Luck, whether in the draw or bounce of a ball, will play pivotal role for winner

Element of unpredictability is a key feature of links courses and always makes this the hardest major to call

- Ewan Murray

The consensus in Portrush is that it may be some time until the Open returns. Two stagings inside a decade was always the plan as the R&A determined Northern Ireland could host an event of this stature. There will be a third, it just seems unlikely to land imminently. Muirfield is long overdue an Open return, so too is Royal Lytham & St Annes. When Dublin's Portmarnock is added to the upcoming mix, Royal Portrush will be required to wait in line.

There will be a determination on the Causeway Coast to make the most of the opportunity in this, the 153rd Open staging. The Dunluce Links is a world-class venue, one which will reward only the finest ball strikers as the jousting for the Claret Jug concludes on Sunday evening.

The Masters should always be the easiest major to call, such is the small field combined with a necessity for Augusta National specialism. The US Open revels in being attritional, occasionally - as at Oakmont last month - to the point of silliness. The US PGA Championship takes place on such a variety of courses that it has no distinct identity. At the Open, there is a routine element of unpredictability that makes it so fiendishly difficult to envision before a ball is whacked in anger.

This can be as general as in the draw - where one half gains a meaningful weather advantage over the other - or as niche as a bounce. The randomness of links golf means half a yard can equal a menacing bunker lie, from which a round can unravel.