Joost Luiten said he is "feeling good" as he prepares to make his return from a lengthy spell on the sidelines at one of his favourite golf courses this week.
The Dutchman has not played on the European Tour since the BMW PGA Championship in May due to a wrist injury but the NBO Oman Open champion insists he is ready and raring to go at the Andalucía Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation.
Real Club Valderrama has been a happy hunting ground for Luiten, who finished second behind home favourite Garcia last year following a thrilling final-round battle.
Luiten fired a memorable albatross on the par-five 11th in his second round in 2017, holing his second shot with a four iron from 242 yards.
The 32 year old is happy to be back but knows he has a difficult week ahead of him.
He said: "I'm feeling good. It's been a tough time but the recovery is going really well and I'm fit to play. I've been practising for the last couple of weeks so I'm ready to go again.
"I like this place. I like the greens - they're very quick, they're very difficult. Hopefully we can do what I did last year here on the greens.
"I spend a lot of time putting and hopefully that will pay off.
"It's a golf course where you have to stay in position all the time. If you stay in position you can make birdies but as soon are you're out of position - it doesn't matter where - you're going to struggle. Hopefully you can keep the big numbers off the card.
"The wrist is really good. It's good to be out here again, see all the guys and play without any pain.
"I'm looking forward to getting started.
"I know it's going to be a difficult week for me because I haven't been playing for five months and it's a tough course to come back at. But you've got to start somewhere so I'd rather start at a place that I love."
