KEY POINTS:
The challenge these next four days of the 136th Open Championship is simple: stop 1999 from cropping up in every damn sentence.
For Carnoustie and the European Ryder Cup team, both.
If the course is determined to remove the "Carnasty" tag that affixed itself so rigidly after the razor-wired rough horrors of eight years ago, then the European contingent must be doubly so to shift the label hanging around Paul Lawrie's neck that reads "the last European to win a major, blah, blah, blah".
Alas, the home course is far likelier to be successful than the home players.
If only it was as easy for the Royal and Ancient to have fixed our professionals' baffling shortfall as it has been that of its own green-keeping staff.
The game's governing body has been hailed in this build-up for restoring Carnoustie to its past and formidable glory, but all it basically had to do was employ common sense and ensure the thick stuff did not, this time around, threaten the players' sensitivities or, for that matter, wrist bones.
Surely, it has been more a sense of relief than admiration that has led to so many of the field applauding the R&A in this build-up.
Colin Montgomerie, as is his way, summed this up better than anyone.
"This is a set-up that is perfect in every way," said the Scot.
"Carnoustie will now lose whatever stigma it got in 1999 and be seen as what it is - one of the toughest and best links courses we have in the world."So that just leaves Europe and that missing major, then.
But Monty could not be anywhere near unequivocal about that.
"This is our 32nd major here without a winner, which is incredible," he said.
"You can put your finger on a number of reasons why.
In truth, though, I don't know why it should be this way.
Who says it won't happen this week?"Well, as it happens, anyone and everyone who has been watching Tiger Woods limbering up for yet another assault on the record books.
Should the 31-year-old prevail, and so move to within five of Jack Nicklaus on the all-time roll of honour, he would become the first player in 51 years to win three Opens in succession.
Everything so far has certainly pointed to it; his form, his mood, his preparation.
He did not even feel the need for a final practice round yesterday, hinting that Carnoustie's secrets had already been unlocked.
Mark O'Meara has been particularly impressed, which is truly ominous for the rest because, as his great friend and confidant, nobody understands Woods so well.
Furthermore, O'Meara maintains nobody wants this as much.
"He is still the man to beat this week," he said.
"You know, Tiger fell in love with links golf very quickly when I won at Birkdale in '98 and he just missed out.
When we came back on the plane he was fascinated by the Open trophy and just wanted to look at the Claret Jug.
He loves the history and has craved his name on the trophy so badly ever since."It will not merely come down to desire, of course, and his rivals will be placing most hope in a repeat of the indifferent performances which cost him victory at this year's first two majors at Augusta and Oakmont.
Here in Angus, he has been seen putting one-handed from all four corners of each green, intimating the formation of a game plan with his tactician-in-chief, Hank Haney.
Expect two hands on the club in today's morning round and expect the flaws to have been rectified.
But do not expect Justin Rose, his playing partner, to wilt as so many have before in the Tiger glare.
The 26-year-old is many experts' idea of Europe's leading hope, although a personal hunch is that the Englishman will show up prominently, just as he did at the Masters and the US Open, but be found wanting at the business end.
Padraig Harrington may be a shrewder choice, although the Dubliner has not made an Open cut since 2003 at Sandwich.
In fact, everywhere you look in the blue and gold corner are fallibilities that such an arduous examination is just bound to expose.
With Montgomerie and Sergio Garcia it is the putter, with Paul Casey and Henrik Stenson it is the ball flight, while with Luke Donald it is an unfathomable inability to turn it on in his national championship.
One or more of these have the wherewithal to overcome their apparent shortcoming, but it may well prove that one of the lesser lights will have to produce a week a la Paul Lawrie to end the wretched drought.
As the rain continued to pour here, it seemed ridiculous to be talking about anything being barren, but there you are, that is where European golf is at the moment; all the Ryder Cups, none of the majors.
Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh are three who would undoubtedly say amen to that and, as ever, this unholy trinity poses the biggest threat to Woods.
Very soon, Mickelson is going to "get" links golf and, when he does, final-round contendership will be the very least of his achievement.
The world No 2 believes he has identified his main seaside failing and has gone a long way to rectifying it with his new coach, Butch Harmon.
"The biggest thing for me has been off the tee," he said.
"I've really struggled in the past.
Now I've been working on these low drivers that have been able to keep it in play and not have the crosswinds blow it way off line.
That is going to be key."Mickelson is deadly accurate in this regard.
The forecast is not good and, though it would plainly not be the fault of Carnoustie, carnage may still be in swirling air.
And even if that does not ensnare them, the hardest finish in golf just might.
The Barry Burn winds its malevolent way across the 17th and 18th - the writer Bernard Darwin, labelled it "the ubiquitous circumbendibus" - and is golf's cruellest dream-wrecker.
Just ask Jean Van de Velde.
On other thoughts, don't.
That is all forgotten.
Or, anyway, by Sunday evening it should be.
Blessedly.
- INDEPENDENT
* Coverage of the British Open starts from 8pm tonight on Sky Sport.
