In his darkest hours, Gary Evans looks back on his dramatic par at the 17th hole at Muirfield two years ago and allows himself a little smile.

Not much has gone right for the Worthing professional this season, who will be at Royal Troon on Thursday for the 133rd Open.

But despite struggles with his form and injury, Evans can still cling to the memory of that emotion-charged moment which ensured his place in Open folklore.

Evans was leading the tournament by one shot when he pulled his approach to the par five 17th into the rough.

Dozens of people helped look for his ball but he was forced to abandon the search and declare it lost.

Trudging back down the fairway, Evans somehow managed to regain his composure before smashing a four-wood onto the fringe of the green.

He then rolled in a 50-foot putt to save par and celebrated by dancing around the green, pumping his fist and screaming into the camera "that was for you, mum".

Although he dropped a shot at the last to miss out on a four-way play-off for the Claret Jug, which Ernie Els went on to win, it remains the highlight of Evans' rollercoaster career.

"People are forever bringing it up," said Evans. "When I play in pro-ams, I always get asked what was going through my mind and it still puts a smile on my face.

"My whole career has been a battle and what went on at that hole seemed to sum it up. Things haven't gone how I wanted them to since I turned professional but moments like Muirfield will be with me forever."

Evans, 35, admits he has been fighting a losing battle this season. Until last month he had not managed a top 20 finish and had crashed down the rankings.

He was even in danger of losing his card for the first time in 13 years on the tour before regaining some confidence at the Welsh Open last month.

Since then, Evans has looked more like his old self. He has made the cut in his last four tournaments, including a tie for 14th in the Smurfit European Open two weeks ago, his best finish of the season.

It is no coincidence that his return to form has come just in time for the tournament which has provided him with so many happy memories. After his fifth place in 2002 he was among the leaders again at Royal St George's last year where he finished tied for tenth to ensure he did not have to qualify for Royal Troon.

"It is the dream of every golfer to win the Open and I am no different," said Evans. "It is the best tournament in the world and you can't help but get excited by it.

"The last couple of years, I have fared quite well and fortunately things seem to be coming together for me at the right time. I'm still not in the form to challenge but things can change quickly in this game. All it needs is one good round to get you going again."

Such is Evans' love of the Open, that he has been playing through the pain barrier for much of the season.

A shoulder injury has forced him to withdraw from a couple of tournaments but not even a broken arm would keep him away from Royal Troon.

"I need to have an operation but I didn't want to do it before the Open as there were no guarantees I would be ready in time," he said.

"The bone in my shoulder has worn away so much that it digs into the muscle when I swing. It can be really painful but I will have to forget about it as much as possible."

Evans missed the cut at five over par on his Open debut at Troon in 1989 but he still has fond memories of the course and believes his experience of growing up playing links courses in Sussex will be to his advantage.

"I tend to play better in tougher conditions," he said. "I never seem to do well on courses where everybody is shooting 20-under par.

"I grew up at Worthing Golf Club and played on a lot of the South Downs courses where the wind blows. That has definitely helped me perform well in the Open so, hopefully, it will be windy again this week."

Evans is first out on Thursday at 6:30 with Australian Peter O'Malley and Brad Faxon (USA).