I suppose I should not complain about a tough week in Scotland. Having worked all year for Paul Lawrie and watched a pretty solid performance tee to green for most weeks with little success on the greens, it was something of a pleasant surprise to watch him hole yards of putts in his third round for his final score of 63.

Lawrie had come to most events throughout the year with an array of putters to choose from. After losing to Paul McGinley in the Wales Open earlier this year again due to suspect putting, he decided to alter his stroke. This, coupled with a new Oddessy putter, have proved decisive in Lawrie's change of form.

It's the best-looking putter I have seen this week, and it is very good at tricky 60-footers up a very big slope to win the inaugural Dunhill Links Championship on the final hole.

The weather had been too good for too long in eastern Scotland and as soon as the gun should have gone to announce the start the "haar" rolled in from the North Sea and covered the new event in a disruptive blanket of delay.

The mist had not really lifted and it was as dark as nightfall when we finally set off down the first at Carnoustie.

The clubhouse had not played host to such esteemed guests since the Open was staged here over two years ago. It was a chance for the locals to get a close lingering look at the celebrities.

Samuel L Jackson was looking suitably out of place with his smooth swagger in his suave golf attire amongst a more traditional backdrop of grey winter clothing.

By now, after over an hour of delay, most people were engaging in idle banter in an effort to relieve the boredom that had set in. The Dutch man next to Steve Redgrave asked if he was playing. Redgrave replied politely he was. He then inquired if he was an athlete. Yes, a rower.

The Dutchman was intrigued. He wondered if the big man was ever in the Olympics. Yes. Any medals? Yes. What colour? Gold, came the diffident reply. How many? Five. To which the Dutchman lied that he thought he had recognised him.

The British players were amazed as this story gathered pace around the locker room over the long week that the Dutchman had not recognised their star of multiple Olympics. Meanwhile, Hermann Maier the downhill skiing legend slipped by most of them inconspicuously.

The sun eventually broke though in the late afternoon just in time for it to start to sink rapidly and leave a mystical murky evening scene hanging over the first day's play.

The opening day's delay was to set the trend for the week. I have never seen so many shattered caddies by the time the Sunday delay began.

Days of yardage preparation, three practice rounds on three different courses and that was before the tournament started.