Former Scottish Open champion Luke Donald believes his game is not far away from the standard that took him to world number one.
The Englishman has not won on the PGA Tour or European Tour since his success at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth four years ago.
Donald spent 56 weeks in total at the top of the rankings between 2011 and 2012, but was close to dropping outside the top 100 earlier this year.
His drop in production came at a time when he was trying to change his swing.
It didn’t work and a reunion with long-time coach Pat Goss eventually stopped the bleeding.
However, a tied-second finish at the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina on the PGA Tour helped push the 38-year-old back in the right direction.
Donald remains confident he can play his way back to the top of the golfing elite.
He said: “I don’t think my game is that far off from where I was in 2011. It’s really a very fine line between someone ranked in the 70s and someone ranked in the top 10.
“Sometimes that’s just a little bit of belief, maybe a putt or two here and there.
“In terms of my ability to control the golf ball, when I get going on the greens, it’s equally as good as I was in 2011 and 2012.
“Of course I believe I can get back to being a top-10 golfer, if not better, in the world.”
Donald’s first win as world number one was the 2011 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Castle Stuart.
He finished four shots ahead of Sweden’s Fredrik Andersson Hed, securing the title with a superb, clinical final round of 63.
The four-time Ryder Cup player is looking forward to a return to Castle Stuart and added “It’s always nice to come back to a place where I’ve had a lot of success and a lot of great memories.
“I know my game suits certain courses and those are the courses I want to capitalise on as much as possible.
“I chose to play the Scottish Open for a couple of reasons. I was hoping to be exempt into the Open by then and I always think playing the week before on a links course is helpful.
“Plus I’m going back to an event and a place where I’ve won before. I try to set my schedule to try to pick events where I feel comfortable and places I’ve had previous success and Castle Stuart is one of those.”