Stewart warns of red faces at Carnoustie

U.S. Open champion Payne Stewart believes the world's best players could be made to look foolish at the British Open this week.

Carnoustie's narrow fairways and deep rough could be embarrassing, he said on Tuesday.

"It is going to make us look foolish if the wind blows real hard, just by the scores we shoot," said Stewart, who captured his second U.S. Open title at Pinehurst last month.

"But why not?" he added. ``They are going to hand the Claret Jug to somebody on Sunday no matter what the score is. I would love it to be myself."

As a case in point, he mentioned the sixth hole, at 578 yards one of only two par-fives on the 7,361 yard course.

"The landing area is 11 yards across for your layup -- 11 yards" he said "Some of these fairways are like walking paths in the United States.

"And the rough is thick and it's nasty and it's not very far off the fairway."

Stewart rejected a suggestion that he might not be so determined this week as he has already won one major this year.

"I don't want to come here and play poorly and say, 'well, I won the U.S. Open so that's ok'. I won't accept that."

"I want to perform the way Payne Stewart is capable of playing."

He feels he is a much better player this year than last, largely because of his second place finish in the 1998 U.S. Open behind Lee Janzen.

"That pushed me into where I am this year," he said. ``I had a choice of either tucking in my tail and saying, 'oh well, what a nice career you've had', or putting in the time and effort to work at my game and see what results I could come up with. I chose the latter."

Stewart has always regarded the British Open as a major he could win. He was second in 1985 and 1990.

"I think I can play a bunch of different shots. I can work the ball in both directions. I'm a good chipper and I putt well."

He will be as focused as he was at Pinehurst even though he is every bit as excited that his success this year has restored him to the U.S. Ryder Cup team for the match against the European holders at Brookline in September.

He missed the last two matches after playing four in a row from 1987 to 1993. In the 1991 contest at Kaiwah Island he was considered one of the ringleaders of the belligerent American team that led to the contest being termed the 'war on the shore'.

"I have a passion for the Ryder Cup. It has jumped in leaps and bounds in prestige. It is for me one of the finest events I have played in, second only to the majors," Stewart said.

"But I think Kaiwah got a little bit out of control with the 'war on the shore' thing. It should not be that way. It is a competition of pride between one side of the ocean and the other. And that's how it should remain."

Reuter