Lee Westwood said he is no longer worried about the consequences of the way he plays after producing a five-under-par 67 in the opening round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
Westwood has been in sensational form in recent months, claiming his first victory since 2014 at the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player in November before finishing in the top 20 at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and last week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA.
And the Englishman has revealed his focus has been only on his swing rather than the outcome of the shot.
After carding seven birdies and two bogeys on Thursday, Westwood said: "Don't get me wrong, I'm still trying my hardest but I don't care where the ball goes, I don't care what I shoot.
"The consequences of the way I play don't bother me anymore. I'm purely about what I'm working on and going out there and trying to do that over every shot.
"Working with a new psychologist (instigated that) and just gradually getting into the mindset that you can't control where the ball goes, only what you're doing with your swing."
Westwood has his girlfriend Helen Storey on the bag once again this week - and he believes having her alongside him has made a huge difference.
He added: "When you break it all down and look at the facts - where we're playing, what we're playing for, the golf courses we're playing on, the weather we're playing in, there's no reason really not to be happy.
"Obviously I've got Helen, my girlfriend, on the golf bag, and she makes a big difference to my attitude out there.
"She doesn't know that much about golf. She knows a fair few little bits but she knows a lot about me and what to say and to keep it light-hearted and things like that, and it's really entertaining out there."
