Dustin Johnson the man in form, but who will prove king of Royal Troon?

The motto of Royal Troon Golf Club sums it all up rather nicely. The Latin which adorns the 138-year-old Ayrshire links’ crest reads: “Tam Arte Quam Marte”, which means “as much by skill as by strength”.

In 2016, with a game taking to its extremes by 21st century technology and athleticism, that will come as a welcome sentiment to the shorter hitters amongst this 145th Open Championship field who so often feel they are disadvantaged by monster courses built for bombers.

Yet really the chief beneficiaries should be those longer hitters blessed with the technique and creativity in their short game and nowhere are those attributes currently so well packaged as in the body of Dustin Johnson.