Padraig Harrington had good reason to feel really confident going into the third round of the Players Championship in Florida today.
But that was the last feeling the Irishman wanted to have. Past experience has taught him that.
"I seem to play better with fear than I do with confidence basically," said Harrington, joint fifth and only three shots behind American leaders Jerry Kelly and Kevin Sutherland halfway through golf's richest-ever event.
Last year the 32-year-old world number 13 did not feel great about his game, but led by two at the same stage, shared top spot with a round to go and eventually finished joint second, earning $572,000.
"I get very aggressive when I am playing well. When I am not playing well I select the shots much better.
"I play defensive when I need to and when an opportunity comes around I tend to take it. I am always a better player when I am not confident.
"Some holes here you have to be patient and play to the middle of the greens, depending on how the pins are set up in the wind. You have got to keep on top of your mental game out there and that seems to suit me.
"But this is (only) my fourth tournament of the year. It takes me a while to warm up and get into things. That's just the nature of my game and if it doesn't happen this week, then so be it."
It certainly does not concern him that he is five strokes worse off than he was heading into the weekend 12 months ago.
"Two ahead or three behind doesn't matter. It's the same sort of situation - whoever plays best from now on is going to win. Nobody is going to get away with not performing."
There are some high-quality players in the mix even if the two pacesetters are not the best known.
Sutherland's only US Tour victory remains his shock Accenture World Match Play success two years ago, but while Kelly has won only twice he did make America's Presidents Cup team last year and has his sights on adding a Ryder Cup cap.
The pair are two ahead of world number three Ernie Els and up-and-coming Australian Adam Scott, while alongside Harrington sits world number two Vijay Singh.
Many expected Tiger Woods, the man who leads the world rankings, to be back home by now after the waywardness of his opening 75. But Woods eagled his second hole yesterday, lipped out for another and with a 69 made it through with two shots to spare.
That made it 120 tournaments since he last missed a cut - back in 1997, staggeringly - but at level par he has nine to make up and needs to go up a further gear or two.
Woods lies 44th, but that is 60 places higher than he was after day one and should he eagle his second hole again then he would be up to 21st alongside John Daly and England's Paul Casey.
Ian Poulter stands one under and Darren Clarke one over - he finished his second round bogey, double bogey, birdie - while Colin Montgomerie, Justin Rose and Nick Faldo squeezed through with nothing to spare at two over, Rose having to wait six hours to discover whether his air shot in the rough at his last hole would cost him dear.