Paul Dunne had to make the US Open the hard way, but the Greystone man heads for Erin Hills with absolutely no fear and a strong belief that if he's in the mix come Sunday, he's ready to make the most of it.
Dunne secured a place in this week's Major after coming through a marathon qualifying round in Walton Heath, England.
In a seven-man play-off for the final four spots, the 24-year-old held his nerve to book a ticket his first ever US Open.
No stranger to defying the odds - in 2015 Dunne became the first amateur since 1927 to lead the British Open after 54 holes - he's confident of making a real impact in Wisconsin.
"If I get in contention I feel like I’m really ready to make the most of it," Dunne told RTÉ Sport.
"I feel very comfortable that if I get there I’ll do well; it’s just a matter of getting there.
"I’ve never been to a US Open before but I’ve been to this sort of environment before and I’ve played well in it. It’s all about getting your game in decent shape and then getting comfortable on the course.
"From there it’s just golf. There’s more people around, there’s more stands, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen around so I feel more comfortable in the setting."
"I started practising Sunday but it’s a bit of a different course than I was expecting."
Tournament organisers have made the decision to cut down heavy rough on four holes at Erin Hills, a call which has been criticised by Rory McIlroy.
Dunne admitted those changes have presented a different challenge to what he envisaged, but one he's keen to embrace nonetheless.
"The fairways are wider and the greens are softer than I was expecting, but obviously the penalty for missing the fairways is quite severe.
"I hope the wind blows a little bit. It’s visually quite Irish. It’d be nice for it to play a little bit like that too.
"At the end of the day it’s what I do every week, it’s just on a bigger scale with a better field but that’s why I’m here - to see how my game measures up against the better players."
