Colin Montgomerie has expressed his belief that Lee Westwood needs to improve his putting if he is to stand any chance of winning his first major.

Westwood missed out on a Masters play-off by just two shots, leaving him to rue a number of missed putts that could have won him the green jacket.

It was yet another close call for the Englishman, who has now finished in the top three of a major seven times without winning, and Montgomerie believes that he needs to match his impressive approach play with putting of a similar standard.

"What can you say about Lee Westwood to miss out on that play-off by two shots?" said Montgomerie.

"If you look at his stroke on the 15th (a missed eagle putt from six foot), it is not good enough to win a major unfortunately. You see the smoothness of Louis Oosthuizen's stroke, the smoothness of Bubba Watson's stroke, of Phil Mickelson's - they are all putting better than Lee.

"He has got to go away and find a way of getting the ball in the hole because from tee to green he will win and if he putts half decent he will win by ten."

Bubba Watson eventually won the Masters after a dramatic final day that saw Mickelson blow his chances with a double bogey and Oosthuizen miss out after a play-off.