Golf: Taking a driver down trivia lane

Will an American carry on that country's recent dominance of the British Open golf championship?

Who is the oldest Open champion, and how much cash is on the line for the winner?

A brief run through Open trivia ...

Most consistent champions: Only two players have won the Open with four rounds under 70 - Australian Greg Norman captured the 1993 title with rounds of 66, 68, 69, 64 and Nick Price triumphed a year later at Turnberry with 69, 66, 67, 66. Norman's 64 to finish at Royal St Georges is the lowest final round by a champion.

Champions of longevity: Two players have won the Open in three different decades - J. H. Taylor in 1894, 1900 and 1913, and South African maestro Gary Player, whose wins came in 1959, 1968 and 1974.

Just Jack: In addition to his 18 Major victories - three in the Open - the Golden Bear finished runner-up, or joint second, a remarkable seven times. He made the top five 16 times.

Morris golfing: The oldest and youngest Open winners have the same name, Tom Morris. The oldest was Tom Morris sen, who was 46 years 99 days in 1867. The following year Tom Morris jun was 17 years 5 months 8 days when he won. They were father and son. Young Tom still holds the mark for most consecutive wins, from 1868-72 (no event was held in 1871).

Best finish: A few candidates, but try 1977 at Turnberry. Nicklaus and Tom Watson - who had held off a charging Nicklaus to win his first Masters a few months earlier - both shot rounds of 68, 70, 65 on the first three days. On the Sunday, Nicklaus held the lead through the back nine until Watson holed a spectacular 60-footer on the 15th to go even. Another birdie at 17 sealed the win. Watson shot 65 that day, Nicklaus 66. They finished 12 and 11-under. Hubert Green was third at one-under. Golf from heaven.

Oh mon ami!: Who won the 1999 Open at Carnoustie? It is easy to forget Paul Lawrie, but easy to remember Frenchman Jean van de Velde, who exploded on the 18th hole with the Claret Jug in his grasp. Three shots up, van de Velde took a triple bogey to drop into a playoff. Lawrie birdied the last two holes of the playoff to become the first Scot in 68 years to win the title.

Show us the money: When Lee Trevino won the first of his back-to-back Opens at Royal Birkdale 30 years ago, he got a cheque for £5500 out of a purse of £45,000. Monday morning's champion will collect £600,000.

Star-spangled champions: Five of the past six Open champions have been Americans - John Daly, Tom Lehman, Justin Leonard, Mark O'Meara and, last year, Tiger Woods. The odd man out? Scotsman Lawrie in 1999. Since 1971 only six non-Americans have won - South Africans Player (1974) and Nick Price (1994), Spain's Seve Ballesteros (1979, 1984, 1988), Australians Norman (1986, 1993) and Ian Baker-Finch (1991), and Lawrie. Of those nine wins three have come at Royal Lytham and St Annes.

Totally Tiger: When the world No 1 clasped the Claret Jug last year he became the youngest to have won all four majors, at 24. His eight-stroke winning margin was the largest in 87 years at the championship.