Carnoustie carnage appears less likely

Ten weeks to go to the Open and it looks like Carnoustie will not be quite so nasty as it was in 1999.

The stars with awful memories of eight years ago will be delighted by the words from Peter Dawson, chief executive of the Royal and Ancient Club, at the Scottish links today.

“We are not seeking carnage,” said Dawson.

“We are seeking an arena where the players can display their skills to the best effect.”

At 7,421 yards, the course will play 60 yards longer than it did in 1999 and will be the longest in Open history – just 24 yards shorter than Augusta was for the Masters a month ago and only 140 yards less than the major record of Medinah for last year’s US PGA Championship.

But it is the severity of the rough that dictated the scoring last time and led to the course being dubbed ’Car-nasty’.

While nobody knows what weather lies ahead in the next two months, there is nothing in the long-range forecast to suggest that conditions will be quite as challenging – some would say near-impossible.

What everybody most remembers the 1999 Open for, of course, is the closing triple bogey by Jean Van de Velde after he stood on the final tee three clear.

It is doubtful if there will ever be more a more dramatic finish to any golf tournament.

But when the dust settled, what everybody had also witnessed was the highest scoring in the championship since 1947 and the highest in any major since 1963.

Play-off winner Paul Lawrie, Van de Velde and Justin Leonard – almost the forgotten man of that final day – tied on six over par.

Tiger Woods shot 10 over par and still finished as high as 10th, while Sergio Garcia, who a month later was to run Woods close at the US PGA championship, had rounds of 89 and 83 to crash out on 30 over par.

Having won the Irish Open only two weeks earlier, Garcia’s failure inevitably grabbed headlines, but others could easily sympathise.

Compatriot Seve Ballesteros shot 80-86, two more former champions in Sandy Lyle and Tony Jacklin failed to break 80 in either round as well, defending champion Mark O’Meara opened with an 83 – the same as Paul McGinley, Vijay Singh signed for an 84 on day two and first-round leader Rod Pampling amazingly missed the cut when he followed up his level par 71 with an 86.

And how about this – the entire field was a cumulative 3,746 over par for the week.

While trees have been removed between the seventh and 14th fairways, other holes have been toughened up.

The third will play 16 yards longer at 358 yards, and has been made into more of a left-to-right dogleg and there is an area of rough mounding in the centre of the fairway.

The long sixth, named Hogan’s Alley, sees different bunkering, the par-four 12th and 18th have been stretched by 20 and 12 yards respectively to 499 yards, and rough and mounding has gone in right of the 17th fairway.

Dawson added: “Carnoustie deserves its reputation as the toughest course we use, but this year we hope to achieve fast-running conditions (as was the case at Hoylake last year when winner Woods used his driver only once).

“Every player I have spoken to is excited about coming.”

Martin Kippax, chairman of the championship committee, added: “What we are trying to achieve is a fair and severe test for the best players in the world.

“That’s the case wherever we go. This is a very severe test and the players understand that. I am sure they will all be here.”