The Open remains the pinnacle of golf whoever is in the field and has been so since American interest in the old Claret Jug was revived with Arnold Palmer's success over the same stretch of west Lancashire (we can never come to terms with it being part of Merseyside) coast in 1961.

The other major events in golf have their history and their traditions but none are played on the same kind of courses as the Open; this is golf as it was in the beginning, before it moved inland and created magnificence like that seen over the past week at Loch Lomond where everything, apparently, is wonderful but only the rich and famous can enjoy the privilege of playing there.

Links golf is the ultimate, sublimely rewarding when a shot is played well, punishing when anything less than perfection is executed and, crucially, is available to all. For a special treat it is well worth saving for a round at Royal County Down, Portrush or Royal Lytham.

But equally enjoyable links golf can be had without the need for piggy-bank raids. Royal West Norfolk, Silloth-on-Solway, Yorkshire's famous links a dozen or so miles from the sea at Ganton and St Annes Old are just a few of the many courses where old-fashioned golf comes to life for modest outlay.

Birkdale, perhaps above any other on the Open rota, has a record of rewarding brilliance. It's first Open in 1954 signalled the arrival of one of golf's greats in Peter Thomson, who would go on to join James Braid and J H Taylor as winner on five occasions when he triumphed – again at Birkdale – in 1965. Using a three-wood from the tee instead of driver was Thomson's key to success at Royal Birkdale.

Palmer's victory in 1961 sent the signal to the rest of the American stars that to be recognised as a great player they had to leave the home comforts of the pampered US PGA Tour and head for the wind, the rain, the quirky greens, the sand-dunes and the Open, the British Open as they still insist on calling it.

It was at Birkdale, too, that Johnny Miller played one of the great rounds in history when he returned a last-18 score of 66 to claim the title from one of the master golfers, Jack Nicklaus, and a master of the future, Seve Ballesteros.

The 19-year-old Spaniard had announced himself on the world stage by leading for the first three days and only his errant driving prevented him finishing closer to Miller, who triumphed by six strokes. Ballesteros hit only three fairways in his last round of 74 and Miller said afterwards: "He was so bold but his driver killed him."

Tom Watson made his piece of history in 1983 – again with Birkdale the venue – when he won his fifth Open and joined the elite trio of Braid, Taylor and Thomson but the 1991 winner over the Southport links was not so fortunate.

Ian Baker-Finch finished with a 66 to give him a two-stroke victory and he appeared poised to become one of the world game's leading players but instead it was to be his last triumph. For some reason the golfing gods turned their wrath on the young Australian and his swing disintegrated rapidly, so much so that within three years he was more likely to score in the eighties than the sixties; his career was over. Thankfully he found a new golfing life as a commentator but mention of his name still brings shudders to those who remember how a man who could go round Birkdale in 66 could so quickly become a golfing wreck.

Thoughts of Baker-Finch's Open brought back a pin-sharp memory of just how good these golfers are. We were on the practice ground, watching the stars prepare for their round, hitting ball after ball with that beautiful, controlled draw to a distant caddy, who would nonchalantly catch each shot in his white towel and await the next, never having to move.

In one of the bunkers was Fred Couples. He threw half-a-dozen balls into the sand then pressed each one with his thumb until it was so far underground only a dot of white could be seen. He then proceeded to splash each ball to within two or three feet of the flag on the adjacent green. It was amazing to behold but to him it was just another routine.

There will be another visit to the practice ground and the great course this week as the pilgrimage to Royal Birkdale is repeated and this time there are high hopes that Sergio Garcia, beaten by Padraig Harrington in last year's play-off can record another European victory.

If he is to succeed on a course which is staging its ninth Open and is where so many great golfers have cemented their reputations he will not be wondering whether he would have won had Woods been in the field. He – or whoever stands on the last green basking in that sublime moment – will know he is the Champion Golfer of 2008. No-one will be able to take that from him.


Headingley silence is broken, but what do we do now?


THE silence from those in authority at Headingley Carnegie over the Twenty20 shambles ended, not a moment too soon, with a brief letter of apology from Yorkshire's chief executive Stewart Regan to the members and supporters.

"We are all extremely embarrassed," was the gist of Regan's missive, coupled with a frank acceptance that the club had made mistakes. There was nothing further, though, on how Yorkshire hope to have expulsion from the competition and the imposition of a £1,000 fine overturned at today's appeal. All we have had so far on that subject was a statement from James Buttler, the club's PR man, which announced: "The club feel that the punishment is manifestly disproportionate to the offence and as such feels duty-bound on behalf of its players, members and staff to lodge an appeal."

It is a pity the club did not feel duty bound on behalf of its players and members to ensure that Azeem Rafiq was correctly registered in the first place, especially after a clear warning was received 18 months previously from the England and Wales Cricket Board that there were doubts as to the player's eligibility for first XI cricket.

Perhaps Yorkshire are playing a tactical game, keeping their argument to themselves until they face the appeal panel in Taunton today. Perhaps they simply hope that their apology will earn reinstatement and the rescinding of their fine. Fat chance.

We shall have to wait and see, conscious only of the fact that Yorkshire have made themselves a laughing stock to a degree not matched since the dark days of the civil war over Geoffrey Boycott's role within the club; that Regan was rather less than chivalrous in telling the world that the errors over Azeem's registration were down to staff in Yorkshire's office; and suggestions – unattributable, naturally – that the Yorkshire Schools' Cricket Association had somehow been responsible for the whole mess were insulting to that body. The YSCA were aware early in 2007 that Azeem did not then hold a passport – he had to be left out of their tour of South Africa for that reason. But, as Dr Bernard Knowles, chairman of the schools' body, asserted yesterday: "Not having a passport and not being registered by Yorkshire are two totally different things. Registration for the county is nothing to do with the schools.

"We all feel extremely sorry for Azeem, who brought great credit to the Yorkshire Association and the England Schools' set-up and finds himself in this position through no fault of his own."

We have been assured by Regan that a full inquiry has taken place into the shambles and measures taken to ensure it does not happen again. Far better, perhaps, to revert to situation which applied before what we might call the Byford Amendment was introduced. There would be far less opportunity for mistakes over eligibility to arise if all the players involved with Yorkshire were born within the county boundary.

Old fashioned? Perhaps. But it was a system which worked pretty well over a century or so. On the evidence available, it certainly worked far better than today's model.


The shadow of drugs is cast over Tour again


IT did not take long for our dream to be shattered... again.

The first week of the Tour de France had not been completed before the dreaded drug storm burst. We had luxuriated in the power of Mark Cavendish, been impressed by the sagacity of David Millar and enthralled by the physical strength and mental resilience of the peloton as they pedalled their way from Brittany to the south of France.

But the enjoyment came to an abrupt end when the Spaniard Manuel Beltran tested positive for EPO. The Tour immediately went into defence mode, claiming that Beltran was a one-off, a 37-year-old throwback to the bad old days. His team now faces a thorough examination by police and Tour officials; if they are found to have colluded with Beltran they will be ejected from the Tour and, in all likelihood, not be invited back in future years.

Those who still suggest that the record of Lance Armstrong, the winner of the Tour on seven occasions, is somehow tainted by drugs were quick to point out that Beltran had been a team-mate of the American during three of his successes and has become the fourth rider from Armstrong's squad, after Floyd Landis, Tyler Hamilton and Roberto Heras, to have tested positive for drugs.

We had all hoped the worst was over and hope still that if Beltran is indeed a single rogue then the damage will be limited but once again we are faced with the fact that the Tour de France is blighted. No matter what the next two weeks bring us in terms of effort going up the mountains of the Pyrenees and Alps and – sometimes more impressive – the awesome speed of the descents, the name of Manual Beltran will cast its shadow.


Mine deserves his day in sun


RACING throws up its share of fairy stories – the success of young trainer Tom Dascombe in sending out the winners of both major two-year-old races at last week's Newmarket July meeting was the latest – but sometimes fate disappoints and that was certainly the case in another of the major races at headquarters.

For Yorkshire followers of the racing game Mine, owned by Mike Dawson and trained at Middleham by James Bethell, has long been a favourite. He was the star attraction at Bethell's Thorngill Stables on Good Friday every year when racing enthusiasts made their visit to Middleham Open Day. He and they knew he was special.

Now 10 years old, Mine had career winnings of over £300,000 when he made the familiar journey to Suffolk last Friday for what connections had been decided would be his last race before going off to stud.

The target was the Bunbury Cup, a race he had won three times and Frankie Dettori was in the saddle. The scene was set for the grand finale.

Unfortunately Mine was never going well and Dettori quickly realised it was not to be his day.

"It was a great shame he didn't finish as we had wanted him to, he was never really in the hunt," said Bethell.

So Mine's racing career did not end as we had hoped but the important thing was that he returned safely to Yorkshire and now starts his new life at Allerthorpe Stud. The old boy will be missed.