Nobody handles the wind better. "I hope to hell it continues to blow," says Philip Walton, the most laid-back figure at Royal Birkdale. An hour or so after finally checking in - one of the last players' to do so - the Dubliner is on the putting green and monotonously knocking six-footers into the hole.
Walton has had more bad times than good in his various British Open adventures. Two years ago, he didn't even finish his second round when he knocked his teeshot out-of-bounds on the 18th at St Andrews; and, in his 11 previous outings in the championship, Walton has made just three cuts, has played 2,072 strokes and is a cumulative 86 over par.
They're hardly the statistics associated with a potential winner. But, with the wind howling across the Lancashire links, his name is being whispered in almost reverential tones as a dark horse. "I'm not setting myself any specific targets," insists Walton, and his calm approach backs up the claim.
After securing his ticket into the event in final qualifying at the adjacent Hillside course on Monday, Walton went home - "I didn't do anything yesterday, just had a completely relaxed day" - and didn't arrive at Birkdale until shortly before noon yesterday. It didn't take long for the more serious business to start: the broomhandle putter was released from his bag for over an hour on the green and, then, he played a practice round along with the recently crowned Irish Open champion David Carter.
This part of England first welcomed Walton into the paid ranks. It was 15 years ago that he turned professional the week before the 1983 British Open at Birkdale. He played in the final qualifying at West Lancs and missed out by a stroke. When he played in the Open proper over the Birkdale links in 1991, he shot rounds of 74-76 and missed the cut. "This place doesn't hold many good memories for me, yet I'm really looking forward to this week, especially if the wind stays this strong," he says.
"I can't believe that no European player has ever won here, that's remarkable and I suspect it will change this week. You keep hearing that the Americans don't really like the wind, but most of them are actually good wind players and that talk fools nobody. However, I still believe that a European will win this time and, personally, I'm looking forward to a good championship."
The course itself doesn't bear many similarities to The Island where Walton learnt how to play the wind - but the Irishman has the unquestioned benefit of local knowledge here. His caddie Bryan McLauchlan is a Scouser who knows the course intimately and, in fact, Bryan's brother, John, is a member in Birkdale. Another brother, Bill, is a member in Hillside and his son, Bryan Jnr, plays his golf in nearby Formby Hall.
Walton won't complain if such familiarity will assist him in his quest to make a worthwhile challenge, perhaps even surpass his best ever British Open at Royal Troon in 1989 when he finished tied-13th. That was also the last occasion he survived the midway cut - and, as he says, "that's one sequence I don't want to see extended."
