GULLANE, July 16, 2013 (AFP) - The 32-year-old American won the lucrative season-ending FedEx Cup on the US Tour last year, but, despite regularly putting himself in contention in the four Grand Slam tournaments, he has yet to nail one down.
A year ago, after three missed Open cuts, he finally found the secret to playing links golf, leading at the halfway stage at Royal Lytham and eventually finishing third behind Ernie Els.
This year, he tied for sixth at The Masters where he was in the final pairing with Angel Cabrera and then tied for 17th at the US Open where he played the first two rounds with eventual winner Justin Rose.
All that accumulated exposure to the pressures at the top, he believes, will eventually pay dividends and why not this week at Muirfield during the British Open.
"I learned a lot in the last four majors, really," the Tennesseean said.
"Playing with Tiger last year on Sunday. I learned a lot watching him play around Lytham. Learned a lot from watching Adam (Scott) win at the Masters. I learned a lot watching Justin (Rose) the first two days at the US Open.
"Just about the patience that's required and the process you have to go through, and how unimportant each individual shot is, but when you add them up they are all extremely important
"The hardest thing to do in a major championship is be patient for 72 holes and never push the panic button.
"The guy that wins this week will not do that. Never hit the panic button. But there's going to be a lot of guys that do, and it's hard to keep yourself from doing it."
Snedeker, one of the quickest players in golf, has another reason for being optimistic this week in that he is regarded as being one of the finest putters in the world and form on the greens is seen as crucial at sun-baked Muirfield.
The only cloud on his horizon is the lingering effects of the rib injury he picked up earlier this year and which sidelined him for several weeks straight after he won the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February.
He still needs treatment for that, but intends not to let it disturb his mindset in Scotland this week.
"I try not to think about it. No, not any more than normal," he said.
"I'm tired of feeling like I'm brittle. I'm not brittle. Nothing is going to happen. It's just a matter of keep doing the injections, and making sure I stay up-to-date on that and trying to stay fit.
"Can't practice the way I used to or play the way I used to. Kind of take it easy this week. I did all my preparation on Saturday and Sunday really. The next couple of days I'm taking it easy to get ready for Thursday."