Padraig Harrington has reasons to be cheerful as he turns his thoughts to the Masters starting on Thursday. Plenty of them.
But that will change if he starts the first round in Augusta the same way he started the final round of the BellSouth Classic in Atlanta yesterday.
Harrington finished fourth at Sugarloaf, only three strokes behind winner Zach Johnson, and coming only seven days after his runners-up finish in the Players Championship, one shot behind Adam Scott, that is no bad way to warm up for the first major of the year.
But, when you are in the last group on the last day, playing the opening three holes in four over par is not exactly in the masterplan. It took Harrington from three behind to eight adrift and when another double
bogey came two holes later it looked like being a horror story.
The 32-year-old Dubliner is nothing if not a fighter, however, and an eagle and five birdies enabled him to maintain his high spirits heading across Georgia, even if it did not enable him to record his first US Tour victory.
"This was a good week for Augusta - without a doubt," commented Harrington. "I just hit four wrong clubs. It was difficult in the wind - all through the round there was a lot of doubt.
"I'm playing well and I'm not looking for my swing. Maybe there's some advantage in having played in these conditions, but I'd prefer it to be less stressful."
On recent form, the Ryder Cup star is certainly Europe's main hope to end a barren spell in the majors which stretches back to Paul Lawrie's 1999 Open win at Carnoustie.
"Obviously my form is good going into it," he says. "Hopefully I can give myself some sort of chance. There's a huge amount of experience involved in majors - of the tournament itself, of all the majors and of the golf course that you're on.
"I think you've got to realise that you've got to play them and be in contention, and be under that pressure a few times before it really happens."