FEAR NOT Tiger Woods, for the Royal and Ancient will eject anyone who heckles the world number one during this summer’s British Open at St Andrews.

“We are not in a police state and people can say what they like, but if they start putting players off we have to take steps,” the RA’s chief executive, Peter Dawson, said. “They will be asked to stop and if they don’t stop they will be asked to leave.”

And if they refuse to leave? Final discussions with the police about security during the British Open have still to take place, Dawson added, although he did say for the benefit of genuine golf fans hoping to see Woods play in this country for the first time since his car crash last November he was “absolutely certain” the world number one would make the trip to Scotland in July.

Woods, who will be playing in this week’s USPGA Tour event in Charlotte, has described the Old Course as his “favourite” – an affection no doubt bolstered by his winning two British Open championships there, in 2000 and 2005.

Dawson was noticeably reluctant to comment on Woods’s conduct away from the golf course, in contrast to Augusta National’s chairman Bill Payne, who used his traditional press conference on the eve of the Masters to criticise Woods on a number of counts, from his club-throwing antics on the golf course to his reluctance to interact with his fans away from it.

“Because the Masters was the first event back Billy Payne had a decision to make and having made that decision I thought he did it well. It was very measured and well-crafted,” said Dawson. “I hope the game can put it [the Woods “scandal“] behind us.

“It came as a great shock. I did describe myself as Tiger’s biggest fan and I’m not going to get into his personal life – I just think it’s very sad that what has happened has happened and I am sure he is [sad] too.”

This year is the 150th anniversary of the first British Open and celebrations include a four-hole past champions challenge on the eve of the tournament.

Seve Ballesteros, who won at the Old Course in 1984, was the first former champion to enter the event but the Spanish star is still recovering from four brain operations after the discovery of a tumour and it remains to be seen if he will make the trip.

Prize money has yet to be announced and could be affected by what happens to the economy after next week’s election. The winner’s cheque remained £750,000 (€867,000) last year and so there is little chance of the first £1 million champion being crowned, as will be the case at Wimbledon.

The biggest change to the Old Course comes at the famous 17th, where what is already by common consent the toughest hole in golf is being lengthened by 40 yards to 495 yards.

And this despite the fact it played to an average of 4.63 five years ago, 4.71 in 2000 and 4.79 when Ballesteros won 26 years ago.

That event was effectively decided by Tom Watson, chasing a record-equalling sixth Claret Jug at the time, firing a two-iron second shot over the green, over the road and up against the wall.

The championship committee has subsequently watched players using seven-irons or even less for their approaches in the annual Dunhill Links and wanted to make it more demanding.