Ahead of his third appearance in The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex, Padraig Harrington is planning to draw on past experiences of success at Carnoustie - including his memorable Open Championship victory - with a patient game plan on the demanding links.
The Irishman has finished as the runner-up both times he has previously competed in The Senior Open, having lost in a play-off last year to Alex Cjeka at Royal Porthcawl and by one shot to Darren Clarke in 2022 at Gleneagles.
He now returns to a venue hoping to draw on fond memories of past success, which includes his first of two consecutive Open Championship victories, having edged out Sergio Garcia in a play-off to become the 2007 Champion Golfer of the Year at Carnoustie.
He also finished inside the top 30 when Paul Lawrie triumphed at Carnoustie in 1999, and missed the cut during Francesco Molinari's victory in 2018. With plenty of additional experience of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship - including victory in 2006 - Harrington arrives to this year's Senior Open with a huge amount of tournament experience on this course.
With that experience comes knowledge of the difficulty Carnoustie presents, and it's why he is opting to take a more conservative approach over the first couple of days of competition.
"I really do know the golf course," said Harrington, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame last month.
"I played a few Opens here, not just the winning one. I've played a lot of Dunhill [Links]. I'm very familiar with the golf course. Doesn't mean it gets any easier. You know, this is obviously one of the toughest courses that we play in The Open rota, and you know, it's set up well this year. The rough is nice and high, and certainly in places you really do want to be on your game playing well.
"It's always the same with Carnoustie. It gives you nothing.
"I don't think the course has changed much but maybe we as players have changed a bit. I think the way the game is played is a more aggressive game now, which is interesting because I've done well here by being very conservative and being very cautious. So you know, that is an interesting change you'll see in modern golf. People just take a chance and go for it. Maybe the senior level here on a tough golf course, I would think I'd probably be a bit more patient than I would at a regular event and the biggest key is to avoid the bunkers out there, the fairway bunkers. Yeah, I'll probably be quite conservative and see how that goes, and if it doesn't go so well, and I have to attack later in the week, that's what I'll do."
Outside expectations are high for Harrington, who last week finished tied 22nd in The 152nd Open at Royal Troon and earned his seventh and eighth PGA Tour Champions victories earlier this season at the Hoag Classic Newport Beach in March and his third Dick's Sporting Goods Open last month.
Yet while excited about where his game is and taking positives from last week, Harrington is under no impression that two runner-up finishes in this tournament and his prior course experience have any bearing on his fortunes this week.
"This is the great thing about golf. The game gives you nothing in that sense. Doesn't matter what you've done in the past. You have to turn up and play 72 holes and finish it out. You know, you can be leading after day one, day two, day three. You can be ten shots ahead. Nobody gives you the trophy on Saturday evening and you've got to play all 72 holes and you've got to earn it.
"You know, so I'm not -- last year's performance or the year before doesn't have any bearing on this one. Just have to get out there -- and especially on this golf course, Carnoustie. As much as I've won The Open here, it's not like having won The Open, they give me a one-shot start or something like that. This course, there's nothing about it that would make you sleep easy at night.
"[The Open] was a solid week. You know, I was 10th in strokes gained tee-to-green last week and I was 72nd in putting. So I have been putting well. Sometimes when you're finishing down there in the putting, you're trying to pull everything apart but no, my putting is fine. I just didn't hole the putts last week.
"I'm excited about where it is and where I'm going with my game. Doesn't mean it falls into place this week but I have some confidence going into the rest of the summer."
