IT seems only yesterday that Phil Price was grimly hanging on to the last automatic Ryder Cup spot.

Intense pressure followed the Welshman everywhere and a succession of missed cuts and finishes near the wrong end of the leaderboard left the Bassaleg-based golfer exhausted.

A washout at last year's Wales Open only added to the mounting pressure and, for a time, it looked like Price would buckle under it all.

Tournaments came and went but Price still couldn't secure the final spot. Eventually he made it by the narrowest of margins but was exhausted and struggling for form. Then came the events of September 11, and the inevitable decision to postpone the Ryder Cup.

For Price the decision was a godsend because, as he admits, he was in no condition to play in the biggest tournament in golf.

"I overdid it to be honest," said Price. "Chasing the Ryder Cup points meant I was playing more tournaments than I wanted to and it left me in a bad way.

"I was exhausted. I shouldn't have kept playing but I felt I had to get into the Ryder Cup side."

Added to all of that was the arrival of his first son, which Price admits had a bigger impact than he'd anticipated.

"It was a big thing," said Price. "It effected me more than I had expected. And with the travelling and the pressure of trying to get into the Ryder Cup side, it all built up."

That chase though is over and the effect on Price has been dramatic. Gone is the exhausted, edgy golfer of last year. Now the Welshman is relaxed and enjoying his game once again.

Top three finishes at the British Masters and the English Open seemed to have heralded a new beginning for him.

Price said: "The middle of last year is when I lost my form and things were becoming difficult.

"But I'm enjoying myself more now. I can take a rest if I need to and it isn't as tough as it was."

Despite this upbeat assessment, some sections of the media have suggested that Price is suffering from burn-out, brought on by the wait for the delayed Ryder Cup. But far from feeling haunted by a supposed loss of form, Price says he is as fresh as ever and pours scorn on the notion of a burn-out.

"I don't feel burnt out at all, in fact I'm quite fresh," said the Welshman. "I take plenty of breaks, and I've just had two weeks off where I rested and just hit a few practice shots.

"There isn't any pressure. I'm just looking to play some golf and enjoy myself." The location of the Wales Open has just added to Price's enjoyment this week as it means he can sleep in his own bed.

"It's lovely living just down the road," smiled Price. "It's a big bonus being able to go home and sleep in my own bed."

For some golfers, the enjoyment of playing at home would be tempered by the weight of expectation from a strongly partisan crowd - but not Price.

"I'm looking forward to it. It's quite exciting," he said. "The crowd are more of a help than a hindrance as they give you a bit of a charge going round.

"I'll have friends watching me and so maybe there is more expectation on me to do well but I don't feel it.

"My routine won't change. It's just another tournament. One is as important as another," he added.