THE BEN's David Magilton talks to Lancashire coach and Hart Common professional Gareth Benson about who and what to look out for at the 2002 Open which starts at Muirfield tomorrow

IT is no coincidence that Nick Faldo won the Open on the two previous occasions it was held at Muirfield.

The East Lothian links, one of the most elite in the world, is recognised as a thinking man's course and Faldo fits that bill perfectly.

The veteran Englishman is back playing his best golf for years and finds himself one of the pre-tournament favourites on the course that suits his game to a tee.

The phenomenal Tiger Woods is still the one to beat, however, but Gareth Benson believes that such is the design of the course that the rest of the field have a fighting chance to challenge the great man and prevent him winning his third major tournament this year.

"Muirfield is set up in such a way that Woods does not have the advantage," he said. "The only way you can bring the field back to him is by tightening the fairways and shortening the course so that when he is hitting a four iron off the tee everybody else is hitting a two or three iron. If you lengthen it you are just playing to all his strengths.

"Muirfield is not overlong and will be set up in a similar fashion to Lytham last year. It is just over 7,000 yards in length compared to most of the major tour venues which are more than 7,300 yards. The organisers will be frightened of someone overpowering the course with the major new technology that is available and they will make it a lot tighter with very strategic landing areas and the golfers will really have to use their course management.

"Maybe the power players are not at such an advantage this time. The rough will be very severe. The only defence these courses have is the rough and the tightness of the fairways but they will be fair. If the wind does not blow then it will be at the mercy of the players.

"The first nine holes run clockwise and the back nine anticlockwise so you have constantly changing wind direction and two holes don't play the same. The design is fantastic and you have to really plot your way round the course. It is a thinking man's golf course.

"Faldo's game is tailor-made for the course because it is not a power game. Some players go flat out and just use their big drivers. They don't like hitting irons off the tees but sometimes it is better to be shorter off the tee and longer into the greens."

Gareth added: "Someone like Woods has all the tools. He is happy to drop down and hit a three or four iron off the tee and go into the green with a five or six iron rather than a wedge. He has that in his game. He has that mental capacity. Some guys do not have that patience.

"If you are plodding your way round the course and birdies are not happening it is easy to reach for the big driver and try to overpower the course. Before you know it you are in the hazards and you come unstuck. The patient way is to plod round and use your course management.

"Some sort of knowledge of the course is paramount. With the exception of Woods, I will be surprised if the winner comes from someone who has not played there previously.

"With that in mind I feel Sergio Garcia has a real chance. He has won there as an amateur and that may be significant. The young Spaniard has all the shots and it is a case of not if but when he will win a major.

"I know he has come in for a lot of criticism because of his constant regripping but that is not affecting his game. It is only if it does that it will be a problem."