“It was hard. It was really hard. I’ve never played a golf course as hard as that was set up – and as unfair as it was set up as well.”

He added: “I remember number six, stepping off the fairway nine yards wide in a lay-up area. That’s not a real big lay-up area when you have to hit a four iron.

“I think it’s a great golf course. I played two Scottish Opens there (1995 and 1996) and I thought it was one of the best golf courses I’ve ever played.

“Lo and behold, we come back in 1999 and it was not that way any more.”

During last year’s Open at Hoylake, Tiger Woods complained about their use on the final day. “It wasn’t the professional photographers, it was the gallery,” reported the champion. “Cameras or camera phones kept going off while we were over the shot or preparing to hit the shot or even hitting the shot. It was very, very frustrating for Sergio [Garcia] and me.”

They’re going to institute a gate search with a total of 200 people to man all the entrances – something tells me that isn’t going to be enough.

Also, the R&A says it will not issue a special exemption to Jean Van de Velde.

“If anyone deserved an invitation to an Open Championship at Carnoustie it would be him,” conceded [Peter] Dawson.

…

“This is the Open Championship and people earn their way in through exemption or qualification, and while it is emotionally tempting in Jean’s case I’m afraid it won’t happen.”

Meanwhile, Van de Velde hasn’t taken kindly to the date or location of the qualifier for this year’s Open Championship which takes place near London and follows the final day of the French Open.

“Why can’t the qualifier be held at Chantilly or any of the courses near Le Golf National? Or held in a different week?” Van de Velde asked. “I know the schedule is tight, but who does the thinking?

…

“I’m not just saying this for my benefit. I’m trying to serve the Tour as best as I can. I’m one of the players’ representatives – people should not forget that. Some people see me with some minuses, but there are some plusses too.”

Uh, Jean, don’t worry, people have not forgotten you – and I don’t think the attempt at big timing the European Tour is going to help much.

“Nature did it all,” he said at an Open news conference at Carnoustie yesterday, referring to the warm and wet summer of eight years ago. “It was the same all over the east of Scotland. If you went to Muirfield, you would have cracked up. Members at Gullane weren’t even going into the rough to look for their balls. They just played another.”

Even if the same rainy weather occurs – the forecast is for a dry summer and hence lighter growth – then Philp assures that the rough will be much more playable.

“There is drought damage from last year and the grasses that have been oversown in these areas are a fine links type that will never produce that kind of herbage,” he assured.

And he added this:

“People will come up with things like accusing us of putting fertiliser on the rough when they aren’t doing too well, but it’s just whingeing. We didn’t need to do that in 1999 because the weather did it for us, it was the same on courses all the way up the east coast that year.

“There’s no wrong to be righted this year. If the players go away feeling it was a fairer test this time, then fair enough, we want them to feel it’s not a monster or tricked up or anything like that.

“If players choose to look at it that way because they haven’t done so well, so be it, but we’d like them to think we set up a challenging golf course but something that’s feasible and they can score on.”

I’ll be the first to admit that I hated the 1999 Open Championship – I thought the course was way over the top and the three ring circus finish was all too appropriate for that week. I’m cautiously optimistic that this year will be much different.