Shane Lowry has been part of three of the last four Masters, but last year’s absence was a bitter pill to swallow and one he doesn’t want to repeat.
The Offaly native missed the cut on his first outing at Augusta in 2015, and again two years later, while in between was tied for 39th at the iconic course.
Last year however, the 32-year-old was forced into a watching brief after falling out of the world's top 50 golfers.
"I missed being here last year. You don’t really miss other tournaments, but you miss this one," he told RTÉ Sport’s Greg Allen.
"Perspective is great. Maybe you do take it for granted when you are here. Maybe it takes a year missing it to realise that."
Being part of the 2019 edition however wasn't always part of the grand plan.
By his own admission he has had a nervy few weeks, only squeezing in at number 49 just before the deadline.
"I sat down at Christmas to do my schedule and this wasn’t on it, so it’s nice to be here," he said.
"It’s been on my mind for the past few weeks. It’s been difficult to play golf."
"There’s no panic stations. I feel like most of my game is good"
Victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at the start of the year was a boost to the confidence, and all in all, he feels like his game is not far short of where he wants it to be.
"The results haven’t been great since winning [in Abu Dhabi], but there’s no panic stations. I feel like most of my game is good; I’ve struggled to drive the ball all year.
"I’ve found a driver now that I really do like. My driver broke the week before Abu Dhabi and I’ve used five or six in tournaments since, and 30 or 40 altogether. From this week on I think it’s going to be good."
Does the fourth visit down Magnolia Lane make it a somewhat less daunting experience than when he first set foot on the hallowed turf?
"You do take in a lot more. Maybe the course starts to open up a little bit. The thing I found most difficult when I first came here was that you are almost in awe.
"I’m ready to go and I don’t care what the weather does for the next few days"
"There are probably guys who have played here years, who love the place haven’t done that well.
"Every part of your game has to be good. You need to be quite sharp going around here because small mistakes are costly out here.
"I’m ready to go and I don’t care what the weather does for the next few days."
