Paul Lawrie believes the first two rounds of The Open that thrust him into championship contention painted a false picture of how he was putting.
And the second two were a more accurate reflection of where his problems are.
Lawrie’s one over par 73 yesterday saw him finish on five under par for the tournament.
But it’s the number of shots he struck on the green that was occupying the former winner’s mind.
“I actually played quite nicely today but just holed no putts at all,” he reflected.
“I had 36 putts yesterday and 35 today. 71 putts, it doesn’t matter how good you play, you can’t compete at that level.
“I’ve got to find a way of getting the ball in the hole more regularly. It’s becoming a mega issue.”
He added: “Well, the stats say I had 25 putts the first day but I had about seven or eight putts from the fringe, so I’ve holed no putts really. It’s just how it is.”
Lawrie also felt it was uncharacteristic of him to fall out of the running once he had got himself into the thick of the action.
“I’m normally pretty good at staying in there,” he explained. “And the last two days have been the opposite.
“I took myself right out of it yesterday. I missed from two feet at 12 for birdie and three-putted 13, and then mentally was really poor coming in, which is unlike me when I’ve got a chance in the tournament.
“So I’m not seeing many positives at the moment, but maybe when I sit down tomorrow there will be.”