Branden Grace is hoping to use the memories of last season's near miss at Chambers Bay as a springboard when he goes in search of a first Major Championship at the US Open this week.
The South African enjoyed a stunning 2015 in the Majors, finishing in that tie for fourth in Washington before claiming a top 20 in the Open Championship and ending the week third at the US PGA Championship.
Those results contributed to a third-placed finish in the Race to Dubai and he began the 2016 campaign in equally impressive fashion, registering four consecutive top tens before successfully defending his crown at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
The seven-time European Tour winner has also claimed his first win on the US PGA Tour this season and arrives in Pennsylvania with a first Major triumph firmly in his sights.
"I think the past two years have been pretty exciting, hitting into those Majors, playing some good golf, and then getting to Chambers Bay and really feeling good about your game and things going your way," he said.
"I enjoyed that week. It's probably one of the best weeks I've had in my entire life in my golfing career, just ball striking was there, putting was there, handled the nerves superbly. It was just a pity it came down to one bad tee-shot."
With its thick rough and fast greens, Oakmont Country Club is expected to provide possibly the toughest test of the season this week, but Grace insists he is going to stick to his natural game.
"It's tough," he said. "I think everybody says it's going to be a grind. It's just what you make out of each round.
I think the guy with the best head is going to win at the end of the week - Branden Grace
"The guy who can stay most patient and the guy that's really going to just accept that things are not going to go your way sooner or later. The guy that's going to win is going to be the guy that gets over that the quickest."
Countryman Ernie Els knows a thing or two about winning at Oakmont after claiming his first Major Championship here in 1994.
The two-time winner of this event has seen most things in the world of golf in the 22 years since then, and he believes this week will be one of the biggest tests in the careers of all the players in the field.
This is going to test the boys this week, I promise you - Ernie Els
"Of the four rounds you're going to play, at least one, maybe two is going to be a survival test.
"You breeze through four rounds here with you having your way with the golf course, you're going to win by quite a few golf shots.
"You're going to have stretches where you're going to have to try and survive, and it's going to happen to every player in the field.
"That is why this is the ultimate US Open test at Oakmont. This one is going to test your resolve - mental, physical, everything."
