Shane Lowry would love to be the man to take St Andrews apart next week.
Lowry played the famous Old Course blind while in college - "I didn't know what to make of it," he laughed.
Then he competed there in the Dunhill Links and, in 2010, made his Open debut there after qualifying in Sunningdale.
"I wasn’t expecting how big it was. It was amazing," he recalled.
"The Open in St Andrews is more special than any tournament in the world. The big grandstands, the town, everything about the whole place is pretty cool."
Tiger Woods said this week that the true Open champion wins at the home of golf.
Lowry, who won his first major when The Open was staged in Portrush in 2019, isn't about to argue.
"Absolutely, yeah," he said, smiling. "Obviously, it goes without saying that I’d love to win it.
"Would it top what I did in Portrush? It would definitely be on par with it.
"The more you play it, the more you fall in love with the place.
"I’m very excited for the whole week, to be going as a past champion, to be somewhat involved in some of the stuff that’s going on."
There is a champions competition on Monday and the champions dinner on Tuesday, which only happens at St Andrews.
"It's getting to meet all the older champions or some of the past champions that are not playing, some of them certainly are going to be there," he said.
"I don’t know who but it would be great to have Jack (Nicklaus) and those lads there and have dinner with them.
"I look up to those guys alright but I wouldn’t be very good at the history of the game. I’d be pretty good since I started playing myself - from 2000 onwards, the Tiger Woods era, yes.
"I’m fortunate that I know Jack very well. I see him a lot at The Bear Club in Florida and get to talk to him.
"I’m very aware of what those guys have done in the game and done for the game, but I wouldn’t be an encyclopedia like Tiger or Rory on past tournaments.
"I did speak to Jack before the Masters. I felt like it did help me around Augusta - I might seek him out next week.
"Hopefully, I get paired with him in the exhibition!
"Then I’m excited to get going on Thursday because my game's in good shape, I feel ready to compete at a big tournament."
It hasn't all been good for the 35-year-old there, however.
In 2015 he was comfortably making the cut until he went out of bounds and had a quadruple bogey on the notorious par 4 17th, the Road Hole.
"Then I three putted the last for par which obviously left a very sour taste in my mouth - it was the reason I missed the cut," Lowry recalled.
"Yeah, look, 17 is just a brute, isn’t it? It’s one of those holes.
"You’d probably take two or three pars and a bogey on it next week over four rounds - it’s all about manning up and hitting the tee shot.
"But that was the reason I missed the cut in 2015 and I remember being very dejected coming off the golf course that Friday afternoon.
"I went and won in Akron a couple of weeks later so it wasn’t all bad!".
The weather forecast is good for next week and that will lead to fears that the world's top pros could dismantle the Old Course.
"You still have to get it around, some tricky holes," mused Lowry.
"Yes, there are some greens that certain people can drive - there’s also lots of big pot bunkers waiting for you if you don’t hit good tee shots.
"I’m sure they’ll have the toughest pins they’ve ever had at St Andrews.
"I’m sure they’re a bit worried themselves that someone could shoot 59.
"But it’s still a major championship and it’s The Open. I don’t see 20 under winning.
"There'll be a bit of wind. It will be firm and tricky. There will be good scores - but there won’t be any harm in it, to be honest.
"Jack Nicklaus shot 63 or 64 the odd time when he was playing - it’s OK if we do it as well. I don’t think it will be the last Open at St Andrews.
"And I hope I shoot 59 next week!".
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