Accompanied by a new caddie, emboldened by his third place finish last year, Shane Lowry insists he is in a confident mood ahead of his latest run at the green jacket this week.
The Masters remains the only major championship not to fall into Irish hands, though 2022 was the strongest ever showing for the Irish contingent around Augusta.
Rory McIlroy fired a memorable final round 64, decorated by a chip-in birdie from the bunker at 18 to nail down second position.
Lowry, who had drifted off the leaderboard after a triple bogey at the 4th on Sunday, registered six birdies over the remainder of his round to climb to five-under par and ultimately finish in a tie for third alongside Cameron Smith.
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However, the in-form Scottie Scheffler always had a cushion at the head of field and could even afford a four-putt double bogey at the last to win by three.
Nonetheless, Lowry was disappointed afterwards, feeling that he had played well enough to put himself in contention.
"I feel you're not going to get too many chances to win the Masters," Lowry told RTÉ's Greg Allen on Morning Ireland.
"Scottie obviously ran away with it last year. But how many Masters have I left in me? Maybe another eight or ten, hopefully. Well, hopefully I've got 30 or 40 if I manage to get a green jacket. But how many chances have I got to win this?
"You feel like when you give yourself a chance, you want to do your best.
"I was disappointed last year because I did feel I had a chance to win. But just because I had a good week here last year, it doesn't give me a God-given right to play well here this week.
"It's just about going out and preparing myself, being myself and playing the good golf I know I can play."
Lowry's form this year has not hit the heights of 2022, though he did register a fifth place finish at the Honda Classic in Florida.
Even so, Lowry says things are coming right in his game and he feels confident that he's primed heading into the year's first major.
"I've not been throwing out the results that I want. But I'm not that far away. Last season, I made a big thing about getting ready for the Masters. I've done the same this year. I wanted to prepare for this as best I can and I feel I've done that.
"I do feel good, I feel a lot of confidence. It's all about getting out there Thursday and getting off to a decent start. If you shoot a good score on Thursday, you feel like you're right in the tournament and it's an exciting week after that."
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Perhaps contributing to Lowry's patchy results thus far has been the upheavel on the caddie front, following the split with Brian 'Bo' Martin in January, the familiar face who accompanied him to the 2019 Open championship win in Portrush.
Since then, Lowry's friend Darren Reynolds has assumed the role, the Bray native having previously worked for Paul McGinley, Paul Dunne and France's Antoine Rozner.
"It was unexpected when it happened and then Darren came along. I've only had two new caddies in my whole career.
"It took me a week or two. But it was nice to have a decent week in LA and go and contend in the Honda (Classic).
"Since then, I've ticked a few boxes that might not look like big wins to anyone looking at my results. But my game is in decent shape.
"I'm very happy with my new caddie, Darren, he's a great guy, he's a great caddie. I'm hopeful we can be very successful.
"I've known Darren a long time. I've always thought in the back of my head that maybe one day, if it ever came to it, he could caddie for me. As soon as Bo finished with me in January, Darren was the first person to get a call."
Lowry has established a decent pedigree around the fabled course, with a third place finish last year and is a long-time member of the hole-in-one club at the 16th. The prospect of some Irish weather and weekend rain could also lift his chances a notch this Sunday.
"I don't like that. I live in South Florida now! I've gone soft. Yeah, there could be a bit of rain this weekend. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. The course will obviously soften up as the week goes on. I'd imagine they'll firm it up between now and then. It always throws up something, the Masters.
"When I came first, I laughed it off and said it's just another golf course. But it's not. It's Augusta National and it's the Masters and it's such a big deal, that you do need to get comfortable around here.
"I feel like I am now. Last year had a huge part to play in that. Hopefully I can go one or two better and give myself a chance at the weekend."
