Golf British OpenEach and every player in the British Open will be told on the first tee in every round that the scorecard he is being given has his name on it - not that of a playing partner.

Last year at Sandwich, Mark Roe and Jesper Parnevik were both disqualified - Roe when he was lying joint fourth with a round to go - for forgetting to exchange cards and signing for the wrong scores.

It was decided in a review of the incident that official starter Ivor Robson should continue to hand players their own cards, as is standard practice on the European Tour but not in America, and leave it to them to exchange.

"We talked to Ivor yesterday and he will say 'This is your card'," said Royal and Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson.

"And he is going to particularly say 'That is your card' to the PGA (US Tour) players."

In a bid to avoid a repeat of the Roe incident, the scorecard is smaller so that it fits into players' back pockets more easily, the lettering is bigger and the player's name is also printed below the signature box.

Meanwhile, British Open officials are likely to change the qualification rule which allowed world number 36 Angel Cabrera to slip through the net and miss this week's championship.

The Argentinian was runner-up in the Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth in May, but that came the week after the cut-off point for the world's top 50 to qualify for Royal Troon.

Ernie Els is the most popular pick among golf writers to win this week's championship. In a poll of 30 writers at the event, 12 have gone for Els to repeat his 2002 victory at Muirfield. Tiger Woods, whom Els could replace as world number one by winning, is next with five.

But following the shock success of Ben Curtis a year ago there is, perhaps predictably, a wide range of names offered. Sergio Garcia, Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington - all chasing their first major - all have support.