Ross Fisher hopes that a second-round 66 at the ISPS Handa Wales Open on Friday is a sign of better things to come.
Since he last played in the Ryder Cup the Englishman's form has taken quite a tumble, dropping him down 130 places in the World Rankings, but he was the man at the top of the leaderboard after the second round at
Celtic Manor, leading by two shots over first-round leader and fellow countryman Lee Slattery.
Fisher lies on six under par after a round that included six birdies and only one bogey.
"Hopefully this will be the start of a big summer for me," said Fisher.
"I guess it's the dreaded curse of the comedown from the Ryder Cup. You have such high expectations and it's been disappointing."
Fisher is currently ranked 157th and will not be at Olympic Club in San Francisco for the US Open in two weeks' time. He is also down at 72nd on the Ryder Cup points table with only 12 weeks of the race to go.
"Once you've played one you don't want to miss one. It's still a goal of mine, but it's a big outside goal at the moment because I've got to play damn well to get on that team.
"I made an equipment change this year - I just felt the time was right - and it's probably taken me longer to adjust than I would have liked.
"But if I can play how I've played the first two days, especially today, I feel like I'm really tough to beat.
"It's always nice to come back to a good hunting ground. The Ryder Cup was a great experience - I played really well and really enjoyed it."
Slattery stayed solid with a level-par 71 to find himself two shots back. Three bogeys in his opening eight holes threatened to nullify his first-round 67, but a 50-foot putt for birdie at the ninth and a 25-footer for an eagle at the 11th got him back on track.
"The swing certainly didn't feel as good," said Slattery, who on Monday qualified at Walton Heath to play in the upcoming US Open. "It was one of those battling days. I just managed to compose my thoughts and that's why we do psychology.
"I had a break from it and it was probably a mistake. I felt I knew everything - as golfers do. We're quite stubborn and selfish."
Paraguay's Fabrizio Zanotti (69) shares third place with Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee (68) and another Englishman, Chris Wood (67).
Tim Sluiter of the Netherlands is alone in sixth a further shot back after a 72.
golf365.com