In a bid to stop his career fading away, Colin Montgomerie is trying to put a fade back in his game.
A picture of doom and gloom after only just surviving the halfway cut in the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, Montgomerie began the process of rebuilding his confidence with a 69 in today's third round.
It still left the seven-time European number one deep in the pack on one under - 10 adrift of Swede Fredrik Jacobson, four clear of the field at halfway - but Montgomerie accepted it as a step in the right direction.
With the Open at Muirfield now only five days away the 39-year-old said: "I'm trying to get my control back by fading the ball rather than hooking it.
"I can't play with a hook and you can't play an Open without knowing how far your five-iron is going. Here it's not too bad, but next week it will run into trouble.
"I'm using this weekend just as practice. I hate to say that, but that's where I am.
"It was a bit better today, but nothing wonderful."
Nor is his troublesome back anywhere near "wonderful" yet either.
"I'm in no mind to think about stopping yet, but how long I can go on depends on how I am physically.
"That's my main worry. I'm nowhere near 100% and if you can't do it physically you are struggling. I'm getting very tired over the last few holes of a round."
Montgomerie was paired with Ryder Cup team-mate Darren Clarke and the Ulsterman produced a 66 that promised to be even better until he bogeyed the last.
Having also qualified for the final two rounds with nothing to spare, he moved onto the four under par mark of 209.
Highlight of Clarke's round was an eagle two on the dogleg 345-yard 14th, where he drove across all the trouble to the edge of the green and chipped in.
"I'm very close to playing very well and it would be very nice if it all comes together next week. I'm getting very frustrated," he said.
Sandy Lyle's presence in the last group of the day guaranteed a big crowd, especially with the rainclouds being replaced by sunshine at the £2.2million event.
The 44-year-old former Open and Masters champion had opened 67-68, but Jacobson trumped that with rounds of 66-65 to take charge.