Shane Lowry could have been arriving at Castle Stuart as a major champion following his near-miss at the US Open.
The Irishman went into the closing round at Oakmont in Pennsylvania with a four-shot lead but a final round of six-over-par 76 meant he was forced to settle for a share of second place behind winner Dustin Johnson.
However Lowry has managed to take positives from a difficult experience.
He said: “Afterwards I tried not to beat myself up too much. It was one of the best weeks of my career and now I really know I am capable of winning a major.
“Oakmont is probably the toughest course we play in the majors, but I played lovely for three rounds.
“I finished second and I am back in Ryder Cup contention.
“When I win my first major, I’m sure I will realise I learned a lot from what happened at the US Open.”
Lowry suffered one of the worst feelings for any golfer on his last visit to Castle Stuart Golf Links.
The 29-year-old struck a spectator with a wayward tee shot on the par 3 eighth hole during his opening round of the 2013 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.
It took the shine off a superb first round of 66, Lowry’s best score for three months, which propelled him to a share of third place at the end of day one.
His challenge fizzled out over the weekend and he was forced to settle for a tied-31st finish.
But the 29-year-old, who has won three times on the European Tour, is looking forward to going back to the Inverness venue.
He said: “I recall hitting a female spectator on the head at the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart on the long par 3.
“I always shout as I don’t want to walk up to my ball and see someone lying on the ground.
“I really like playing Castle Stuart as I have had some good scores there in the past.
“It is a good warm-up week for the Open because it is not too demanding but it gives you the chance to get accustomed to playing on links turf.
“Having a demanding week before a major can be too much so hopefully we get some nice weather and have a good week in Inverness ahead of the Open.”