Oliver decides Forgotten star is suddenly hungry again at age of 38

EXCLUSIVE doesn’t feel as if anyone cares. There is the odd scorer out there but not many other people watching.

“I have struggled to get myself up for it. It’s quiet, there’s no one there and if things aren’t going great it doesn’t get you enthused. That’s part of the challenge and you have to embrace it but it’s hard to do.”

He was planning to be at Carnoustie as an analyst for BBC Radio5Live only for his display at Hollinwell – “the first time I’ve enjoyed playing golf that I can remember” – to transport him from the media tent to the new £4.75m Links House player facility. “I enjoyed commentating on the US Open but you’re the wrong side of the ropes and it reminded me of what I was missing,” he said. “Spending time in the media centre refreshed my memory as to how big a deal a Major is. I got incredibly unlucky with the draw in 2007 when the Open was last here and got hammered by the wind and rain for two hours first out, but I’m excited to go back.

“I’ve played well for the last few months and this gives me a great platform. I’ve made my last four cuts on the Challenge Tour. The quality of the golf I’ve played has been really good.

“I felt I should have been in contention in every one of those but haven’t putted well at all. I’m trying to put it all together this week.”

At 38 it is late in the day but Wilson thinks he has his swing sorted at last. His ballspeed numbers off the tee have shot up by 12mph and as a consequence he is hitting it further and straighter.

He feels better about his game than at any time since winning the Dunhill Links Championship in 2014 – a triumph which saw him equal what was then the course record at Carnoustie with a 64.

A portent of a fairy tale perhaps?

“The goal is to play decent golf, not to achieve anything,” he cautioned. “I don’t put as much pressure on myself. I’ve had so many ups and downs that it doesn’t really matter any more. I guess I’ve let go a bit.

“Letting go doesn’t mean I’m not working hard. It’s more of a mental change. Golf stops you doing a lot of things. You make a lot of sacrifices.

“And there are a lot of things I want to do that I will probably enjoy more than golf.

“I want to get into hiking and climbing – Everest Base Camp maybe. I love to ski and I’d like to experience some proper off-piste stuff. I want to go to Machu Picchu.

“I guess I have to see this out and see if I can make it happen again. I want to be back in the top 50 and win some more tournaments. But if it doesn’t work out it doesn’t work out.”