ESPN 2007 British Open

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland -- Golf's elite players are not often in the position of having to share the game's sacred ground among those charged with chronicling their birdies and bogeys. But that was the case the other day when a few of us scribblers took to the most storied links of all.

On a clear day, you can see across the Firth of Tay from Carnoustie to St. Andrews, the home of golf and where the Old Course beckons. The place that has played host to more Open Championships (27) than any other venue remains a draw even for those who play for pay.

That's why during a casual Saturday round after arriving in Scotland, we could look up from the 12th tee and see a couple of guys named Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy and a small entourage playing out on the sixth green. Later, standing on the 18th tee with the town of St. Andrews as a backdrop, there comes Jim Furyk strolling up the first fairway toward us with a playing partner who is usually his caddie, Mike "Fluff" Cowan.

Among the highlights of British golf is the fact that even the most famous of venues are open to just about anyone. Carnoustie, site of this week's 136th Open Championship, obviously wasn't available. But St. Andrews was, although getting a tee time can be a bit tricky -- even for major champions.

"We had to go through the Links Trust," said Ogilvy, referring to the organization that controls tee times. "And we had to fit in with everybody else. If you're here, you have to try and play. I wish I could play it every day. To prepare for this tournament, it's good to play a proper links course. And that is as proper as they come."

There are numerous ways to get on the Old Course, including booking a trip at exorbitantly high prices through a travel service. But one of the most common is to try the daily ballot. You simply call ahead or register in person, with home club and handicap, by 2 p.m. After 4 p.m., the "privileged" are posted around town and online. And it was a bit of a shock to see our names on the same tee sheet as those of Ogilvy G. and Scott A. alongside their club affiliation, Royal Melbourne.

Of course, there is some sticker shock, especially when you consider that residents of St. Andrews pay about $300 per year for golf privileges. A round for visitors is 125 pounds, or about $253 with the current exchange rate. Furyk, Scott and Ogilvy are all ranked among the top 10 in the world. Wonder if they had to pay? "We didn't," Ogilvy said. "But our guests did. Full price."

Paul Lawrie has made himself quite accessible in the run-up to the Open at Carnoustie, where he won in 1999. But Lawrie obviously has difficulty with all the attention paid to his closing 67 that day compared to the triple-bogey 7 made by Jean Van de Velde, which led to a playoff and Lawrie's victory.

Lawrie, 38, did play a fine round that day, but it easily could be argued that he had nothing to lose. He started 10 strokes back. Even when he completed his round that day, he was nowhere close to the lead. And he's won just twice since. This year, he's made just eight cuts in 16 events.

"I would have liked to have seen a little bit more of, 'Sure Jean Van de Velde blew the Open, but by God, Paul Lawrie shot 67 to win the tournament and hitting the best shot anyone has ever seen down the last hole,'" Lawrie said. "But that doesn't happen very often. That's not in my hands. There was a lot written about what Jean did, and rightly so. I didn't read a lot about how well I did that day."

Jonathan Byrd's journey to the first tee at Carnoustie was much farther than the walk from the clubhouse. He traveled overnight from his home in Georgia to Scotland after getting into the field Sunday by winning the John Deere Classic. John Deere officials arranged for a private plane to take Byrd, 29, to his Sea Island, Ga., home so he could pick up his passport and the appropriate clothing for Scotland. Byrd had planned to play this week's tournament in Milwaukee. Byrd, who is now the only American under the age of 30 with three PGA Tour wins, is playing in his first British Open.

The language is the same, but that doesn't mean everyone can understand each other. Take Boo Weekley, whose Southern twang causes more than a few double takes in Scotland. Given that there are some strong dialects among Scottish folks, there might be need for a translator.

One thing Weekley definitely needs is a driver. The winner of the Verizon Heritage who lives in the Panhandle of Florida arrived last week for the Scottish Open and said he wants no part of getting behind the wheel here, where they drive on the left side of the road.

"I ain't driving, noooo," Weekley said. "These people over here …they drive way too fast."

Bob Harig is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached at BobHarig@gmail.com.