CARNOUSTIE, Scotland -- Up front, you should understand that American golfers have a built-in advantage over their counterparts from around the globe. The game is defined by its four major championships and three of them are staged on U.S. soil, a truth cited once or twice by South African legend Gary Player, the one non-American to win the career Grand Slam.
The Open Championship is the only road game on the schedule for the homegrown stars of the PGA Tour, an even better deal than the free luxury cars waiting for them at every stop. Imagine the Boston Red Sox playing five or six best-of-seven World Series games at Fenway Park, or the New York Yankees doing the same in the Bronx.