every day since I was appointed.”

Montgomerie is the 18th player to reach 500 tournaments on the circuit and of special pride to him is that in 182 of them he notched top 10 finishes. The last was his second place to Pablo Larrazabal at last June’s French Open, but he said: “I’d like to get to 200.

“I’m busier than ever, but I’m still competitive enough to be able to contend.”

Former Walker Cup player O’Hara came storming through at the end of his round, making birdie at 15th, eagle at 16 and then a closing birdie. The last two were from only two feet.

Lucquin is the player who beat Rory McIlroy in a play-off for the European Masters last September. It looks an even better win now considering what progress the promising Northern Ireland teenager has made.

Ireland’s Peter Lawrie shot a 71 to be four shots behind and Paul McGinley went around in level par 72.

- Meanwhile, Carlos Pigem Xammer leads the European Nations Championship at Sotogrande, Spain.

The Spaniard added a 65 to his first-round 67 to lead by four shots on 132.

Shane Lowry is seven shots off the pace on 139 after a second-round 71.

Royal Dublin’s Niall Kearney is joint ninth on 140 while a 71 by Newland’s Cian Curley helped Ireland remain in fourth place in the team standings.

England leads by seven strokes on 411 from France and Spain with Ireland 13 strokes adrift on 428.

In the women’s event, Italy leads by five shots from Spain. Lara Spilkova, from the Czech Republic, is one-stoke clear in the individual competition.