Rory McIlroy is hoping this week's BMW PGA Championship can be the starting point for another glorious summer as he charts his way back to the very top of the game.
The Northern Irishman's win here in 2014 was the catalyst for a stunning run of form that saw him win the Open Championship, the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the US PGA Championship in consecutive European Tour starts.
He then finished runner-up at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai as he won the Race to Dubai and topped the money list in the United States.
The four-time Major Championship winner arrives at Wentworth Club for the first Rolex Series event of the season with three top fives from three stroke play events on the European Tour and a win on the US PGA Tour in 2018 that have moved him back into the top ten in the Official World Golf Ranking.
McIlroy has yet to make a cut in a Rolex Series event but - after missing the inaugural event here last season due to injury - he sees no reason why he cannot buck that trend.
"It's good to be back," he said. "I like the golf course, I think they have made some great changes. It's definitely in the best shape that I've ever seen it in before, I think the good weather over the last couple of weeks has helped that.
"It's shaping up to be a good week and I'm happy to be here. I did some good work in Florida last week on my swing and hopefully I can see some good signs with that over the course of the next few days as well. Glad to be here and looking forward to getting going.
"I felt like my game was trending in the right direction in 2014 but I didn't quite have the win.
"It did snowball from there and I got on to a nice little bit of a hot streak and I'd love to be able to do something like that again. I've got a busy summer coming up, there's a lot of big tournaments to play in. Still got three Major Championships and Ryder Cup and everything else. So maybe this could be the spark that gets that all going again."
Although he has that brilliant victory in 2014, McIlroy's record at Wentworth Club is patchy, with four missed cuts in his eight appearances.
Still got three Major Championships and Ryder Cup and everything else. So maybe this could be the spark that gets that all going again - Rory McIlroy
And while there have been major changes made to the West Course since he teed it up here in 2016, McIlroy is confident he has a game-plan that can put him right in contention.
"It's a course where if you're not quite on, you can get frustrated easily and sort of let it go from there," he said. "If you're playing well and you have the ball under control, it feels quite easy because you can hit fairways and hit greens and give yourself chances.
"I think it just magnifies either side of your golf game: whether you're playing well, you can do great, and whether you're playing badly, it really frustrates you and it's hard to get out of that.
"I've had my fair share of bad play here but I still feel like I've played well enough to still have some good memories and draw on some good experiences and it's a bit of a new course - especially for me and some of the other guys over the last couple of years. I think if I can hit the ball the way I know that I can and control my shots into these greens, I'll have a chance."
