Padraig Harrington is aiming to shake off the rust and make a big impact when he tees-off in Thursday's Maybank Malaysian Open, his first tournament for more than two months.
The Irish ace admits it may take him a few holes to get back in the groove but says he is "confident" about his chances.
"The main priority during my time off was rest," he said. "The second priority was doing some good work in the gym and the third was to work a little bit more on my swing.
"My game's a bit rusty. I'm happy with the things I've worked on but being on the driving range is different to pulling the trigger on the golf course. I'm halfway between the new swing and the old swing - it will take a while before it settles down."
The US$1.25 million Maybank Malaysian Open - once again co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours and promoted by Parallel Media Asia - is being staged for the first time at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
Harrington heads a strong European contingent that also includes Ryder Cup star Miguel Angel Jimenez, Welshman Stephen Dodd and Scottish veteran Sam Torrance.
Asian hopes rest with two-time defending champion Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, his compatriot and Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Thaworn Wiratchant, Chinese No.1 Zhang Lian Wei and Indian star Jyoti Randhawa.
Asian Tour players have predicted the club's lush 72-par West Course will pose problems for the European Tour contingent but Harrington believes he may be the exception.
"I like grainy greens, I play well in the heat and, because there is not much run, you have to hit it in the air a long way, and that suits me," he explained.
"I see an advantage out here. Some of the Europeans struggle on the grainy greens but, if anything, I find them easier to read. Obviously, it is tough coming out here and playing the Asian players in their own backyard as they are familiar with the heat and the conditions, but I do feel confident out here.
"I'm not one for making predictions but what I really want to do is get right in there after 69 holes. If I'm in contention, then hopefully my experience will tell."
Harrington, 34, heads into the Maybank Malaysian Open looking to end a run of near misses in the tournament, having been runner-up twice and finishing in the top 10 on two other occasions.
He is the main drawcard in Kuala Lumpur after a sensational first full season on the US PGA Tour where he confirmed his status as one of world golf's outstanding players with two tournament victories.
Jimenez, winner of six European Tour events in the past two years, was his usual relaxed self ahead of the tournament.
"I always consider myself a favourite," said the cigar-chomping Spaniard. "I'll try my best but it's going to be tough against a field of talented golfers. I hope to play my way into contention first. I aim to do well but, more importantly, play good golf.
"I feel good about myself. It is important to feel good about yourself especially when you are contending against players like Thongchai, Jyoti and Padraig who are all in tremendous form and have the ability to play well this week."
Jimenez heads into the Maybank Malaysian Open with three sets of clubs after beginning the week with none.
He explained: "I arrived on Monday morning. My clubs were lost in Paris but the set arrived today. As a result, I had to have my other set sent in from London. I also had another set made here, so now I have three sets of clubs! I'll use the first one, though."
Thongchai will be attempting to join a select band of five players - Ian Woosnam (Monte Carlo Open, 1990-92), Nick Faldo (Irish Open, 1991-93), Colin Montgomerie (PGA Championship, 1998-00), Tiger Woods (WGC-NEC Invitational, 1999-01) and Ernie Els (Heineken Classic, 2002-04) - to win the same European Tour event three years running.
"I will try my best to win again for the Asian Tour," he promised. "I took last week off. I went to see my coach [Sanit Hensakun] and changed my swing a little bit. I had a bit of a problem with my irons and putting. We checked on a few things and now I'm feeling a lot better. I love my game now, it's getting better and better.
"I came here before New Year to practice and the course was playing easy - it was wide open. But when I came here on Monday, it looked different. The rough is very thick and it'll be very challenging, especially if you miss the fairway.
"But the greens are soft because of the rain and will not be too difficult. You can have good control on the greens."
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