A big-hitting Belgian who only three years ago stood 1,305th in the Official World Golf Ranking finds himself the centre of attention at The Gleneagles Hotel this week as Europe's Ryder Cup race comes down to the crunch.
Nicolas Colsaerts is the only player in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles who can force his way into José María Olazábal's automatic top ten for Chicago next month.
The 29 year old has flown to Scotland from America, where he came seventh in the Wyndham Championship on Monday, in search of the top-two finish that would leave former World Number One Martin Kaymer suddenly in need of a Captain's pick.
Colsaerts sank so low in the game three years ago that he had no card to play on either in The European Tour or The Challenge Tour and had to ask for invitations onto the French mini-circuit.
The Brussels golfer does not mind admitting that, having earned well over €500,000 before his slump started, he continued to enjoy himself off the course.
"I keep fantastic memories of my party time, but that does not mean it's over yet!" Colsaerts said.
Missing big tournaments, though, brought it home to him how much he wanted to make the most of his talent.
"I probably didn't know how much I wanted it, but when you go to big tournaments and how much of a kick it gives you I feel almost like I was stupid not to realise it before.
"I feel like I've done my middle-age crisis at 25, which is not that much of a bad thing. I got that out of the way and I can focus on what I need to do for the next ten to 15 years."
Colsaerts has been in the running for a debut ever since he beat Graeme McDowell in the final of the Volvo World Match Play in Spain in May - and hoped he might have sealed his place by now.
Becoming the first Belgian to play in The Ryder Cup inevitably adds to the importance of this week for him - and even if he fails to overtake Kaymer he hopes to be given the nod by Olazábal and added to a line-up that at the moment does not have a single uncapped player in it.
"I think I have adopted the best way to go about it - to be very humble.
"I think Ollie has been around for so many years. He's been to so many of them that he's got all the scenarios covered regardless of what I do and what some of the other guys do.
"I think you're only looking at two of three options, so it's quite simple.
"I've showed basically everything I could have done to get the pick, but then I don't know what the Captain is looking for."
Nor, it seems, do Olazábal's three assistant captains Thomas Björn, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley yet.
Björn, who plays the first two rounds with Colsaerts, said that maybe the only person who knows the Spaniard's thoughts at the moment is his manager Sergio Gomez.
The Dane is this week's defending champion and should he retain the title he would be surprised if he is not considered for a change of role - from vice-captain to player.
"I'm sure he'll think about anybody that wins this week."
It was, after all, the way that Edoardo Molinari got in as a wild card two years ago.
Björn also believes it could be in Colsaerts' favour that there are no rookies in The Team at present.
Clarke, however, said: "You need all the experience that you can, especially going to somewhere like Chicago. It's always tougher on the rookies away from home."
However, Colsaerts has it in his own hands the next four days to earn a place and make himself better known in the States.
Last week he teed off in North Carolina and heard the cry of "Good shot, Andrew" from a spectator. Scot Andrew Coltart played in the Ryder Cup in 1999.
"That's where coming from Belgium actually sets me free because I don't really feel like the Americans see me as a threat," he said.
"They only know us for waffles."
