GOLF/British Open: The words on the giant leaderboard by the 18th fairway, where the winner's name will feature come Sunday evening, sounded a note of caution. "Fire Risk," they proclaimed, urging spectators who need to smoke to be careful with their fag-ends, writes Philip Reid at Hoylake
The message, though, also confirmed that these are far from normal conditions in which the 135th British Open Championship will be staged at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, with barely a breath of wind and bone-hard fairways and greens.
It means that, more often than not, the players will leave the driver in the bag in their pursuit of the Claret Jug.
The past few days of practice have been a voyage of discovery for many of the 156 players in the field. For those who grew up playing links golf, the old habits and thought processes have returned; for those who consider links golf alien to the target golf that is standard fare on the main tours, a brief course in punched shots and creative thinking has been necessary.
"It's all about strategy out there," remarked three-time British Open champion Nick Faldo, who doesn't believe the big hitters will have any advantage this week. "They may bomb it on a few places we can't believe, but it's a links course and there are many ways to play it, and you have to find a way to the pin."
Indeed, the sight of Tom Watson using a putter from 60 yards off the green in practice simply confirmed Faldo's assessment that there is more than one way to skin a cat.
Colin Montgomerie also felt the conditions would create a more level playing field.
"Although it's 7,200-some yards on the card, it must be playing 5,500 in real terms. So length isn't an issue, it's just the control of the ball that has to be found around here," said Monty.
Whoever wins this season's third major will, you figure, employ brains and imagination rather than brute strength. This is not a course to be overpowered, rather one to be outthought.
"You'll see people in the same group playing the hole vastly different, one guy trying to drive the hole and another laying up with a wedge or nine-iron. It will lead to a lot of variety, a lot of decision-making, which obviously adds to the interest," said Pádraig Harrington, one of four Irishmen, along with Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell, in the field.
Of the quartet, Harrington, with two runner-up finishes in his last three outings and a fifth-place finish in the US Open at Winged Foot last month, represents the strongest prospect of changing the statistic that has Fred Daly, here at Hoylake in 1947, as the only Irish player to win a major.
"The longer it goes on, the more likely someone is going to break (the losing streak)," said Harrington, who believes he heads into this major, the 33rd of his career, as confident as he has ever been.
The capricious nature of the links could also create a surprise winner, not unlike Sandwich in 2003 when Ben Curtis won or Troon in 2004 when Todd Hamilton triumphed. The absence of any real wind, one of the course's natural defences, could increase the chances of someone sneaking in under the radar to claim the oldest prize in golf.
Certainly, neither Tiger Woods, the defending champion, nor Phil Mickelson could be accused of sneaking in under the radar. Woods has prepared as he usually does before a major, doing his work early in the morning, while Mickelson has played no fewer than 10 rounds here.
Of all the majors, the British Open has caused Mickelson most problems, with only one top-10 finish (third at Troon two years ago) in 12 appearances as a professional. Instead of playing in the Scottish Open last week, as planned, Mickelson took the decision to revisit Hoylake to "see if I could learn some of the nuances in the golf course".
Of his failings in the British Open, Mickelson remarked: "It wasn't until 2004 that I really understood the technique of hitting the ball properly in the wind. Now, with a couple of technique changes, the ball shoots low and through the wind and I am not fighting it as much. I'm able to control the ball a lot better."
The last few shots Mickelson hit in a major, in the US Open at Winged Foot, were a comedy of errors. His tee-shot on the 18th hole in the final round played pinball with the corporate hospitality tent and trees. "I'm not ever going to forget that, but I think it's important again for me to not let it affect my preparation or my confidence level," he remarked.
Like everyone in the field, Mickelson will have to plan a route that, he will hope, avoids any of the 94 bunkers that protect the course from low scoring. Although, as McDowell said, "I don't see anybody going stupid low, they can tuck the pins away as much as they want."
This course will reward patience and creativity. Someone like Jim Furyk, who has a horrible record in the British Open, could do well for a change. But in Faldo's mind, there is only one man.
Tiger Woods and the Englishman may not have much to say to each other on the course, but Faldo observed: "Ernie (Els) and Retief (Goosen) have gone off the boil this year, only Phil has stepped up to the plate over the last 10 majors . . . but Tiger is still the man to beat."
