Matt Millar says he's ready to reverse his Australian Open curse, setting his sights on his best finish at the tournament in 15 years.
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The Canberra golfer will tee of at The Lakes in Sydney in the opening round on Thursday morning and he's determined to make amends for years of disappointment at the marquee tournament.
Millar finished 10th at the Australian Open in 2003, but hasn't been able to break back into the top placings despite being one of the country's best-performed domestic golfers in recent seasons.
He won in New Zealand at the start of the year, finished third at the Western Australia Open and in a tie for 14th at the NSW Open in Sydney last week.
"To be honest, [the Australian Open] isn't a tournament that's been very kind to me, but I'm looking to change that this year," Millar said.
"It's probably the biggest event in Australia that I've had the least good results at. I've made a lot of cuts, but I've only had one top 10 [since turning professional in 1999].
"It's been a combination of things ... definitely no excuses. But being mentally right to go is a big thing and understanding the course a little more helps.
"It just hasn't happened at the Australian Open for me and it only hit me the other day, and I thought I've got to change that. I just don't want to set top 10 as a target.
"I think you've got to give yourself a chance to get up and challenge for the title. I feel like I'm playing well enough to do that, it's just whether I can make the putts."
Millar will be the only Canberra golfer in the field after amateur Josh Armstrong fell short in his quest to gain entry at the qualifying event on Monday.
The 42-year-old spent most of the year trying to secure a European Tour card, but was never able to find his rhythm and struggled for form abroad.
He's hoping a week off before starting his Australian summer of golf, which will also include the Australian PGA at Royal Pines from November 29, has reset his mentality for a charge at the Stonehaven Cup.
"I hit the ball quite well [in the ProAm on Wednesday] and liked what I saw out there," Millar said.
"The Lakes definitely suits me better than some of the other [Australian Open] courses. It's a bit more breezy ... if you can get your head around the greens, keep the errors off your card and stay patient, you'll be ahead.
"I think it will suit my game, it's just a matter of controlling it and being patient. That's the plan anyway.
"I forced myself to take a week off to make sure I could get through this stretch of tournaments. I feel good, I've been playing well and scoring well. I probably should have won at least one, but I think my game's in good order."
