FORMER professional caddy Martin Rowley has some fond memories of the Royal St George’s course, which this week again hosts the Open Championship.

Rowley, of Worcester, was on the bag of Carl Mason in 1993 when Greg Norman won his second Open title and the £100,000 top prize with a 13-under-par four-round total of 267 at the prestigious course in Sandwich, Kent.

Under Rowley’s stewardship, Mason made the cut after opening rounds of 69 and 73, before firing 72 and 69 to finish the tournament on 283.

Starting on Thursday, Royal St George’s, which was the first course outside of Scotland to host the Open in 1894, will stage the prestigious tournament for the 14th time and the winner’s cheque has now soared to £950,000.

Recalling his last visit to Sandwich, Rowley, who retired from the sport through injury two-and-a-half years ago, said: “My main memory of caddying round there with Carl in ’93 is of raking a lot of big bunkers! When the wind blows over the closing six holes back to the clubhouse, it is very difficult. That is when the course asks the most questions.

“Obviously, you are always happy to make the cut in a Major and we played alongside Tom Kite on the Saturday.”

Looking ahead to this week’s tournament, Rowley added: “I think Royal St George’s is the most unfair of all the Open venues.

“The ball constantly runs off the concave fairways, so there is a lot of thinking to be done. It is certainly a thinking man’s course and I think five-under-par will be more than enough to win the title.

“Good iron play will be important as some of the pin positions are very tough, so you have to be hitting from the fairway with good control — you can’t play out of the semi-rough in links golf.”

Rowley, who also caddied for Ian Woosnam in Majors, doesn’t expect the Americans to fair well this year and is tipping German Martin Kaymer to win the title.

He said: “I think the Europeans are different gravy to the Americans at the moment. Royal St George’s, like all links courses, won’t suit the boom-boom style of the likes of Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson or Nick Watney.

“Kaymer is coming back into form and has a Bernard Langer-style brain on his shoulders, which will be important.

“For an outsider, I’d go for Richard Green, who has always been a good links golfer and will be a big price.”