Major prize on offer at Muirfield

GOLF: Tiger Woods will be £700,000 richer if he can add another British Open title to his collection of major honours this summer.

A £100,000 increase in the first prize was announced yesterday as part of an overall 17.5 per cent increase in the purse to £3.8 million.

It brings the Open virtually up to the level of the other three majors in America - depending on the fluctuating exchange rate.

Incredibly, £700,000 is twice the amount Paul Lawrie won at Carnoustie just three years ago and for the last two Muirfield Opens in 1987 and 1992, Nick Faldo, winner both times, received £75,000 and £95,000.

The money may have changed out of all recognition since then, but the course most definitely has not.

While the Masters saw nine new holes altered this year to try to combat the distances today's players hit the ball, only two of Muirfield's holes have been lengthened since 10 years ago - both of them par threes.

The 13th, which five-time champion Tom Watson describes as his "favourite short hole in the whole world", has been stretched by 32 yards to 191 yards and the fourth by 33 to 213 yards.

The course therefore becomes 7,034 yards and remains a par 71. Faldo set a major championship record last time which still stands, opening with rounds of 66 and 64 for a 36-hole total of 130.

But organisers are confident that, despite the technological advances, the historic links will not be brutalised. They have not even felt the need to add any more bunkers.

"It will be interesting to see how today's top players handle it because many of them will not have played it before," said Royal and Ancient Club secretary Peter Dawson.

"I know Tiger and David Duval (the defending champion) are relishing the prospect.

"Weather permitting, we are looking for fast-running links with fairly penal rough. Hitting the fairways is going to be pretty important - you are not going to win the Open from the rough, I suspect."

On the prize money Dawson added: "This increase is perhaps the last piece in the jigsaw puzzle of the Open catching up with the other majors."

Championship secretary David Hill stated: "In particular, we recognise the cost of competing in the championship for overseas players and have therefore put measures in place which will offset the costs for those players and will maintain the international strength of the field."

Since September 11th, security has become an even bigger issue and Dawson said: "We've done a lot of work in close co-ordination with the police, but our advice is that it's better not to discuss the measures in open forum."

One step that could be taken is in crowd control on the last hole on the last day. Invasions of the fairway have become part of the Open climax and more barriers may be erected.

Muirfield has no women members and no junior members either, but on this Dawson said: "I honestly don't think social engineering is part of our role.

"We will continue to take the Open to the best links courses. The R&A is not dictating social policy to UK golf, whatever one's personal views may be."