Matthew Southgate feels he is playing the best golf of his life after rounds of 65-70 put him right in contention heading into the weekend at the NBO Oman Open.
The Englishman has had a remarkable few years, coming through all three stages of Qualifying School just months after having surgery for testicular cancer in 2015 and going on to finish in a tie for 12th at the Open Championship and achieve two top tens on the European Tour.
Last season, a tie for second at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation represented his best finish on the European Tour and helped him to end the campaign 38th on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex.
He is clearly a player on an upward trajectory and now sitting just two shots off the lead at Al Mouj Golf, he does not feel his game has ever been in a better place.
"I think I'm playing the best golf of my life which is the goal because I look to just improve all the time," he said. "I feel really in control of my swing and I feel a lot more level-headed playing a golf course like this where the scoring is not ridiculously low.
"There are birdie chances but you've really got to hit good shots and that's something that I've always enjoyed. I feel like I switch on a bit when it gets a bit tougher.
"I think it's a nice position to go into the weekend when you're completely in love with the golf course and you're probably going to be leading or there or thereabouts.
"No complaints technique-wise or mental-wise so we'll see what we can do. It's been coming, I've been hitting the ball well but I'm very much in my comfort zone in my own head. I'm really enjoying it out there."
Southgate would have been in a share of the lead had it not been for a double-bogey on the last after a poor tee-shot but the 29 year old was refusing to be downhearted about his late slip.
"I just switched off a little bit on the 18th tee, there," he said. "I've just hit a poor swing and made a poor error and I'm kind of not surprised. It's a hot day and it's taken a lot out of me.
"These things happen, I didn't mean to do it and I certainly won't mean to do it again. There's going to be hundreds of shots that I hit in my career that I'm not happy with and that was just one of them."
One player who will admit he has not been at his best of late is Chris Wood.
I think it's a nice position to go into the weekend when you're completely in love with the golf course - Matthew Southgate
The 30 year old enjoyed a stellar 2016 as he won the BMW PGA Championship and made the Ryder Cup Team but had just three top tens in 2017 and missed his first three cuts this season.
A 66 on Friday represented a return to form and the Englishman is glad to be finally getting some rewards.
"Those two days were more enjoyable than the last six months or so, that's for sure," he said. "I just dropped one shot over two rounds and that was a three-putt yesterday.
"It's good, finally a bit of progress which is nice because when you struggle with this game it can get you down a bit. It's nice that I'm seeing the light now.
"I've missed three cuts this season already but at the Dubai Desert Classic I definitely felt like my game was coming but I just needed two more rounds to just put a 67 or 68 in and feel like it's really coming.
"But I missed the cut there by a couple in Dubai. You feel like it's getting there but you need the golf. I've put in a lot of work at home and it's nice to put a score on the board at last. I can't remember the last time I shot in the 60s."
