Golf: The Open - Open Quote Close Quote

I shot 75 in practice and that was a very good score. I think you will see scores in excess of 100.

Nick Price A left-hander's course? I don't think what side of the ball you stand on will have any bearing on it. You're going to have to hit the ball left to right and right to left. I've never seen fairways as penalising as this for a major championship. You might as well stick red hazard posts down the fairways.

Phil Mickelson

I would say that the driver could be taken out of a lot of players hands. You can always get up and down if you miss the greens but where are you going to hit a driver?

Vijay Singh

Hey, over here!

Phil Mickelson, up to his shins in rough on the sixth hole, shouts to a member of the green staff walking up the fairway with a power trimmer.

In my 45 years of coming to the Open I've never seen a course in better condition. I didn't see a single divot on the fairway.

Gary Player

Our strategy was to present Carnoustie as a very good test of driving, one of the best driving courses in the world. Between April and the summer there has been a huge amount of rough grown and that has been natural. It has not been induced by the R and A or the club.

Hugh Campbell, chairman of the Open Championship committee

I need confidence and this is not the place to find it.

Seve Ballesteros

I don't think it's daunting at all. I'm just going to play golf like I normally do and get in the zone, yeah.

Zane Scotland (above) - at 16, one of the youngest qualifiers ever to appear in the Open

We are not too worried about the scores

because this is a very difficult golf course. If you get difficult wind conditions then it is all relative. The players are going to do higher scores but they will still do a lot lower scores than anybody else would. As long as the best player comes out at the end of the championship.

Sir Michael Bonallack, secretary of the R and A The emphasis should not be upon teaching each child as an adult superstar. With all the hype it is easy to forget that out of 40 million golfers less than 300 earn more than $250,000 per year. In this highly technological age of sophisticated equipment and complex analysis it is critical to find the fun, the simplicity and the joy of golf. Only then will young players enjoy the game for a lifetime.

Dr Patricia Donnelly, educational psychologist

145 - 165

Graham Cowdrey, laying the spread for Sporting Index on the number of double-bogeys or worse on the last three holes

CARNOUSTIE WEATHER

TODAY

The first day is likely to be the worst and those with an early tee-off will have a marked advantage over those going out in the afternoon. There will be a stiff, breezy south- westerly wind, but whereas wind speeds will be 15mph early on and will rise to 20mph as the day goes on. It will be largely dry in the morning, but there is a threat of rain in the afternoon. It will be a cool day with temperatures at round 18C (64F)

TOMORROW

The south-westerly winds will calm down considerably, but will follow today's pattern, being 10mph in the morning strengthening to 15mph in the afternooon. It will be a cloudy and drizzly day with the temperature at round 19-20C (66-68F).

SATURDAY

Those lucky enough to have made the cut will be glad to see a warm, dry weekend with southerly winds of 10mph for the back-markers rising to 15mph for the leaders. The temperature will be about 21C (70F).

SUNDAY

There should be few excuses weather-wise on the final day with lightish winds which will be variable in direction. The temperature will be around 22C (72F) with moderate wind speeds of 5-10mph.

TV TIMES

BBC1 2.30pm-3.30pm

BBC2 10.30am-2.30pm

3.30pm-7.30pm

Highlights BBC2

9.50pm-10.30pm

OPEN FACT

At 7,361 yards Carnoustie will be the longest course ever used for the Open championship. Since the event was last held there in 1975, 296 yards have been added .

TODAY'S TEE-OFF TIMES

(GB or Irl unless stated)

0715: P O'Malley (Aus), M McNulty (Zim), G Hjertstedt (Swe).

0725: R Pampling (Aus), B Langer (Ger), S Pate (US).

0735: J Maggert (US), P Eales, B Mayfair (US).

0745: N Ozaki (Japan), J Parnevik (Swe), S Stricker (US).

0755: C Franco (Par), D Clarke, M Calcavecchia (US).

0805: S Dunlap (US), J Sandelin (Swe), K Hosokawa (Japan).

0815: D Hart (US), A Coltart, S Appleby (Aus).

0825: T Yoneyama (Japan), D Paulson (US), D Carter.

0835: R Goosen (SA), T Lehman (US), D Park.

0845: S Elkington (Aus), S Torrance, T Tryba (US).

0855: T Watson (US), P Harrington, J Sluman (US).

0905: B Andrade (US), M A Jimenez (Sp), B Jobe (US).

0915: S Maruyama (Japan), P Baker, G Day (US).

0925: V Singh (Fij), R Mediate (US), S Garcia (Sp).

0945: S Leaney (Aus), F Funk (US), S Lyle.

0955: D Waldorf (US), E Herrera (Col), R Karlsson (Swe).

1005: N Price (Zim), P Stewart (US), S Struver (Ger).

1015: E Els (SA), S Ballesteros (Sp), M O'Meara (US).

1025: T Jacklin, *G Storm, R Beem (US).

1035: T Levet (Fr), P McGinley, P-U Johansson (Swe).

1045: K Tomori (Japan), J Rose, M Weir (Can).

1055: J Hugo (SA), T Gillis (US), R Green (Aus).

1105: M Long (NZ), S Gallacher, G Ogilvy (Aus).

1115: J Rystrom (Swe), G Morales (Ven), M Farry (Fr).

1125: P Affleck, J Robinson, F Tarnaud (Fr).

1135: P Fulke (Swe), A MacDonald, M Thompson.

1145: S Luna (Sp), P Nyman (Swe), B Davis.

1155: F Nobilo (NZ), D Duval (US), T Bjorn (Den).

1215: C Kyoung-ju (S Kor), M James, S Gump (US).

1225: D Frost (SA), C Montgomerie, B Watts (US).

1235: K Jong-duck (S Kor), D Howell, A Magee (US).

1245: B Hughes (Aus), H Sutton (US), P Sjoland (Swe).

1255: J Leonard (US), M Brooks (US), D Robertson.

1305: C Spence (Aus), R Russell, S Verplank (US).

1315: G Norman (Aus), L Westwood, L Janzen (US).

1325: N Faldo, J Furyk (US), D Love (US).

1335: P Price, H Tanaka (Japan), S Cink (US).

1345: T Herron (US), C Rocca (It), S Katayama (Japan).

1355: J Moseley (Aus), D Smyth, B Tway (US).

1405: I Woosnam, C Parry (Aus), T Woods (US).

1415: A Cabrera (Arg), B Estes (US), S Watson.

1425: J Huston (US), M Martin (Sp), S Allen (Aus).

1445: G Turner (NZ), J-M Olazabal (Sp), P Mickelson (US).

1455: *P Gribben, G Player (SA), C Pavin (US).

1505: J Van de Velde (Fr), M Gronberg (Swe), B Charles (NZ).

1515: L Mattiace (US), P Linhart (Sp), M Campbell (NZ).

1525: *L Donald, P Lawrie, P Leonard (Aus).

1535: G Owen, M Allen (Aus), S McCarthy.

1545: D Cooper, C Hainline (US), C Hanell (Swe).

1555: J Bevan, A Sherborne, R McFarlane.

1605: L Thompson, *Z Scotland, W Bennett.

1615: A Hansen, P Marksaeng (Thai), A Raitt.

*denotes amateur