Marc Warren was heading to the British Masters today with a spring in his step after he turned his season around at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

And the Glasgow golfer admits that his mental approach has been aided by the technical tweaks to his game which have lifted him out of the doldrums.

Warren, a three-time winner on the European Tour, galvanised his year with a fifth place finish at St Andrews which not only safeguarded his Tour card for next season but gave him a chance of making the lucrative, end-of-year Final Series for the leading 60 on the money list.

Warren, who is now up to 70th on the Race to Dubai rankings ahead of this week’s even at The Grove near Watford, said: “Technically, there were a few things that I wasn’t happy with.

“When things aren’t going great, it’s important you can rely on your technique to get you through but I didn’t feel as if I could do that.

“But I now feel I have found something technically which has helped mentally too. It means I can go out and just play.

“When things are like that, it means I can perform like I did at the Dunhill, even under the stresses and strains. You have to be able to handle the pressure situations.”

Meanwhile, former Masters champ Jose Maria Olazabal will compete this week for the first time in 17 months.

The 50-year-old, who skippered Europe to Ryder Cup glory in 2012, has been sidelined with crippling arthritic problems which have dogged his career.

The veteran Spaniard said: "The problem is due to an inflammation of the extremities of the tendons and it's been a long process of recovery. I hit rock bottom last December and started improving slowly from January.

"I am very excited to compete again. I want to see how the body can cope with the regular competition, rhythm of practice and 18 holes.

"The two weeks at the British Masters and Portugal Masters will be a good test to see if I can stand up all day. I want to see how it goes during the two weeks and that will help me to take a decision on whether I will keep on playing the European Tour or the senior circuit next season. We'll see how it goes.