The cheering started when he was still 150 yards from the 18th green. Wave upon wave of the most glorious sound, swept on the wind from the grandstands, filling him with emotion. On July 20th, 1991 at Royal Birkdale, Eamonn Darcy experienced an enduring sense of how it must feel to become British Open champion.

But this was Saturday. Granted, the Irishman had led the championship at one stage of a dramatic afternoon, but after 54 holes, he ended the day a stroke adrift of joint leaders Ian Baker-Finch and Mark O'Meara.

He and the young Australian had been down this particular road before, when golf's most coveted prize beckoned. The then Baker-Who, had led by three strokes at the half-way stage at St Andrews in 1984 and was tied for the lead after 54 holes with the defending champion Tom Watson. But it all fell apart in a final round of 79.

For Darcy, it might have happened a year later at Royal St George's where he had twice been runner-up in the PGA Championship, to Arnold Palmer in 1975 and then to Neil Coles in a play-off the following year. While most of the attention in 1985 was focused on his good friend Christy O'Connor Jnr, who shot a course-record opening 64, Darcy remained in a challenging position before eventually finishing 11th.

"I enjoyed it so much that I remember thinking I'd love a really decent run in the Open," recalled Darcy. "I wanted to have the chance of getting right up there with the leaders, as The Brad (Harry Bradshaw) did in 1949 and Senior (Christy O'Connor Snr) did on a number of occasions."

He went on: "To be honest, I thought Sandwich would be my best bet in view of my record there but now, here I was at Birkdale, walking down the 18th fairway on the Saturday afternoon. I remember how good it felt to have so many people showing their appreciation of the score I had battled hard to achieve. I couldn't believe it.

"There had been great excitement at Muirfield Village four years previously when I sank that putt against Ben Crenshaw in the Ryder Cup. That was a very special moment. But it was special mainly because of what it meant to the European team. It meant we had retained the trophy.

"At Birkdale, however, the applause had a much more personal impact. I felt at the very height of my career and this was for me, in recognition of my third round 66. These were golf people who knew the game and appreciated my efforts purely as an individual player. And I was to learn afterwards that there were many of them who genuinely believed I could go on and win.

"I remember not wanting to think about such things with a round still to be played. But I knew that I felt very comfortable in myself, even if I was a bit surprised at being up there within a stroke of the lead."

Darcy played the last round with another Australian, Mike Harwood. And the magic stayed with him, particularly on the greens where he had reaped a rich dividend the previous day. "I remember that after knocking it out in 31, I discovered at the next leaderboard that I had actually fallen further behind," he said.

This was due to a sparkling, outward 29 by Baker-Finch who had become, at that time, only the 10th player in British Open history to break 30 for nine holes. And for the leader, it had the effect of setting up a winning mood. "I've been playing such good golf recently that I told myself to just carry on playing it," he said at the time.

Darcy's challenge was effectively ended by a wretched, double-bogey seven at the long 15th. This is the best of the par-fives where bunkers have to be avoided down the left and the second shot has to negotiate a cluster of bunkers almost haphazard in their placement.

"The hole was really set up perfectly for my left to right ball flight," recalled Darcy. "On this occasion, however, the ball didn't cut enough and I found sand off the tee. Then, after knocking it back onto the fairway, I went for the green with a one iron, only to pull it into serious trouble on the left."

From there, he needed two hacks to get the ball onto the green and two putts completed an ugly seven. Though he went on to birdie the long 17th, it was sufficient only to lift him to a share of fifth place with the American, Jody Mudd, who broke the course record with a closing 63.

Darcy had finished with a 70 against a 66 from Baker-Finch. And it was difficult not to feel a certain glow for the Australian, especially in view of his torment of seven years previously.

"I cried for about an hour after that 79 in 1984," said Baker-Finch afterwards. "Then I forgot about it. This time, I couldn't stop myself because this is the world championship, it's the most important of them all. I'd give everything I've ever won before for this old claret jug."

He couldn't have known it at the time, but those rich memories would provide blessed solace to BakerFinch when, for no apparent reason, his game simply fell apart. The ultimate agony was a horrible opening round of 92 at Royal Troon last year, prompting him to make an embarrassed withdrawal.

"Even though he won a trophy that represents a life's ambition for me, I think it's very sad what's happened to him since then," said Darcy. "During a long chat I had with Jack Newton out in my house recently, he explained that BakerFinch could hit the ball fine among his pals. It was only in competition that his game fell apart. It just goes to show you how much of a mental game golf can be."

Baker-Finch returned recently to Birkdale for the first time since his Open victory. His first reaction was: "I just love the changes they've made. They have carried out a lot of work since 1991 and have moved the course up one notch on what it was."

He added: "I always thought it was one of the best championship courses in the world. Now, as far as I am concerned, it is the best."

According to current captain, Peter Rostron: "The greens have been rebuilt, adding subtlety to the putting surfaces. Twenty acres of white poplar trees have been removed to restore the course to its former, true links status and the course has been lengthened to 7,018 yards with a par of 70 - a test of golf by any standard."

In fact at a cost of £267,000Stg, every green was torn up, its foundations were rebuilt; its root-zone renewed and its turf replaced. It cost the club almost as much again for incidentals and architectural improvements, leading to an overall outlay of around £500,000Stg.

Excavation revealed a dense, black substance which was impervious to every treatment, totally lacking in oxygen and excessively high in humus so that it would not permit any form of proper, root growth. A lump the size of a small teapot but with the consistency of plasticine, weighed about 10lb.

The design work was done by Martin Hawtree, the third generation of a famous family to contribute to the architectural history of the course. He has worked in some exciting new contours, greatly enhancing the overall challenge of the links from a putting perspective.

All of this work has been overseen by head-greenkeeper Chris Whittle, who was appointed to the job in 1994 following the retirement of Tom O'Brien. Whittle came with an impressive pedigree, having previously worked at Formby, Royal Lytham, St Annes Old Links and then for six years as course manager at Muirfield. In fact he prepared Muirfield for the 1992 Open.

Though a relative newcomer to the Open rota - it first staged the championship in 1954 - Birkdale has been the scene of some wonderful happenings over the years. None was more significant than in 1961 when Arnold Palmer overcame the fury of the elements to gain a victory that revived American interest in the event.

A plaque commemorates the spot on the 16th hole (then the 15th), from where the ball, buried deep in a hawthorn bush, was slashed clear with a six iron and travelled 150 yards before coming to rest within 15 feet of the flag. Four years later, when gaining a fifth Open triumph there at the expense of O'Connor Snr, Peter Thomson rated it "a man-sized course but not a monster."

Then came 1971, the 100th British Open in which Lee Trevino triumphed over Lee Liang Huan - Mr Lu to you and me - by one stroke. And in his moment of triumph, Trevino pledged £2,000 from his winner's cheque of £5,500 to a Formby orphanage.

It portrayed a generosity of spirit bred from a keen awareness of life's harsher realities. And it was the culmination of a remarkable 23 days in which Trevino had played in four events, winning the US Open, the Canadian Open and the British Open.

Then there was the precocious talent of Seve Ballesteros who, in 1976, produced an audacious chip and run between the bunkers at the 18th, when finishing second to Johnny Miller. Finally, before 1991, was Tom Watson smashing a two iron into a freshening easterly wind to send the ball to the heart of the 72nd green.

Birkdale has truly left its mark on a great championship. And for Darcy, it proved that nearly-men can also have rich memories.