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CARNOUSTIE, Scotland -- Colin Montgomerie is among the few who know the real Carnoustie.
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He once walked off the course after an 81 at the Scottish Open with his curly hair twisted in a half-dozen directions, lamenting how he had to hit driver, driver and 1-iron simply to reach the par-5 sixth hole. And his mood did not lighten when a clueless reporter asked him, "Monty, was the wind a factor?"
This was one year after Montgomerie shot 64, still the lowest score ever at Carnoustie.
"This golf course is a sleeping giant," Gary Player said Wednesday, reminiscing about his British Open title at Carnoustie in 1968. "It's a giant when the wind blows, when conditions are difficult. And when it isn't, when it's only a calm day, it's not all that tough. The thing that makes this golf course is that wee breeze. Just a two-club wind here changes everything."
That's the nature of most links courses. But Carnoustie is a mystery in other ways.
For most, the only memories of these mean ol' links are from 1999, when the rough was so high and the fairways so narrow that more than 100 scores were 80 or higher during the week. Sergio Garcia cried in his mother's arms after he shot 89-83 in his first major as a professional. The winning score of 290 was the highest at a British Open in more than 50 years.
The tabloids referred to it as Car-Nasty.
Eight years later, there might be reason to call the course Car-Nicely.
"This year, it's a different course," Garcia said Wednesday. "The rain is not helping, that's for sure. If we don't get some wind coming, the scores are going to be very low. It's going to be easy to get to the fairway. We're going to be able to stop it quite easily on the greens."
No one is sure what to expect when the 136th British Open begins Thursday, with Tiger Woods trying to become the first player in 51 years to win the silver Claret Jug three straight times.
The fairways are wider. The rough is minimal, not enough to cover shoes in some spots.
The weather is the biggest wild card.
Monday began with heavy rain that fell sideways because of 30 mph gusts, and ended with brilliant blue skies. Tuesday began with glorious sunshine, only to have the course pelted with showers in the evening.
