More than anyone, Thomas Bjorn knows golf's fickle nature. More than anyone, he knows how demons can swirl around in your head and how a course can devour a person's sanity. More than anyone, he knows how hard it can be to fight your way back into a tournament when the golfing gods prefer to mock rather than to inspire. He knows, because has discovered such things the hard way.

And, so, when the Dane finished yesterday morning's first round with a triple bogey eight, which included a fresh air shot as he manoeuvred a way up the rough on the 18th hole at Carton House, Bjorn's attention was as much on airplane timetables and an escape route home to London than on actually contending in the Nissan Irish Open.

Although Bjorn only had 50 minutes for lunch between finishing his first round, which he did with a horrible 78, and the tee-time for his second round, it was sufficient time to regroup. He met with his mind guru Jos Vanstiphout, was told a few home truths and, some six hours later, putting actions to those words of wisdom, he had played his way back into the tournament.

Instead of seeking out a courtesy car to flash down the M50 for a flight home, Bjorn had rediscovered the fire in the belly that comes from being in contention in a tournament.

In tagging on a course record equalling 66 to his opening 78, for a level-par 144, Bjorn - without a win on tour since the British Masters some 12 months ago - had shown the Jeykll and Hyde nature of his golfing persona. "It was a test of character all the way through, and it takes a bit of character to go out and do that," said Bjorn, stranding outside the recorder's cabin, of a transformation that enabled him to play his way back into a tournament that had seemed well and truly out of his grasp just hours earlier.

The reason for such a turnaround?

"You know, I think I try a little bit too hard, and that's probably why I shoot the high first round numbers," he said. "But my golf's going in the right direction and that was an important performance there for me today."

Nobody needs to remind Bjorn of his last tour event in Ireland, at The K Club last July when he seemed on course for the European Open title only to run up a horrendous septuple-bogey 11 on the penultimate hole of his final round. There are no battle scars of that memory. "Since I played in Ireland the last time, I almost won a major championship," he reminded us, referring to his tied-second place finish behind Phil Mickelson in last year's US PGA at Baltusrol.

He added: "A lot of things have happened in a year and I try to look at the positives in my life. I think I have come a long way in my golf and the biggest character test I've ever come through is what I came through at the PGA Championship last year. I just need to get my head down and get myself into the Ryder Cup team and try to win a major championship."

As thing stand, Bjorn is some way removed of an automatic place on Ian Woosnam's team for The K Club in September. He is 30th on the world points list, and 19th in the European points list. "I want to be among the best players in the world, and you can't be best in the world if you are not best in Europe. That's the priority, to get myself back playing good golf, solid golf, and I know when I play golf like I do today I am a benefit to the team. The Ryder Cup is about having the 12 best players at the given time.

"But I'm a long way out and I need a good summer to play my way in because Woosie is going to need his two wild card picks, that's for sure."