[redan]

The rules of golf do acknowledge advantage to be gotten-- by forbiding practice on a course for the duration of a stroke play competition (but practice is okay on the course during match play-- unless forbidden by local rule or condition of competition). The USGA has control of the course for a good while before an Open Championship. It's probable that even members are forbidden regular play for months before the event. There is an excellent account of all that goes into this in Feinstein's book Inside the Ropes: Beth Page Black. I think it would be wise for the course to be "Federalized" before an Open, make the player get permission from the USGA to practice, and not from a phone call to the "pro". The USGA is often curious about how a site is going to play, and if they accompanied an expert golfer on a practice round, they might get a feel for how the course is going to play. Pretty certain they do this already-- plus they are experts at course preparation.

As for Phil.... well, a fat lot of good it did him. You can take all the batting practice you want. You can play in Yankee Stadium all year...but in the bottom of the ninth of the 7th game of the world series can you hit a home run? Phil only needed an infield single...

Slightly off topic: On the 18th tee at Winged Foot, if I was Phil's Caddie and he asked me for the driver....I would have snapped the damn thing in two across my knee and then said "Here!"