Canberra golfer Matt Millar hopes his bid for Australian Open glory will kick-start a month of momentum as he sets his sights on the biggest title of his career and qualifying for the Japan Tour.
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Millar will join a star-studded Australian Open field at Royal Sydney for the opening round on Thursday and believes he can rise into Stonehaven Cup contention against some of the world's best.
The world No.403 is banking on a last-minute session with coach Michael Jones to prepare him for a challenge against Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth.
But it's also part of a bigger plan to secure Millar's golfing future as he fine-tunes his game for a chance to play in Japan qualifying school.
The Australian Open will be Millar's last home tournament of the summer and he must start building momentum with an eye on his 2017 campaign.
"It is a pretty hot field up here and with what I've got coming up it's important for me to get on top of things now," he said.
"There are a lot of holes here where you've got to take your opportunities with the short stuff, that will be the difference over the weekend.
"If you're going to win, you've got to make sure you're not making mistakes there.
"This will be the last chance I get to win one in Australia this year so I'm just trying to get through and then look at Japan as well."
Millar smashed his way to a career-best season last year, finishing in the top 10 at 11 tournaments, although he squandered a chance to win the Australian Open 12 months ago.
He is no stranger to rubbing shoulders with some of the game's biggest names and played in the $12 million HSBC Champions tournament in China last month.
But Millar chooses to focus on the small moments to mount a charge for the title.
He finished 54th at the Australian Open last year and wants a better result to boost his confidence ahead of a trip to Japan.
Millar will be part of the 150-strong field and the Japan Tour qualifying event, to be played at the Cocopa Resort from December 1-6, with golfers put through six gruelling 18-hole rounds for a chance to earn a tour card.
"I had my coach down to do a bit of work before the Aussie Open and Japan, so I got a bit out of that," Millar said.
"The putts dried up a bit lately but I feel like I'm playing quite nicely. It will come down to how many putts you can knock in and if I can get my fair share, I should be up there.
"This season hasn't been tragic but just a few things needed a little bit of work. When you look at the numbers, they haven't been the same as last year. But I don't feel like I've been playing any worse."
