91Èȱ¬

reckons he has a problem concentrating. To re-focus he stares on a red spot on the back of his glove before hitting a shot.

"It's my trigger," he says. It seems to work. The 27-year-old South African kept the world's best players at bay for more than two days to land his maiden major title at the iconic home of golf. Winning any major is special. Winning at St Andrews is a lifetime ambition for most.

Despite winning by seven shots, the man they call "Shrek" - because of his resemblance to the - only relaxed after his drive hit the deck on the 18th.

"That's one thing I learned in this game," he said. "You're only certain when the last putt goes in. But I didn't think I would 10-putt from there."

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If a picture paints a thousands words then the photographers at St Andrews this week are writing a good few novels between them.

You'll have seen them on the telly or here at the course, packs of snappers, kit hanging off them like soldiers in battle, a phalanx of long lenses trained on the action.

Some just want the news story of the day, others need feature pictures, some are after more timeless colour and atmosphere. All are hoping to capture "the moment" in whatever form that may be. But all their images form a history of the sport.

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And so the cameos come to an end as the men who set the scene bow out. All those left on the stage will have parts to play in the finale.

So goodbye to

Welcome, Paul Casey, Martin Kaymer, Henrik Stenson, Alejandro Canizares, Lee Westwood. And of course our leading man for two days now . Our star will come from one of you.

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Who's the one man perfectly qualified to comment on the state of play in the Open?

He's had the same experience as and also felt the heat of Mark Calcavecchia breathing down his neck. Yep, it's 91Èȱ¬ commentator

Grady also led the US PGA that he went on to win the following year so has experienced both sides of the coin.

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The Old Lady didn't just bite back on day two; she got the old mugger 'Stan Drews' to help with the dirty work.

If she was in generous mood on Thursday, , .

. Trouble is, sometimes the old girl overdoes the back-up.

Louis Oosthuizen escaped unharmed with his booty, a 67 to climb to 12 under and Mark Calcavecchia also nabbed a quick 67 to nip to seven under before the heavies arrived.

But the later starters copped a maelstrom and that nasty 'Mr Drews', with his 40mph gusts, knocked most of the other challengers off course.

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conjures up a certain aura and the skills needed to master it hold a certain mystique.

Often, the inexperienced among us are baffled by the seaside form of the game, sometimes played more on the ground than in the air.

To find out more about it, I grilled , a man with some definite links pedigree, for some tips on how to play the crucial shots that will be required on the this week.

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To light up St Andrews on Thursday you had to be one of golf's brightest stars or wearing a pair of psychedelic strides.

, and while there is more to John Daly than , the 1995 Open champion certainly dazzled on the Old Course.

Northern Ireland's McIlroy was head and shoulders above the rest as he laid down a serious challenge for a maiden major title on an iconic course he relishes.

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A remarkable thing happened today. And what made it so remarkable was its ordinariness. You see, three men went out to play golf.

Granted, one is arguably the biggest sporting superstar in the world. And added to that going through a , completely of his own making.

Another one has been dubbed "current hottest player on the planet" by , who captained a and therefore knows a bit about golf.

But and , playing with in the marquee group on the first morning of the Open, went about their business to the backdrop of calm. There was no frenzy, no charge, no hyped-up emotions.

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So who's going to win the Open then? for three in a row at St Andrews? for back-to-back majors? Another European? A journeyman American?

Everyone's got a view, no-one knows for sure. To help sift through the chaff, we asked a host of golf writers and broadcasters for their expert opinions, informed insights and straightforward honest hunches.

Are they barking up the wrong pot bunker, or do you see a Claret Jug winner among them? Take a look, then let's have your thoughts.

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Some call it a piece of genius, some confess to a love affair and others claim that it was designed by mad men. Peter Alliss says you wouldn't get paid for building a course like it these days. A few hate it.

is certainly an enigma. Tiger Woods insists it's his favourite course in the world, while Phil Mickelson said he'd hold the Open here every year if it were up to him. He quickly retracted this when he realised the press were sniffing a story, but the sentiment was already out there. On the other hand, Lee Westwood once claimed it was not among the 100 best courses in Fife.

St Andrews certainly has an aura as you drive over the hill on a sunny day and see the great links - the thin, hook-like shape of the Old Course nestled in there somewhere among the dunes along with five other courses - bounded by the to the north and the Bay, with the West Sands of Chariots of Fire fame to the east. Guarding over the greensward is the unmistakeable skyline of spires, towers and roofs of the Auld Grey Toon.

"I get a good feeling in my bones when I come here," says Justin Rose. "That's half the battle."

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In fact Justin Rose is not scared of anything on the golf course right now. He's certainly not scared of winning, as But more importantly, he says he's not scared of losing.

The 29-year-old Englishman has hit a rich vein of form and will go into the Open at as one of the key men to watch.

Rose represents mainland Britain's best chance of a major winner since and a first English Open champion since

Not many would have said that five weeks ago, mind. Rose was becoming a forgotten man, trailing in the wake of the English assault on the world golf rankings.

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Still smarting from ? Tom Watson's remarkable tilt at a ninth major title - at the age of 59, and 27 years after his last - added another absorbing chapter to the Open's rich history book.

The - for all but immediate family - was felt around the world, and long after we have forgotten the name of his countryman, we will remember 2009 as the year Watson didn't win.

This year returns to the iconic the home of golf, for the 28th time.

The Auld Grey Toon, which first staged the Open in 1873, has history wherever you look and has hosted some of the most memorable Open moments of them all. It's also crowned some of the greatest names in the game as its champions.

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