Signs of the times when legends played Carnoustie Qualifying scores

So said Payne Stewart when he enjoyed a practice round over Carnoustie on July 10, 1991.

His prescient remark is another reason why the American will be fancied to add the 128th Open Championship to the US Open he captured at Pinehurst last month.

The formidable Angus links has attracted praise and criticism in equal measure since Scotland's first professional, Allan Robertson, laid the initial five holes in 1842.

Diplomatically, the late Harold Wilson declined to comment after his round, reveals the visitor's book which is located in the starter's box adjacent to the first tee.

''Murder'' insisted the comedian Danny Kaye. ''Help'' added his playing partner. Sammy Davis Jr. ''The world's toughest links'', claimed Tom Weiskopf.

The Open Championship returns to Carnoustie after 24 years and the world's best players will find that the longest course on the R & A rota is an even more demanding test than it was in those days.

Locals, who have lost countless golf balls in the knee-high rough which lines each fairway, gleefully predict that if the wind blows in off the Tay Estuary then a level-par score will be sufficient to lift the old Claret Jug next Sunday night.

Whatever the weather, even a zephyr will prove troublesome with balls constantly veering off at tangents and never permitting the players to get a fix on their direction.

Study the roll of winners at Carnoustie - Tommy Armour (1931), Henry Cotton (1937), Ben Hogan (1953), Gary Player (1968) and Tom Watson (1975) - and the sheer quality lends substance to the theory of the great Jack Nicklaus that the further north the Open goes, the better the course.

After Robertson's initial efforts, his St Andrews cohort, Old Tom Morris, returned 25 years later to extend the course to 18 holes.

In 1926, James Braid was called upon to ready the course for the 1931 Open, and, despite admitting the numerous difficulties it presented, still added more than 60 new bunkers.

Links superintendent John Philp, also from St Andrews, shares Braid's love of the sand hazards.

He has constructed 17 new ones, most of them fiendishly and strategically placed with fairways contoured to entice shots into trouble.

The most significant is on the sixth, extended to 578 yards and appropriately called 'Long' on the card but better known as 'Hogan's Alley' in recognition of the courageous line the Texan took in each round he played in his triumph in 1953.

A new back tee brings the pair of fairway bunkers into play for most of the field, with a carry of 285 yards needed to fly the furthest of the sand traps.

In recognition of the current generation of power hitters, the R & A has added a third which will demand a carry of around 310 yards if they dare take it on.

This new bunker has upset the local players because it affects their second shots, and the R & A has already offered to pay for its removal at the conclusion of the championship.

Ben Hogan swiftly realized that to reach the green in two he had to drive left of the central fairway bunkers into an area 22 yards wide with out-of-bounds fence on the left.

This he did with unerring accuracy to win on his first and last visit to these shores.

Then there is the Barry Burn, that sinuous stream which wends through five of the fairways and which has proved a watery grave for so many hopes.

Before the strangely-named 'South America' tenth hole, the Barry Burn spreads to an alarming width of 25ft fronting the green.

Folklore has it that it was so-called after one local, who had planned to emigrate there to earn his fortune, had one too many at his farewell party and fell asleep on the fairway instead of catching his train to take him the first stage of his journey to the New World.

Carnoustie's demanding closing stretch begins at the 515-yard fourteenth 'Spectacles' where a birdie must be prised to protect scores from the dangers lurking ahead.

It was there that Player won his first Open with his No. 3-wood approach stopping two feet from the cup for an eagle to forge two strokes ahead of Jack Nicklaus who was his only rival at that stage.

The last four holes are the most brutal of any closing quartet in the world.

The 472-yard fifteenth is even more testing now that the landing area has been re-shaped to encourage balls into two fairway bunkers.

The 250-yard sixteenth is the hardest of all. Just ask Tom Watson who failed to make par in all five rounds when he won in 1975 in a play-off. Even the longest of hitters have been forced to take a driver, and, when it played into the wind in 1968, only Jack Nicklaus was past the hole.

The 459-yard seventeenth is guarded by the Barry Burn which twists and turns to form almost a tiny island that is the landing zone for most. Those tempted to carry the far loop of the stream must carry the ball 270 yards and hope to avoid a sneaky bunker which has been laid just over the bridge.

The teeing area is 52 yards long, and, if the wind is against, the R & A might move the tee forward to entice players to gamble on carrying their drives across the water hazard.

The 487-yard final hole is a par 5 cruelly transformed into a par 4.

Again the burn weaves three times across the fairway, including in front of the green which is also guarded by two bunkers and, as if this were not enough, the entire left-hand side is out of bounds with three bunkers waiting across the narrow strip of safety.

In 1975, Johnny Miller found the second of the two greenside bunkers, failed to escape while in contention and saw his hopes founder. The hazard still bears his name. and it was there that Jack Newton landed to perish in the play-off against Watson.

Be certain that others will meet the same fate. For almost quarter of a century Carnoustie was not fit to stage the oldest of the majors. Now that it has been restored to surpass its former glory, it will take a true champion to master its unique challenge.

British and Irish unless stated, (x) denotes amateurs

DOWNFIELD (par 73)

67 T Gillis (USA), D Drysdale, S Farrell (Zim).

68 M Thompson, G Ogilvy (Aus), P Fulke (Swe), A Hansen (Den).

69 S Field, J Coceres (Arg), (x) Z Scotland, W Bennett, T Levet (Fra).

70 S McCarthy, J Wade (Aus), B Davis, L Parsons (Aus), D Borrego (Spa).

71 (x) R Fenwick, G Houston, (x) D Griffiths, D Crowle, M Macara, S Townend, P Lawrie, M Santi (Ita), J Taylor (Aus).

72 J-P Cixous (Fra), (x) O Lindsay, D Morland (Can), S Stiff, G Winter, C Cevaer (Fra), S Downton, F Jacobson (Swe), R Allenby (Aus), A Beal, F Mann, J Greaves.

73 I Harrison, R Boxall, V Bhandari (Ind), L Stanford, P Wesselingh, P Harrison, (x) F McLaughlan, R Coughlan.

Others included: 74 M Lofthouse, T Milford, J Lomas, (x) J Webber, G Laing, R Winchester, M Jones,S Bennett, K Saunders, J Haeggman (Swe), N Preston, L Thompson, B Rimmer. 75 K Waters, (x) L Kelly, O Karlsson (Swe), L Cocker, D Lee, A Stokes, (x) C Watson. 76 S Reynolds, (x) A Carey, K Kelsall, (x) D Henley, (x) M Archer, (x) P Thomas, S Khan. 77 (x) S Brennan, J Payne, M Ramsden, M Litton, B Lane, S Dodd, L Corcoran, G Spring, D Copsey, (x) J Franks. 78 D Fletcher, (x) M Strong, A Collison, M Newman, D McCallum, J Harrison, S Taylor. 79 (x) M Warren, N Rothe, M Warwick, T Sims, D Durnian. 80 (x) J MacDougall, S Lilly, D Armor. 81 (x) P Duke, S Pardoe. 85 D Mansell. 88 (x) D Ryles. No return M Mouland, S Henderson.

MONIFIETH (par 71)

65 W Westner (Rsa).

66 J Singh (Ind), (x) G Wolstenholme, P Marksaeng (Tha).

67 C Hanell (Swe), J Murray, J Van de Velde (Fra), P Linhart (Spa).

68 S Cage, G Owen, L Mattiace (USA), C Cowper, B Nelson (USA), (x) G Birch.

69 T Kinoshita (Jpn), A MacDonald, S Gallacher, N O'Hern (Aus), C Devers (USA), M McNulty (Zim), H Walters (Rsa).

70 N Dulson, M Jonzon (Swe), D Prosser, L Vannet, F Cea (Spa), K Brink (Swe), C Percy (Aus), D Bransdon (Aus), N Price, S Young, H Stenson (Swe), M Kuwertz.

71 (x) J Wells, G Mendoza (Col), E Rustand (USA), S Williams, T Johnstone (Zim), B Heuchan (Can), G Haenen, (x) M Kuchar (USA), C Shaughnessy, M Weir (Can), (x) G Davies, B Partridge, E Darcy, P Nyman (Swe), H Nystrom (Swe), P Talbot, G Brown, S Quinlivan.

72 (x) P Kylliainen (Fin), (x) D Berry, M Hilton, M Mackenzie, A McLardy (Rsa), G Morales (Ven), H O'Neill, R Lee, G Bothwell, A Michell (Rsa), S McDonagh, (x) B Mason.

73 J McCreadie, C Gadd, R Muntz (Ned), V Phillips, R Davis (Aus), A White, S Barber, M Ellis, DA Russell, N Van Rensburg (Rsa), D Leng, C Ronald, S Kjeldsen (Den), D Fitzsimmons, D Curry.

Others included: 74 P Simpson, (x) T McLevy, J Bickerton, A Millar, B Taylor, M James, K Preece, B McGovern, A Duffin, D Thompson, S Webster. 75 M McGuire, I Ball, M Plummer, D Orr. 76 S Mantell, R Bland, C Swinburn. 77 C Tucker, F Cromarty, M Wootton, R Tate, A Harrison. 78 D Poulter, (x) C McMonagle. 79 R Aitken, L Lockwood, (x) G Evans. 83 P Jenkinson. 87 D Partridge. No return I Spencer, G Evans, P Taylor. Disqualified S Yates.

MONTROSE (par 71)

63 P-U Johansson (Swe), M Long (Nzl).

66 G Hjertstedt (Swe), S Hansen (Den), P Lonard (Aus).

67 A Clapp, A Sherborne, J Rystrom (Swe).

68 G Emerson, K Dickens, M Anglert (Swe), A Wall, A Meeks (USA), M Pilkington, J Bevan, F Tarnaud (Fra).

69 (x) J Morgan, W Riley (Aus), P Marsh, (x) O David (Fra), A Lovelace, A Cejka (Ger), A Binaghi (Ita), C Hainline (USA), M Pettigrew (Nzl), P Affleck, T Charnley, D Hospital (Spain), R Green (Aus).

70 B May (USA), J Proctor, S Watson, A Canessa (Ita), J Rivero (Spa), C Watts, (x) G Rankin, R Neill, (x) M Ilonen (Fin), G Dodd (Aus), R Weir, S Richardson, G Furey, G Davies, J Loughnane (Rsa), J Carvill.

71 J Kelly, I Pyman, M Brooks, S Pigott, M Farry (Fra), P Teravainen (USA), P Sherman, A Singh (Ind), A Oldcorn, F Valenti, R Hutt, N Roderick.

72 A McKenna, J Dignam, R Derksen (Ned), M King, A Sproston, L Jones, N Tidder, I Lyner, P Broadhurst, M Poxon, R Dee, D Gammon (Rsa), S Bebb.

73 D Jones, A McLean, S McLaughlin, R Gonzalez (Arg), S Brown, (x) M Sanders, S Cipa, R Ponce (Ecu), J Cowgill, (x) R Duck

Others included; 74 J Ablett, G Lister, R Hibbitt, R Chapman, S Eaton, A Marshall, N Walton. 75 M Ure, R Wragg, P Rawlinson, G Pooley, A George, G Bell, R Arnott, D Francis. 76 D Harris, A Collins, J Lovell. 77 M Sparrow, G Marks, G Crickmay, M Smith, (x) E Wilson, C Clark, P Creamer. 78 L Farmer, R Gray. 79 J McHenry. 80 A Forsbrand (Swe). 81 G Beddow, A Hay. 82 A Smith.

PANMURE (par 70)

66 J Hugo (Rsa).

68 J Mellor, M Campbell (Nzl), M Allen (Aus), K Tomori (Jpn).

69 (x) B Barker, P O'Malley (Aus), M Cort, J Robinson, P McGinley.

70 (x) S Wilson, A Marshall, S Luna (Spa), P Quirici (Swi), A Forsyth, (x) L Donald.

71 C Hislop, P Harrington, A Hill, D Gleeson (Aus), M O'Grady (USA), B Longmuir, P Dorelli, S Griffiths.

72 I Hutchings (Rsa), S Hurd, M Florioli (Ita), C Whitelaw (Rsa), D Sutherland (USA), S Martin, S Tinning (Den), M Sheppard, C Davison (Rsa), N Turley, P Senior (Aus), A Hare, A Raitt, K Wentworth (USA), S Ginn (Aus), R McFarlane.

73 M Osborne, S Alker (Nzl), S Stevens, L Walker, J Little, M Pullan, B Toone, G Collinson, D Cooper, J Harris, T Elliott (Aus).

Others included: 74 G Hamerton, M Lanner (Swe), (x) J Donaldson, S Whiffin, J King, G Orr, J Stevenson. 75 R Bishton, W Yellott, N McDonald, R Giles, R Drummond, R Huxtable, (x) P Snowden, J Fryatt, G Sherry, E Romero (Arg), P Kent, P Curry, P Walton, S Armstrong, G McQuitty, (x) N Soto. 76 T Bunyan, I Ellis, M Pinero (Spa), J Marshall, A Dawes, D Wilton, W Guy. 77 GJ Brand, (x) M Betteridge, (x) M Hollingworth. 78 B Hall, G Hutcheon, B Marchbank, A Greenbank, J Bolger. 79 G Hagues, M Heinemann, W Murray, P Toyer. 80 A Turner, I Garbutt, M Nichols, M Dack, A Hawkins. 81 R Gray, (x) P Bicknell. 82 (x) R Latham. 83 M Oliver. 84 R Critcher. 90 K Vince. No return D Shacklady.