He admits he has been "useless for a while", but Paul Lawrie will go into Saturday's third round of the Ј3million Barclays Scottish Open in contention for a first European Tour title in six years.
Lawrie's last victory came in the Wales Open in 2002, three years after his shock Open Championship triumph at Carnoustie.
The 39-year-old from Aberdeen is currently ranked 264th in the world and has not recorded a single top-10 finish this season, but rounds of 68 and 67 gave him a halfway total of seven under at Loch Lomond.
"Winning this would rank just below the Open," said Lawrie, who would have matched the clubhouse target of eight under set by Damien McGrane but for a bogey at the last. "I've always said the Scottish Open is the next tournament I would like on my CV.
"I know what I'm capable of and I don't come to tournaments unless I think I can win them. No one is more amazed than me when I don't play well."
Lawrie is relishing having his wife Marian and sons Craig and Robert watching him this week, although they will be abandoning him tomorrow in favour of Aberdeen v Manchester United, and have been giving him grief in any case.
"Oh you'd better believe it!" joked Lawrie. "Daddy's been useless for a while so it would be nice to get a win on board to shut them up a bit.
"I like it when Marian and the boys are with me and walk around. I don't speak to them during a round but you see them all the time, waiting for a shot or on a tee, and throw a few funny faces at them."
Tomorrow's match at Pittodrie will celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Dons' greatest triumph, victory over Real Madrid in the 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup final in Gothenburg.
And at half-time a Paul Lawrie Select XI will take on some of the players from that Aberdeen side in a 12-minute match on the pitch.
"Marian and the boys are away up the road to watch that tomorrow and if I was them, I'd be watching Man Utd too," added Lawrie. "I would assume the plan is for them to come back down and if Daddy was in contention on Sunday there would be no question!"
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