After a sobering introduction to professional golf, Perthshire prodigy Bradley Neil is back at the event which thrust him into the limelight as a young amateur.
Two years ago Neil was a late replacement for rock singer Huey Lewis as partner to American Peter Uihlein in the Alfred Dunhill Links team event.
Their second-place finish proved to be a springboard for the then 17-year-old, who won the Amateur Championship the following season.
That earned him a start in the Open, the Masters and the US Open, after which the Blairgowrie Golf Club member turned pro.
Following a couple of months of missed cuts in the paid ranks, predominantly on the second tier Challenge Tour, Neil has been buoyed by negotiating his way through the first stage of European Tour Q-School last week.
And returning to the Dunhill has added to the sense of optimism and expectancy ahead of a tournament that has got a history of making careers.
“It’s not nice when you’re working hard and week in and week out it isn’t happening for you,” Neil told Courier Sport.
“So to finish under par for each of the four rounds last week was a real boost. Nobody else did that.
“Making scores when it matters is what it’s all about in the professional game.
“It feels like a lot longer than two years that I was at the Dunhill. A lot has changed in that time.
“I’ve got great memories obviously.
“It’s been nice in practice having some of the crowd knowing who I am. That’s what you want at a big event.
“It was a brilliant atmosphere two years ago. To be in the final group in a European Tour event at 17 was incredible.
“I can still remember things like the shot I hit on 17 and the walk down the last. Hopefully I can use memories like that to play good golf this week.
“I’ve seen quite a bit of Peter over the last year. My mum and his mum are still friends. A lot of good things came from that week. It’s good to see him here again.
“To finally get to play a big event as a pro in Scotland will be really special for me. It’s great to get an invite.”
Neil knows his Dunhill history, but isn’t setting his sights for the week too high.
“It’s quite hard to keep your expectations low,” the 19-year-old admitted.
“This is the one event every year where someone does a Rory McIlroy or a Chris Doak or a George Murray or an Oliver Wilson. A top three here and you’ve got your card.
“You know it’s possible. I don’t know where to set my goals but if I was able to make the cut that would be great.
“I just want to do well. I’ve got a bit of momentum from last week and I want to keep that rolling. If I’m still here on the Sunday then I’ll be delighted.”
The first stage Q-School success was a consequence of changing his shape of shot back to the one that served him so well in 2014.
“In January me and Kevin (Hale, his coach) tried to work on a draw bias for the Masters,” Neil revealed.
“We wouldn’t change our decision but we continued with it for the whole season and it didn’t really suit my visuals on the course.
“I won the Amateur with a fade. We made that Kaymer mistake. There were some positives but when you’re playing with a draw your misses are both ways.
“With a fade your bad shot isn’t as destructive. It was nearly a month ago I went back to the fade and that was the big difference last week. Hopefully it works well this week again.”
Neil, who didn’t watch the Walker Cup on television, admitted that there have been times when he questioned whether he had made the right call in turning pro after the US Open.
“I’m glad the Walker Cup is past now because now I can properly move on,” he said. “The way the last few months have gone, you think ‘did I make the right decision?’
“But it’s two days, and the way I was playing it wasn’t definite I’d have been in the team. When I look back I know 100% I made the right decision. I’ve learned so much in the last few months.
“My experience of playing on the Challenge Tour and the main tour has given me a head start.
“I’m still only 19. It’s good for me that I’ve got out there young. There was so much expectation after the year I had last season but the only expectations and pressure I feel now are my own.”