There is no time like the present as far as Rory McIlroy is concerned - even though he would be the youngest Open Championship winner since 1893 if he won at St Andrews on Sunday.
And the bookmakers agree - even though McIlroy has missed the cut in the first two Majors of the season they make him the man most likely to stop Tiger Woods winning a third successive title at The Home of Golf.
"It just feels like it's the right time to go out and play well and win one of these big events," said the 21 year old World Number Nine.
"I've played well here in the past and if I don't let the occasion get the better of me, there's no reason I shouldn't be able to again."
Three years ago, just a week into his professional career, the Northern Ireland youngster finished third in the Dunhill Links Championship and last October he came second.
Now he arrives confident in his ability to do what his fellow Northern Irishman and close friend Graeme McDowell did at the US Open Championship a month ago.
Reminded that he has never shot worse than 69 on The Old Course, McIlroy knows he might not be able to continue that record.
"One of the things I noticed when I played here Friday and Saturday was how much different the course plays in the summer rather than when we play the Dunhill Links in October.
"The greens are a lot firmer, the fairways are a lot firmer, the ball can sort of run out a bit more - and there's a few more bunkers off the fairway that come into play.
"The strategy that you would use in the Dunhill wouldn't really work this week, so I've had to sort of change a few clubs off tees and everything and probably try to adopt a more conservative approach just to avoid all the bunkers out there that are waiting to swallow your ball up.
"I suppose playing well here in the past brings a little bit of added pressure knowing that I'm expecting myself to play well and I'm sure a lot of people are expecting me to play well.
"But I have a lot of great memories from this place and hopefully those can stand by me for the week.
"I tried to get a couple of early practice rounds in last week so that I wasn't in any mad rush to get here. You can get swallowed up with the whole occasion and I'm just trying to stay as low profile as possible - if that's going to be possible."
McIlroy is convinced that McDowell's victory improves his chances.
He added: "Just because I've played so much golf with him. Just to see him win that gave me a lot of confidence to know winning a Major wasn't as far away as I thought it was.
"I had viewed winning Majors as this sort of higher level and it just made me realise that it wasn't. You just need to play well in the right week and a few things go your way."
Meanwhile McDowell will seek advice from the likes of Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els to avoid the possible pitfalls of becoming golf's latest Major Champion.
McDowell won at Pebble Beach last month, holding off Els, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods in the final round to become the first European winner of the title since Tony Jacklin in 1970.
The 30 year old admits he spent most of the next three weeks celebrating before returning to action at The Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, but insists he is well aware of the dangers of his new status.
"In the short term there's not much I can do about it except try and play my own game," said McDowell, who is also the joint course record holder at St Andrews following a 62 in the Dunhill Links Championship in 2004.
"How I deal with it in the long term boils down to decisions that I make, my schedule, big decisions like that. I'm very aware of the pitfalls, complacency, expectation levels, trying to change my game now that I'm a Major Champion. There's all kinds of mistakes that guys have made in the past.
"I know plenty of the guys well enough, Ernie and Padraig and guys like that, to be able to seek them out in the next few months to have some dinner with them and chat with them and understand how they have dealt with it in the past.
"I've got a great team of people working with me and I believe they'll not let me make the mistakes that will drag me down. I certainly hope I can take confidence and belief away from Pebble Beach.
"I'm a 30 year old guy, 31 in a couple of weeks' time, I feel like I have my best days ahead of me. I'll be making sure I don't fall into any of the traps, speak to the right people and get some good advice and keep doing what I'm doing.
"It's difficult to put Pebble Beach behind me, and I don't want to put it behind me because I'm enjoying every second of it and it's been an amazing experience. But I've got to look forward to the rest of the season. I've got some big goals I want to achieve."
McDowell is one of four Northern Irish golfers in the field this week, alongside McIlroy, Darren Clarke - who secured his place only by finishing second at Loch Lomond on Sunday - and Gareth Maybin.
"Rory is a very experienced young man for a 21 year old," McDowell added. "I know he came here on Thursday and Friday last week and spent the last four days back in Northern Ireland playing at Royal County Down and Portrush.
"He's been on the big stage before, I don't think there's any risk he'll get overexcited. I really think Rory has a great chance this week. I think he loves this golf course, he's got a pretty mature head on young shoulders and he's got the game to do it."
