It may seem rather perverse but Darren Clarke's slump in form could probably not have come at a better time for him.
The race to be named the next Ryder Cup captain is entering its final few weeks and the Northern Irishman appears to be in pole position.
He is partly helped by the fact his game has fallen through the floor, having not registered a top-10 finish on either of the main tours since his Open Championship victory in 2011.
Clarke's world ranking is currently 456th, the lowest of his career, and there do not seem to be many demands being put on him in terms of his playing schedule.
That means he could, effectively, devote far more time to the job of leading Europe's team against the United States at Hazeltine in 2016 than any of his rivals.
Take his main opponent in that respect, for instance. Miguel Angel Jimenez, one of Paul McGinley's vice-captains at Gleneagles last year, is five year's Clarke's senior at the age of 51 but shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to competing.
He is ranked 45th in the world, which qualifies him for all of golf's biggest events, and despite turning his attention to the Champions Tour has not forgotten how to win.
In his first appearance on the US seniors circuit he was victorious, having registered his last European Tour win less than nine months ago.
He appears to have more reason than his rival to focus on playing, which is what may sway the decision to be made by former Ryder Cup captains Paul McGinley, Jose Maria Olazabal and Colin Montgomerie, European Tour chief executive George O'Grady and tournament committee nominee David Howell in the next few weeks.
