Rory McIlroy arrived at Royal Portrush in the early hours of Monday morning, but he was out early to get some practice in before the heavy traffic arrived.
And despite getting edged out at the Scottish Open on Sunday, he was in good spirits during his pre Open press conference, declaring that he was "very capable" of winning this week.
Here's what else the five-time Major champion had to say...
Not Being Prepared In 2019
A picture that sums up McIlroy's Open nightmare at Royal Portrush six years ago
Six years ago, McIlroy stood on the 1st tee at Royal Portrush full of optimism, with a huge home crowd roaring him on.
Twenty minutes later, after making a quadruple bogey, his tournament was over. What does he remember the most about that week?
"The ovation I got on the 1st tee on Thursday and not being prepared for it, or not being ready for how I was going to feel or what I was going to feel."
It was a very honest answer, one that he was asked to expand on.
"I was still a little surprised and a little taken aback, like geez, these people really want me to win," he added.
"I think that brought its own sort of pressure and more internally from myself and not really wanting to let people down.
"I guess it's just something I didn't mentally prepare for that day or that week. But I learned pretty quickly that one of my challenges, especially in a week like this, is controlling myself and controlling that battle.
"I talked about it at the Masters on that last day. The battle on that last day wasn't with Augusta National. It wasn't with Bryson. It wasn't with Justin Rose. The battle that day was with myself."
He Hasn’t Played Holywood For 15 years
McIlroy grew up playing at Holywood Golf Club, a parkland course set high in the Holywood Hills of County Down.
As you'd expect, he's a hero there, although McIlroy admits that he hasn't played the golf course for "15 years maybe".
"I don't spend a lot of time in these parts anymore just with travel schedule, living abroad, all that stuff," said McIlroy, who's recently moved from Florida to the UK.
"To be here, to see a lot of familiar faces... every hole on the course has a different team of marshals from different golf clubs, and just to see people that I've met throughout the years out there this morning was really nice."
He's Not Had Much Sleep
McIlroy couldn't get the better of Chris Gotterup at the Scottish Open
"I got about four hours of sleep, so I'm looking forward to taking a nap after this," he said following his early morning practice round.
McIlroy came second to America's Chris Gotterup at the Scottish Open late on Sunday, but he made the short trip across the water to get some preparation in early.
The idea was to give himself some quiet time before the noise levels crank up over the course of the next couple of days.
"I just wanted to get out early, sort of beat the rush, beat the crowd, and do my work with not a lot of people around. So that was the reason that I did that today," he explained.
"It worked out well. Obviously we had that weather delay there, and it was nice to get 18 holes in early and feel like I got a productive day of work in."
The Enthusiasm Is Back
He must be wishing he'd never mentioned how flat he felt in the days after completing the Career Grand Slam, because everywhere he goes now he's asked whether the focus is back.
Well, there's good news: it is.
After two strong finishes, there appears to be a skip in his step again - and he's sounding a lot more upbeat.
"I think after the Masters, obviously I had the PGA and the US Open up there in terms of goals," he explained.
"I felt like the PGA was just maybe a bit... it was a bit soon, and I didn't know how I felt, and then US Open was okay.
"I started slow and then sort of it took me a while to get into the tournament a bit but then finished with a decent last day."
Rest Of The Season
Rory McIlroy finally completed the Career Grand Slam by winning The Masters in April
Since winning The Masters in April and "climbing Everest", McIlroy has also admitted that finding the motivation to go out and compete again has been difficult.
"They do a very good job of keeping you on the hamster wheel, and you feel like it's hard to get off at times," he said, referring to the busy playing schedule.
However, McIlroy is now targeting two big weeks.
"The two big things left this year are this tournament and the Ryder Cup. Those are the two massive things that are left on the golfing calendar," he said.
"I know I've got some events between here and the Ryder Cup, but obviously wanting to have my very best stuff when we go to New York."
McIlroy will also be playing in India and Australia this year, but there's big business to take care of before then.
"It's been an amazing year," he said.
"The fact that I'm here at Portrush with the Green Jacket, having completed that lifelong dream.
"I want to do my best this week to enjoy everything that comes my way and enjoy the reaction of the fans and enjoy being in front of them and playing in front of them.
"But at the same time, I want to win this golf tournament, and I feel like I'm very capable of doing that."
Watch Rory McIlroy's Open press conference in full:
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