Great assessment league. Royal St. George's that year played so tricky off the tee that it was a matter of sheer luck almost that those on the board on Sunday were up there. Ben was a product of an unfair setup, much as Paul Lawrie was in winning the 1999 Open, and has proven to be nothing more than that since then.

The winner this week will be a player of considerable skill, unshakeable confidence, mind-numbing patience, and great intestinal fortitude. I'm looking forward to a great three days of golf, what with a fine leaderboard already stacked up and likely only getting better as we draw closer to Sunday.