Robert Karlsson makes an emotional return to the home of golf this week, four months after being sidelined by an eye problem that made him fear for his future in the sport.
A year ago, Karlsson shot a final round 65 and then won a dramatic play-off at St Andrews to claim the Dunhill Links Championship and effectively ensure he would become the first Swede to finish the year as Europe's number one.
Things could hardly have been going better for Karlsson at the time but the circumstances in which he defends his title from Thursday offer a reminder of how fickle sporting success can be.
Karlsson began to experience problems with his vision in May and although the problem was quickly diagnosed as a stress-related blister on his left retina, he inevitably feared that it would prevent him from ever again playing at the top of his sport.
Between the end of May and the start of September, Karlsson played only 36 holes of golf. But his specialist's assurances that the retina would repair itself have proved well-founded and he is relishing the prospect of defending his title here after returning to competitive action in last week's match between continental Europe and Britain and Ireland in Paris.
"To get back into tournament mode was quite difficult, but it got better by the day and at the end of the week I was quite pleased," he said on Wednesday.
Asked if he feared not getting back to the standard that saw him win two Ryder Cup caps, he replied: "Who knows? I haven't got a clue.
"I'm starting a little bit from the beginning again. Over the summer when I didn't really know, obviously the thought came to me that maybe I've played my last event.
"I was like, 'well, if it is, okay - it's not the end of the world. I've played 19 years on tour, I've won nine times, I've had a great career'.
"In a way it was probably good to go through those sort of thoughts. Sooner or later you're going to come to a day where that is going to be the case."
Martin Kaymer, who along with Ross Fisher lost out in the play-off last year, misses the tournament this year after breaking three bones in his foot while go-karting in the United States.
But Fisher will be in the field and aiming to gain ground on Germany's Kaymer, who currently leads the Race to Dubai, as the tour's money list has been rebranded ahead of the inaugural Dubai World Championship in November.
Also in the field is Padraig Harrington, who is undergoing something of a renaissance and will be hoping to complete a hat-trick of victories in a tournament he won in 2002 and 2006.
Harrington's compatriot, Paul McGinley, won plaudits for his captaincy as his British and Irish team comfortably beat the Europeans in Paris last week.
But the 42-year-old Irishman is determined not to be pigeon-holed as a Ryder Cup captain in waiting and is determined to use this week to prove he is still capable of competing at the highest level.
"I still want to be a player," McGinley said. "I don't want to go down the road of being an official and all that - I don't know if I'm ready for it yet.
"One minute I think I'm good with this role and the next I want to be there - I'm so envious of the guys playing. I'm really struggling with it."
McGinley is currently languishing at a lowly 116th place on the European Tour's money list and, after one top ten finish all season, is in danger of failing to finish in the top 100 for the first time since he came through the qualifying school in 1991.
South African major winners Ernie Els and Trevor Immelman are also in the field for a tournament in which the professionals are paired with celebrities and is played over three famous links -- the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.
Among the celebrities taking part are actor Hugh Grant, singer Ronan Keating and cricket legend Sir Ian Botham.
Copyright 2009  AFP Global Edition
