After finding the fun in golf again Aaron Baddeley has set himself up for a return to full status on the US PGA Tour.
Not since the early years when the teenage phenomenon won the Australian Open at 18 as an amateur, taking down Greg Norman in the process, has the Victorian been so relaxed on the golf course.
A self-described swing nerd, Baddeley spent most of the next 15 years tinkering and trying new things.
He was prepared to try it all, including the now much-maligned stack and tilt method, in his search for perfection.
And while flashes of the brilliance everyone saw at Royal Sydney in 1999 helped him to three US tour wins and a very respectable career thus far, the grind eventually became too much.
After being a staple on the tour since he began in 2003 and after further coach and swing change attempts Baddeley fell outside tour status for the first time last season.
But despite facing limited starts out of the past champion category only and staring down the barrel of a trip to the secondary tour, Baddeley instead has set himself up for a full time return.
Two top 10 finishes in his six starts this season, including last weeks tie for eighth at Torrey Pines, has helped Baddeley to 50th spot on the season long points list, giving him a solid base to push for a place inside the top 125 at the end of the season.
Those who finish in the top 125 earn a trip to the playoffs and full status the following year.
The secret has been simplifying his swing thoughts and mechanics down to a small checklist, much like he has always done with his exceptional putting, and just enjoying himself.
"Golf is fun again, especially when you can just stand up and trust a shot and not over-think things, just take aim, commit and trust," Baddeley said.
"I'm not trying to figure it out so much anymore. I am not grinding before and after every round trying to fix or maintain things.
"I am still putting in the work, I'm just not stressing over it all as much, making things simpler and just trying to execute as best I can."
Baddeley gets another shot at forcing his way up the points list this week at the Phoenix Open, a tournament he won back in 2007 at TPC Scottsdale.
With a start also secured in a few weeks time at the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles, which he won in 2011, Baddeley could go a long way to regaining his card.
"My game is coming along nicely, the confidence is certainly building every week and hopefully the rest of it will take care of itself," he said.
"It's always great to play at places you have won before. It's another confidence builder." Steven Bowditch, Geoff Ogilvy, Cameron Smith and John Senden round out the Australian tilt in Phoenix.
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