When The Open Championship was last played at Sandwich, Charl Schwartzel got "such a fright" at seeing his name on the leaderboard that he promptly shot rounds of 78 and 77 to miss the cut.
Eight years later, the South African returns to Royal St George's as the Masters Tournament champion and looking to follow in the footsteps of compatriot and close friend Louis Oosthuizen by lifting The Claret Jug on Sunday.
"It's actually a very good feeling to be back," Schwartzel said at his pre-tournament press conference today. "My manager Matt actually caddied for me when I played Royal Cinque Ports across the road in 2002 and won the Brabazon Trophy.
"My first Open (and first Major) was here at Royal St George's. I think I led after three holes and got such a fright when I saw my name on the leaderboard that that was all I can actually remember.
"After three holes I've got good memories, after that it was a bit of a blur. But I've got good memories of the way I played as an amateur next door.
"I remember it was bad conditions and the two courses are pretty similar. Eight years later I think I'm a bit more mature and understand the game a bit better. I'm really looking forward to this Open. It would be nice to win that Claret Jug."
Schwartzel was in good company in struggling in the 2003 Open Championship, finishing alongside current World Number One Luke Donald in joint 113th, and joint 14th at St Andrews last year represents his best finish in six Open appearances.
But the 26 year old has taken his game to the next level in 2011, winning the Masters Tournament in brilliant style with birdies on the last four holes, and following that up with a top-ten finish in the US Open at Congressional.
Despite such form, Schwartzel is still rated a 50/1 outsider this week behind the likes of Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood - all players he left trailing in his wake at Augusta National - but that does not concern him at all.
"You can make whatever odds you want," Schwartzel added. "In a way I've always liked playing as the underdog and then surprise people, but it is what it is.
"I'm out there to give it my best and see if I can win this golf tournament. Whether my odds are 200/1 or 12/1, it doesn't make any difference to me."
Schwartzel and McIlroy have enjoyed similar preparation for The Open by not playing competitively for three weeks, with the South African proving he might have a career in weather forecasting if golf does not pan out.
"I've had three weeks off down in South Africa," he explained. "I decided not to play the Scottish Open because I guessed that the weather was going to be bad!
"It's pretty cold right now in South Africa, but we get clear days and with a bit of wind I figured it would be pretty good practice, which it was. The courses are dry, so I could really prepare for the way that these courses would play. We'll see how that works out."
