At 7,876 yards (7,201 metres) it’s the longest course in Major championship history and according to the United States Golf Association boasts the highest combination of Slope Rating (155) and Course Rating (79.6).

Yet given a strong performance at the venue at the 2012 PGA Championship where he was tied for 11th and a preparation that he believes will drag him out of some early-season doldrums Scott says he has the experience to weather whatever Kiawah Island – and the weather itself – will throw at him.

“I have memories of playing this hard course and many other hard courses in majors, and I think drawing on that experience is a calming thing,” Scott told media on Tuesday.

“I remember watching guys who I thought were a bit old 15 years ago and just how calmly they played in these tough conditions.

“They managed to hold it together and not shoot a bad score and not shoot themselves out of the tournament.

“That’s a big thing that I look at when I stand here and just look at the flags blowing and know how difficult it is out there, that I’ve got the experience to kind of hold it all together when it gets tough out there.

“If I go out and birdie the first three, I know it’s my day and I can calmly keep going in that way; and if I go out and I’m 4-over through nine and it feels like the wheels are going to fall off, I know I have time to get things under control.

“That’s kind of how I operate.”

Granted an invitation by the PGA of America to take his place in the field this week, Scott’s best finish in 2021 is a tie for 10th at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. The 40-year-old Queenslander hasn’t played since he finished 54th at The Masters and has sought to reinvigorate his preparation to continue to get better.

“When I left the Masters, I kind of reassessed where everything was at,” Scott conceded.

“I said I wasn’t going to play another tournament until I was fully prepared to play. I was not happy with my first couple of months of the year. I was just spinning the wheels. I felt like I wasn’t getting better.

“I want to now get better as the rest of the season goes, so I feel very prepared for this week. I feel like I’ve prepared as best I can away from this week and I’ve played four practice rounds already.

“I feel like I know the course well enough now. Find a little feel tomorrow, hit a few balls and play nine holes.

“I feel like I’m in that calm place to deal with whatever happens out there.”