Matteo Manassero feels his game is starting to come back together as he prepares to tee it up at the Italian Open.
The home favourite endured a frustrating 2015 season, finishing 167th on the Race to Dubai and only keeping hold of his playing privileges due to his victory at the 2013 BMW PGA Championship.
That was the fourth victory of a career that had seen him claim a win in each of his first four seasons on the European Tour and he has started to once again find the form that got him into winning positions.
The 23 year old admits it has taken a lot of hard work and some mental anguish to get back to this point but after a recent third-place finish at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, he is feeling positive in Monza.
"I'm playing much better," he said. "I did a great job this winter. At the beginning of the season, it was not easy because there were many problems to overcome. I thought I would summarise the things I was doing well to take time and to start from the basics that made me play well both technically and mentally.
"I have basically put a dot, starting almost from scratch. In these situations you live particular moments, you feel the criticism. You analyse, you live with doubts, but when you find the right path to that point, everything is a bit easier.
"I must, of course, be vigilant, because I certainly haven't solved everything. Since the spring, I changed gears. I'm very happy with how I'm playing now, regardless of the results on the course. And what happened over the summer has projected me to the most important objectives I set earlier this year. This is very important for me."
Since the spring, I changed gears. I'm very happy with how I'm playing now, regardless of the results on the course - Matteo Manassero
Manassero has two top tens in his home Open but missed the cut last year at Golf Club Milano and believes that accuracy off the tee will be paramount if he is to improve on his record this week.
"You must use a lot of strategy and not really use the driver on every hole," he said. "The rough is very thick, and will cause problems.
"The fairways are very narrow, it is not always easy to find them so the player who finds the most fairways this week has a good chance of winning the tournament. This course is all about precision."
