As we all know, golf can try the patience to such a teeth-grinding extent, even Job would probably be driven to snapping a 9-iron over his thigh in gasping exasperation.
Richie Ramsay is well aware that this game can drive you round the twist but the Scot is trying to maintain a philosophical approach amid the myriad toils and troubles that are par for the course as a touring professional.
A second round three-under 69 in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth kept the Aberdonian tucked in among the frontrunners on a nine-under aggregate and ended a run of five missed cuts in a row on the DP World Tour.
On the face of it, such a sequence of early exits wouldn’t provide much to write home about but, in this pursuit of fine margins, there’s always more to some weeks than meets the eye.
Ramsay’s patience is now being rewarded in the circuit’s biggest event as he heads into the weekend sharing sixth, three shots behind halfway leader Hideki Matsuyama, who blasted a lively 64.
“In spells, I've played really well over the last three, four weeks,” said the 42-year-old Ramsay, who sits alongside his fellow Scot, Ewen Ferguson.
“Last week in Ireland, for instance, I was No 1 in driving accuracy in the first round, and I hit a lot of good iron shots.
“I've just realised that I need to be happy with my game and not compare it to anybody else's. You can’t get down on yourself and you have to realise that you're playing well. It’s about staying patient and positive.”
Ramsay’s 69 was certainly not the lowest of his career but, given his recent fortunes, it generated a ringing self-appraisal.
"I would say it's one of my best rounds ever as I haven't been playing maybe the best I could,” added the four-time DP World Tour winner, who opened with a 66. “I played great yesterday and to follow it up is a harder task, I think.”
A neatly executed birdie on the 18th polished off a good morning’s work for the early starter. It was all part of his golfing process.
“My goal for the whole week is to work on the process and try to be as committed to that as possible,” he said.
“If I do that, irrespective of if I play well or I don't play well, I can walk away from here feeling quite confident in my own game.”
Matsuyama was certainly feeling chipper about his own game too as he took flight with a couple of eagles in his eight-under round which lifted him to the summit on 12-under.
The former Masters champion chipped in for his second eagle of the day on the 17th – he made his first three on the long fourth – as he finished a shot clear of Ludvig Aberg, Justin Rose and Viktor Hovland.
It was something of a tale of the unexpected as far as Matsuyama was concerned. “This is my first time playing Wentworth and I wasn't expecting I would play this good,” said the Japanese world No 16, who has had a fairly quiet season by his standards.
Back in 1978, Isao Aoki blazed a trail for Japanese golf at Wentworth when he won the cherished old World Matchplay Championship.
A year later, in the same event, Aoki won a fully furnished house worth $120,000 for a hole-in-one.
Here in 2025, Matsuyama will be hoping his residency at the top of the Wentworth leaderboard lasts a couple more days.
Aberg added a 69 to his tally while Rose bolstered his title tilt with a sturdy 66.
Hovland, meanwhile, has finished fifth in his last two appearances at Wentworth and he showed his fondness for this parish again with a 66.
His card featured three birdies on the spin from the fourth and ended with an eagle putt of over 40-feet on the 18th.
“I can't remember when I chipped it and putted it as nicely as I did the last two days,” said the Norwegian.
He may be sitting pretty on the leaderboard, but Hovland admitted that the various golfing cogs and pistons are still not working in unison.
“I really am struggling off the tee,” he added. “I’m really trying not to hit it off line and in the trees. I’m super happy but I do want to play the game a little bit more stress-free.”
Bearsden man Ferguson rolled in a 22-footer for an eagle on the 18th to keep himself in the thick off it with Ramsay on nine-under.
Rory McIlroy is lagging well behind after a topsy-turvy 72, which ended with a double-bogey on the last, left him on three-under.
Oban’s Robert MacIntyre birdied two of his last three holes in a 71 to make the cut on the two-under limit.
