Sandwich converts Americans to links courses

Something was not quite right as the majority of the field turned up here yesterday to take what for many of them was the first glimpse of this unique links: the Americans weren't moaning.

Anything but, in fact, as they broke the habit of several golfing lifetimes by expressing their total satisfaction with Royal St George's and links golf. In the past, the Americans have turned up, taken one look at the sun-scorched fairways that characterise the Open and yearned to be back on the lush, well-watered fairways of Georgia. But no more. Now they cannot get enough of the place.

Phil Mickelson was most fulsome in his praise, saying: "Sandwich is spectacular. It's a wonderful, wonderful place. It's got a lot of difficult, difficult greens, a lot of slopes. It's going to be a fun test, and I will really enjoy it."

David Duval the 2001 Open champion, stuck up for both the links style of the game and the British fans who have taken this former world No 1 to heart after his recent slump. "I love it here," Duval said. "This is the type of golf we play nowhere else. Of the 25 tournaments I will play this year, this one will stand out. When I come back to Britain, I feel like a former champion and that's because of the way I am treated. No one has forgotten here that I won their Open."

Rich Beem, the reigning USPGA champion, also admitted he felt at home on the south coast, but for reasons widely different to Duval's. "This is just like El Paso," he told a stunned audience. "It's hot and windy, so I kind of feel a little bit at home, except for everybody has a different accent around here. Instead of 'y'all', it's 'good day, mate'. I guess not 'mate', that's Australian. But it's nice, I enjoy it here. Wonderful place. Just like El Paso." As one local journalist commented: "Come back in January, it'll be more like the Alamo then."

But despite such cynicism, there was not a dissenting American voice in earshot, especially not from Tiger Woods, who had few ears to shoot at. The world No 1 pulled his by now annual trick of starting his practice round at 6.20am and packing up before the hordes had arrived to cheer him on.

This is all part of the Woods game plan, of course, as such mystique only serves to make him even more of a phenomenon to his rivals. One source of inspiration to the professionals who must feel like they are here simply to make up the numbers in the Tiger Roadshow is Beem, who did the unthinkable and emerged from the pack to deny Woods his third major of the year at the USPGA 10 months ago.

"I think, in a way, I might have helped other players who might have said, 'Hey, listen, if this guy can do it, holy cow, anybody can'," said the 32-year-old, who quit the game briefly eight years ago to sell car stereos in Seattle. "We in the locker room know he's an awesome player. He's proved it time and time again. But he's not going to be able to win everything. There are certain players capable of catching him, especially at a major.'

But there were words of warning from Duval, who said that winning this, or any other major, is hardly the be-all and end-all to life. "I got a lot of satisfaction from winning the Open," he said. 'But if players think they can find fulfilment from winning a golf tournament, then they are looking in the wrong place." It was one of those days when the Americans just kept on surprising.