Whoever finishes top Scot this week has an excellent chance of contending for the Claret Jug come Sunday afternoon.
For the first time in years, a number of the eight players who have crossed the border for this week’s championship are in excellent form, none better than Marc Warren.
The Glasgow man, who finished third at Royal Aberdeen last week in the Scottish Open, said: “Last week was good for most of us.
“It was great to finish high up the leaderboard and it would be nice to continue that and to do well this week and for the Scots to be fighting it out at the top.
“Muirfield was my first Open last year and it was brutal. I scrambled well the first day and was a few over par the second day and just missed the cut.
“So I was close to being pleased with my first performance but I’m better prepared this year and much more comfortable on this course than I was last year.”
The highest Scot in the world rankings is Stephen Gallacher at 33, and he was just one place below Warren at Aberdeen.
“My game feels good,” Gallacher noted.
“I love the Open, the feel, the history and the courses are great. It’s a real challenge but I enjoy it. You need a bit of luck and to stick to the game plan and hopefully I can be in contention coming up the stretch on Sunday.
“At Aberdeen my putting was either brilliant or rubbish so I had to dig in, especially on the Friday. That’s what the top guys do. They can shoot par when they are not playing well.
“The elements are huge. Last week we had all kinds from blowing to flat calm. It was great preparation.”
Scott Jamieson‘s Scottish Open performance secured his place at Hoylake.
In an ideal world, he would have had longer to prepare for his third Open but he insisted he could still thrive on the Wirral links.
Jamieson reflected: “The Scottish was my best week this year. To finish in style with a 64 was nice. I would like to pick up where I left off.
“It has been hectic since getting my place here but that is why we have management teams to keep it as calm as possible.
“I came down on Monday afternoon, I didn’t make any big rush. I took my time getting out here yesterday and played 18 in the afternoon.
“I am just trying to relax and not panic and feel like I have to over-prepare.
“I would have obviously liked to have known that this was going to be part of my schedule sooner as you can build around it and you would have more time imagining yourself winning, which I think is an important thing to have a successful week.
“I think every competitor imagines themselves winning. It gets the juices flowing. Not necessarily standing there with the trophy, but going through the process in your mind of what it takes to win and all the little details along the way so that you try to replicate it when you are out there.”