Can Tiger steal the show at Carnoustie?

When it comes to Scottish golf courses, there are none with the glamour and heritage of St Andrews, the home of the sport. But several other venues have impressive histories of their own.

Carnoustie is certainly a case in point . Formerly constituted in 1842 and informally in existence long before that year, the club is one of the ten oldest in the world and has hosted a number of important events across the years. 

It is a highly rated course, with Tiger woods among those impressed. He recently confirmed he will be back there next month, when the Open Championships takes place. 

Speaking about Carnoustie, Woods said: “I just love that golf course. It’s so tough. This one is by far the hardest of all the courses on The Open rota.”

Indeed, while he won the Open at St Andrews in 2000, Tiger's record at Carnoustie is modest by his standards, coming seventh in 1999 and 12th in 2007.

The Open has already been held at the course seven times, and this year will bring the eighth. The first of them was in 1931 and the most recent in 2007, but surely the most famous was 1999. 

On that occasion, the history books will show that local fans were able to celebrate a triumph by Scot Paul Lawrie, but the climax of the tournament was memorable for the spectacular way Frenchman Jean van der Velde threw away a commanding lead on the final hole, with a triple bogey seven that included a shot into the Barry Burn. 

If the defining image of that year's tournament was a Frenchman standing barefoot in the water before deciding to take a drop instead, the dream image of 2018 would be the sight of Tiger Woods holding the claret jug again after years of struggle. 
 
Could he do it? None would rule it out, but it it seems the player still needs to regain a little edge on his game. While his physical recovery from all those back problems is evident, there is a small element that has not quite been recaptured. It is not so much about an aura as, perhaps, a little ruthlessness. 

This was certainly the view of the BBC's golf correspondent Iain Carter, following the Players' Championship in Sawgrass. Woods had been producing a superb final round to crank up the pressure on the leader Webb Simpson, only to land his approach shot on the 14th short and watch it roll back down the slope. The subsequent double bogey ended his charge and he slipped back to finish joint 11th. 

"In his pomp, Woods' competitive instincts would have ensured no such inaccuracy would creep into his game at such a vital moment. It was that mental strength that separated the 14-time major champion from the rest," Carter observed. 

All this may be a little harsh on Woods, however. Having had surgery to save his career, it was always likely to be a little while before everything came back. The lack of competitive action may have dulled the instincts that took him so far in the past. Given more situations like Sawgrass, it may yet reassert itself with a vengeance. 

Whatever happens at Carnoustie, one thing is for sure; Woods, Simpson and all the rest will certainly not be planning a paddle in the Barry Burn. 

Image: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images from Keith Prowse subscription