In the wake of the 130th British Open at Royal Lytham, there is disturbing news for golf's back-room boffins: technology got its come-uppance in the battle to tame one of the truly great links courses. Even with the introduction of ERC drivers and Pro V1 golf balls, scores were higher at this year's event than in the previous Lytham Open in 1996.

Granted, there was a marked difference in the weather, with chilly, fresh winds replacing the scorching sunshine and general calm of five years ago. But the figures are fascinating, nonetheless.

In simple terms, at an overall length of 6,857 yards in 1996, Lytham delivered an average score of 71.89 for the four rounds. This year, with a yardage of 6,905, the average score was 72.55.

In 1996, there were 222 rounds of par or less. This time, the figure was 180.

Without any recourse to statistics, Tiger Woods could recognise the difference, especially since his strong performance as an amateur at Lytham in 1996, when he was tied 22nd with an aggregate of 281, became a key factor in his de cision to turn professional the following month. "The conditions then were far more conducive for me as an amateur," he said.

Woods explained: "The fairways and greens were hard and fast in 1996, and the rough was real sparse. It meant you could blow the ball anywhere and it would be okay. That's not the story this year. The rough is up and the course is a lot slower."

Meanwhile, it will hardly be earth-shattering news that with a total of 20 in the course of the four days, David Duval scored more birdies than anybody else. But it is interesting to note as many as six players - Niclas Fasth, Loren Roberts, Billy Andrade, Ernie Els, Billy Mayfair and Raphael Jacquelin - made fewer mistakes.

Duval's 10-under-par total of 274 strokes was the product of 43 pars, 20 birdies, eight bogeys and one double-bogey.

Darren Clarke, on the other hand, had 47 pars, 15 birdies, one eagle, seven bogeys and two double-bogeys. And Pβdraig Harrington had no fewer than 17 bogeys and one double-bogey over the four days.

It is clear in setting up the course, the R and A's championship committee struck a perfect balance between the strategic and the penal. Carnoustie, two years ago, was ridiculously penal and a great championship was effectively spoiled as a spectacle.

With a similarly strong growth of rough on this occasion, however, they cut it back to offer competitors a reasonable target off the tee. Anyone who wasn't 100 per cent confident in his driving, had the option of laying up short of the ubiquitous bunkering with a low or even medium iron.

This meant, of course, going into difficult greens with longer irons than they would prefer. And with so many drive-and-wedge par fours these days, such a challenge tends to bother professionals. As a result, many of them elected to use wood off the Lytham tees and in quite a number of cases, they lost the election, so to speak.

Overall, it made for a severe test. And in this context, it shouldn't have surprised us that a sweet-swinging Des Smyth, with priceless links experience, handled the challenge so well.

The Americans point to Sawgrass, the scene of their Players' Championship, as the ultimate tournament test in the US, not least for the fact that water beckons on all 18 holes. Instead of water, Lytham has 197 bunkers, and the effect is basically the same.

So it may be no coincidence that Duval, the newly-crowned king of Lytham, happened to win the Players' title two years ago, when Sawgrass was at its most brutal.