The Woods procession into immortality

The 131st Open: Muirfield looks made for the uncatchable Tiger on his relentless march towards the first professional grand slam

They have been queueing for up to two to three days for a chance to play on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park since the US Open. They could hang around the gates at Muirfield for two to three years and they still would not get on. The home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers since 1891 is a world away from New York's suddenly famous municipal. However, swapping accessibility for exclusivity, at least in terms of venues, may not alter the outcome of the 131st Open Championship next week.

Tiger Woods arrives at Muirfield as Jack Nicklaus did 30 years ago, as holder of the Masters and the US Open titles. Then, Nicklaus lost out by a stroke to Lee Trevino, but Woods appears on an unstoppable journey towards the first professional grand slam. That he has not so far repeated the dramatics of two summers ago, when he did the transatlantic Open double with an aggregate of 23 strokes to spare, only increases the impression that he means business like never before. Winning, no more, no less, is all that counts.

At both Augusta and Bethpage, Woods won by three strokes, a margin that gave him a comfortable leeway and also expressed to his opponents that whatever they could come up with, he could cover. "He is the one controlling the pace of the race," Nick Faldo said.

"The thing about Tiger," Phil Mickelson said, "is that he's the only leader you don't have the hope that he'll falter. With other guys there is always the hope that they will come back two or three shots. Tiger does not seem to do that."

Darren Clarke played with Woods for the first two days at Bethpage and got a close-up masterclass in how the world No 1 plays in Major championships. "He was just flushing everything for two days," said the Irishman. "He played fantastic. When Tiger plays his best, he's a very tough cat to catch. More so than anybody."

It can take its toll, however. "Most people have no idea how much winning a Major championship takes out of you," said Woods. "You are absolutely wasted afterwards. You have to take time off to recover." This time Woods also suffered from flu-like symptoms which forced him to pull out of the Western Open, his only scheduled event between Bethpage and Muirfield. "I just wasn't feeling all that good," Woods said. "I spent most of the time recuperating but was able to practise a little bit. I have a lot of allergies that break down my system. It could have been any number of things that caught up with me."

The time off will have done no harm – he has won a Major after three weeks off and a Tour event after four. Last week he was doing his usual fishing and golfing trips around Ireland in the company of J P McManus and crew.

At each of the first two Majors of the year the venue has created its own intrigue, and Muirfield will be no different. Having been redesigned in the late 1990s, Bethpage was custom-built for a modern Major championship. Augusta National was drastically extended so that it too measured over 7,200 yards. At Muirfield, where the course has changed little since the 1920s, only two short holes have been lengthened by around 30 yards each since the last Open there 10 years ago. "Every blade of grass is the same," said Faldo after making a nostalgic return last week to the scene of his 1987 and 1992 triumphs.

Always known as a shot-maker's course – and a list of past champions that reads like a who's who of the game's greats suggests it brings the best out of the best – it remains to be seen whether modern technology can overpower the ancient links, as it had at Augusta before the recent renovations.

"The way it is set up, the wind is the key," Faldo said. "If it doesn't blow, there is not much defence. The wind is the main defence. I would like it tough but not impossible. The weather was good last time and I shot 66, 64 for the first two days. The way golfers are now, 10 years on, the big difference is that they can maintain that level. Look how many tournaments are won with level 66s or level 67s for the week."

The hope of the Royal and Ancient was for a hard, fast-running links but that has been thwarted by the weather. "They told me they had four times the average rainfall in June," reported Jose Maria Olazabal, who was third behind Faldo in 1992. "There was not much run on the fairways, while the greens bounce but not much." On the other hand, the rough is thick. "The high rough is very severe but they have balanced the course really well. The fairways are generous at times and there are six or seven feet of semi-rough on both sides of the fairways. Overall, the set-up is very fair.

"I think it is one of the best links we play," added Olazabal. "On most of the holes you can see where the danger is. The fairways have some undulations but you don't get really extreme bounces."

Described by Jack Nicklaus as the "fairest" of all the Open courses, Muirfield may give Woods his best chance of winning after St Andrews. The question these days, however, is not whether a course suits Woods, but how many other players have a chance of winning. "At Bethpage, perhaps there were only 10 or 12 players who could have won," said Ernie Els. "At Muirfield, it might be the whole field." Olazabal agreed. "Without a doubt you will see a bigger number in contention than at the US Open," he said. "The long hitters are going to have their advantage, sure, but there are a lot of holes where you are hitting an iron off the tee. You have to hit all kinds of shots but you don't necessarily have to be long off the tee to attack the flag."

If it seems as if the usual suspects will be the ones to challenge the Tiger then that is because they are the best around. Mickelson has finished in the top three in four of the last six Majors, and in the top 11 in eight of the last 10, which does not suggest someone who has given up on winning his first Major. Sergio Garcia won the British Amateur at Muirfield and figured prominently in the first two Majors of the year.

David Duval, the defending champion, has fallen away but Els should be a contender. Padraig Harrington has risen to become the highest British or Irish player on the world rankings but is still searching for the secret of becoming a winner. Clarke remains the biggest home threat on a links while Justin Rose, after his amateur dramatics four years ago, returns to the Open as a serious contender. As for Faldo, he would "love to pick up where I left off at the US Open". The problem is, Woods is thinking exactly the same.

Two down Two to go

The Masters (Augusta National, 11-14 April)

First round 70: Three early birdies to be three shots off the lead

Second round 69: Overnight rain interruption then two late birdies

Third round 66: Continued the charge and birdied 18th to share the lead

Fourth round 71: Cruised to three-shot win as challengers all faded

US Open (Bethpage, 13-16 June)

First round 67: 15ft birdie on last put him one shot clear of the field

Second round 68: Heavy rain, three early birdies and control of event

Third round 70: A struggle, but two late birdies brought four-shot lead

Fourth round 72: High winds, three three-putts, three-shot win