Loch Lomond, July 10: Tiger Woods prefers to practise on links courses building up to a British Open, but world number two Ernie Els and Darren Clarke are happy to be on an inland layout at this week's Scottish Open.
Although both Els and Clarke concede a links venue would provide the ideal preparation for next week's British Open at Royal St George's, both say they will benefit from playing tournament golf over the next four days at Loch Lomond.
"I like to play the week before the Open championship," South African Els told a news conference on Wednesday. "Maybe it's not the most perfect preparation for an Open championship, with Loch Lomond being quite soft, but I played it yesterday and it's in beautiful condition.
"It's not quite a links course, but it's in the top five of my worldwide golf venues. "I think the players would prefer to play links golf before the Open, but any kind of competitive golf, especially if you can play well on a tough golf course like this, will definitely help you.
"It will help the nerves going into next week," added Els, who won last year's British Open in a four-way playoff at Muirfield.



Clarke, who will play the first two rounds at Loch Lomond with Els and defending champion Eduardo Romero of Argentina, is of a similar mind.



"This golf course affords the opportunity to hit a lot of different shots into the greens -- low, high, whatever you need to do," said the Northern Irishman. "And that's what we are all going to have to do next week.



"In an ideal world, a links course would probably be more beneficial for the guys who are going on to play in the Open next week.



"But, in saying that, I think we still have a good balance of that here this week, because you do have to hit different shots into the greens."



Twice U.S. Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal, however, would prefer it if the Scottish Open was always played on a links course, adding that world number one Woods would then be tempted to play.



"It would be ideal and great also for the field," said the 37-year-old Spaniard. “You will see more American players coming and playing on a links course prior to the British Open.



"Tiger would be thinking about coming and playing."



"I have always said that we are lacking links courses on the European Tour. In the early stages of my career, we used to play Portmarnock or Royal Dublin or the Scottish Open in Carnoustie.



"Even when we played in Holland, there were a couple of courses close to the sea that were very similar to links courses," added the Spaniard, who turned professional in 1985. "We had five or six tournaments where you played in similar conditions to the ones we play at the British Open, and we are not doing that any more."



Olazabal's wish could be granted as early as next year. Although the Scottish Open is under contract with the European Tour to remain at Loch Lomond until 2006, the course owners have recently bought a new links layout close to British Open venue Royal Troon on the Ayrshire coastline



"I know they have bought a links course and it would be lovely (if the tournament was moved there)," Olazabal said.



The Scottish Open, which offers 2.2 million pounds ($3.65 million) in prize money, starts on Thursday.


Bureau Report