Wednesday 12 July 2017 15:06, UK
Henrik Stenson is back in Ayrshire this week ahead of the defence of his Open crown at Royal Birkdale next week.
The 41-year-old Swede clinched his first Major title last year when he brilliantly repelled the challenge of Phil Mickelson at Royal Troon, which is just six miles away from Dundonald Links, the venue for the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.
Stenson has treated the Claret Jug as "his baby" since that famous success, although he admits the demands of being Open champion have affected him.
"When you have kids, your life changes and it's like you can't believe what you did with all the time you had before you had children," he said.
"It's a little bit the same [being a major champion]. I don't know what I did with my time before I had the Claret Jug in my possession. And I kind of treat it like my baby, as well.
"I've been pretty good at saying no [to demands for his time], but you've still got to do a lot of things, and I'm sure that impacts your focus on your game to a degree.
"In this game, you've got to be in the moment and you've got to be focused on where you're at now and looking forward. And you're constantly talking about what happened six months, nine months, 12 months ago; so it's easy to be a little stuck in the past. I think it's going to be a bit of turning the page next week when I have to return the Claret Jug."
Stenson has not won a tournament since shooting 63 to see off Mickelson at Royal Troon - equalling the lowest score in Major history - and has missed the cut in both Majors this season.
However, he finished in a tie for 10th place in his last outing at the BMW International Open last month and hopes to be in contention this week.
"I haven't played my best golf this year," he said. "I've been quite busy off the course, and I'm sure that's impacted the performances to a degree. But at the same time, I don't feel like it's miles away.
"So we're just trying to tidy up the loose ends a little bit and get going in the right direction. This week could be a very good week to do that."
Watch the Scottish Open throughout the week live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf.
