Scene set for Open showdown

By Matt Slater
BBC Sport at Royal Troon

The Ayrshire links course is in fine condition

Two funny things happened at Royal Troon on Wednesday - the eve of the 2004 Open Championship.

The first was that those who stayed behind late on practice day got to see tournament favourite, Ernie Els, fine-tuning his game.

The favourite at every major for the last five years, Tiger Woods, ended his practice rounds as the crowds arrived.

And the second was the sun coming out. For those of us still here it put a very different complexion on this curate's egg of a golf course.

The Ayrshire links, home to what former champion Bobby Locke called the "best greens in the world", has never looked better.

The players, many still reeling from last month's mauling at the US Open, have been lavish in their praise.

Thomas Bjorn spoke for many when he said: "This is probably the best course I've seen for a major in a long time."

The best, but not the prettiest. With jumbo jets buzzing the fairways and trains rattling by at the turn, Royal Troon is no picture postcard.

But what Royal Troon, and Troon itself, lack in classic good looks, they more than make up in charm and personality.

If the wind blows, anything under par will win this tournament US Open champion Retief Goosen

There may be a planes, trains and automobiles - and the car ferry to Northern Ireland - feel about the place, but there is beauty too.

Quite how much the 156 players present this week will appreciate that beauty is largely dependant on the weather.

As US Open champion Retief Goosen said: "If the wind blows, anything under par will win this tournament."

Talk of the weather at Open Championships is more than just the national obsession rearing its head.

Wind is a key facet of these ancient courses' defences: without it they are toothless, with it they are awe-inspiring.

So there won't be a golfer in Troon on Wednesday who isn't aware that the wind is forecast to get steadily stronger every day of the championship.

And it is for that reason that punters should not steer too far from the beaten path when looking for winners.

Just as last month's US Open at Shinnecock Hills revealed, golf's democratic revolution is probably over. With or without Woods, the big guns are returning to the winner's circles.

That doesn't mean the Open won't have its 14th different champion in 14 years, but I bet Sunday's winner already has a major title on his mantelpiece at home.