It could be that Johnny Miller has a lot to answer for as the first player to win a "major" using graphite shafts. Since it happened 22 years ago here in the British Open, equipment has progressed so dramatically that competitors are fearful of using the driver in the 127th staging of the £1.76 million championship, starting this morning on the Lancashire links.

Harry Vardon, he of the record six triumphs, must be turning in his grave. And he would scarcely credit that even with the help of a fresh breeze yesterday afternoon, most competitors were reducing the 472-yard 18th to little more than an eight-iron second shot.

It is indeed a strange Open. This is the first time I have experienced the local police requesting to look in the boot of my car, for security reasons. But when one remembers that the same, Merseyside police were involved in the Grand National scare last year, their vigilance becomes entirely understandable.

And sadly, it is a strange Open for another, regrettable reason. For those of us long since familiar with this annual pilgrimage, there was a decidedly odd feeling about the absence of an interview with Jack Nicklaus on the eve of the great event.

The supreme competitor whom we liked to imagine was indefatigable has, at 58, bowed to anno domini, at least for this year. Which means that pending a return, possibly in 2000 at St Andrews, the Bear's last appearance will have been in a share of 60th place 12 months ago at Troon, where, ironically, it all began for him in 1962.

And it seems odd not to be speculating on the prospects of the 1986 and 1993 champion Greg Norman, who is recovering from shoulder surgery. Perhaps he and Nicklaus are better off, not subjecting themselves to the punishing elements.

The wind. "I was reading that Tom Lehman lost six balls and Jim Furyk lost five," said Tom Watson yesterday. "There will be a lot of golf balls for the members to find when they go out there next Monday morning. They'll be filling their sacks with practice golf balls."

But surely the really gifted competitor should overcome all adversity? "Not necessarily," said the defending champion, Justin Leonard. "There are times when somebody is just meant to win and there are times when somebody is not meant to win, no matter how good they are. You have to have some luck."

By way of tilting the balance in his own favour, however, the admirably pragmatic Texan has been putting in the work since his arrival here. He played 80 holes in practice prior to his triumphant challenge at Royal Troon last year and has done 77 holes this year. "Yeah, four rounds and I played 10 through 14 once more," he explained.

Significantly this is a stretch of holes which the prevailing west wind affects in all four directions - from left to right at the 10th and short 12th, against at the 11th, helping on the 13th and from right to left at the short 14th.

Whatever about the weather, the course is ready. Extensive work on the greens since the last staging, has received a resounding endorsement from the leading competitors. As Watson put it: "From being spongy in 1991, the surfaces are now very good. And where the contouring in concerned, they have the approval of a very tough critic in Ben Crenshaw, with whom I played last Monday."

It could be argued that with an overall length of 7,018 yards, Birkdale's par of 70 is somewhat tight, even allowing for modern equipment. But far more important is the fact that the Southport stretch is very similar to Portmarnock as a difficult but honest challenge, devoid of gimmicks.

This should be a considerable boost to the seven Irish challengers - Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley, Philip Walton, Des Smyth, Francis Howley and Graham Spring. And they are joined by Yorkshire-born Robert Giles, a familiar figure on the Irish scene as the assistant professional at Warrenpoint.

Clarke is clearly the leading Irish hope, if only for a fine performance last year at Troon, where he was a commanding figure for two and a half rounds, before eventually sharing second place behind Leonard. Since then, his talent received the additional endorsement of a splendid eighth-place finish on his debut in the US Masters, three months ago.

"This is my favourite of all the courses on the British Open rota," he said, having had middle rounds of 67 and 68 on his Open debut here seven years ago when he was tied 64th on 287. "It's the most difficult but the fairest."

The player whose skills of recent years have been honed on the majestic duneland of Royal Portrush, went on: "My approach to all links golf is essentially the same - knocking shots down low so as not to let the wind get at them. The greens here are superb but the way the weather is, it's vital to keep the ball on the fairway. So I've been hitting a lot of two-irons off the tee."

However astute their strategy, players this weekend are going to miss greens. And the more successful ones will need the shortgame skills that contributed so much to the total of 11 triumphs shared by Watson, Seve Ballest eros and Nick Faldo who, incidentally, has fully recovered from a damaged right elbow.

"Seve was the absolute master of getting up and down in bad conditions," said Watson. "He hardly ever made bogey from off the green." But the 1983 Birkdale champion quickly added with a grin: "Mind you, there were also times when I made a Watson par here to break the backs of my rivals." Indeed he did.

Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood may lack those special skills, but their formidable golfing armoury contains compensatory elements. Like the brilliant ironplay of the 25-year-old Englishman and the sheer power and exuberance of his 22-year-old US counterpart.

They are the potentially great talents who should dominate the coming four days, when the weather is expected to be wet and generally hostile. They may have to contend with a 48-year-old Watson renewed in spirit after a recent win at Colonial. Or the solid skills of David Duvall, who has won at Tucson and Houston already this year. Or the quiet competence of Leonard.

Perhaps we could have Mark O'Meara becoming the first player since Faldo in 1990, to capture the Masters and British Open in the same year. Either way, competitors with high-powered equipment should be capable of breaking the aggregate par of 280. But par is only a number. And the wind cannot read.

Tom Lehman insisted last night he would be fit to play despite injuring his right shoulder on a ride with his children at a local funfair.