Martin Kaymer plays his 13th consecutive Amundi Open de France this week, ten years after a victory that sparked a run to the top of the world.
Kaymer finished seventh at Le Golf National in 2007 en route to being crowned the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year and two years later claimed his third European Tour title in Paris.
That moved him back into the top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking - somewhere he would stay for three years - and he won the Scottish Open the following week, a Major Championship in 2010 and hit the top of World Golf Ranking shortly after that.
He holed the vital putt in 2012 as Europe completed the Miracle at Medinah and won his second Major in 2014, and the German believes it was a big step to get a prestigious win on his CV early in his career.
"It was a very enjoyable week in many ways, obviously I was very in control of my game but overall I had so much support during that week and I was playing really well," he said. "The week after I won the Scottish Open so it was a really nice time of the year for me.
"It's always one of those tournaments you would like to win in your career and fortunately I could win it fairly early in my career."
This year the Amundi Open de France moves from its traditional July spot to October, returning to the height of the summer on the 2020 Race to Dubai.
Kaymer admits the change in temperature may take some getting used to but as a man who has finished outside the top 20 just four times in his 12 appearances in Paris, he still believes he knows the key to success.
It's always one of those tournaments you would like to win in your career and fortunately I could win it fairly early in my career
"I think it's one of the best golf courses that we play on the European Tour," he said.
"We always used to play on a different date so this week will be a bit different. I'm going to have a look at it, how different it might play.
"It's one of those golf courses where you have to play well. You need to hit good quality golf shots. You don't get away with poor shots, you get penalised very quickly.
"It's all about hitting the fairways. The greens are fairly small - they are big but the areas to make birdies are very small because they can tuck the pins in little areas - so you need to hit quality iron shots and that is what I've always enjoyed about golf courses."
