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Former runner-up Brandt Snedeker hopes to vie for Australian Open glory 11 years after a final-round penalty shot cost him hope of winning the Stonehaven Cup.
Brandt Snedeker has returned for his first Australian Open tilt in more than a decade with fond memories and some unfinished business.
"Yeah, Craig Parry won in 2007. I remember I lost by a shot. Had to call a penalty on myself on Sunday and it cost me the tournament," Snedeker recalls of his near miss at The Australian Golf Club 11 years ago.
It was on the 14th hole that a ball moved on Snedeker when he attempted to remove some small sticks around it.
"It was a no-brainer penalty," he said.
"But it was cool to see Craig win. Craig's never won the Aussie Open before.
"I know he was in his 40s at that point, I can't remember how old he was, but it was pretty cool to see him; the emotion to make that par on 18 to win and what a big deal that was for him.
"So it was really cool to be a part of that and have a chance to win an Australian Open."
A nine-times winner on the US PGA Tour and 2012 FedEx Cup champion, Snedeker jumped at the chance to vie for the Stonehaven Cup again.
"I realise the importance of this tournament on the grand scale with the history in the game of golf," he said.
"This is one of those premier championships, so I'm excited to be back here trying to put my name on the trophy."
Also boasting nine top-10 finishes at the majors, including thirds at the Masters and British Open, Snedeker is predicting a true test of golf around a potentially windswept Lakes layout.
"I played the back nine (on Tuesday), so it was more the water placement side of the golf course," he said of his first taste of the course.
"Really cool undulations, and the green complexes here are very difficult. It's one of those places where you have to put the ball in the right spots on the greens to give yourself chances.
"If the wind blows, though, it's going to be survival. Days like today, I guess they're relatively common here so the wind blowing 20, 30 miles an hour, got to get the ball in play, put it on the green and kind of survive and then take advantage of the par 5s."
