One And Only One Open Championship Question: What Made RSG Palatable This Time Around?

As expected, the 14th played a pivotal role in the championship (click to enlarge)The secret to a successful major, as always, lies in the setup.

For Royal St. George's, a course despised after 2003 and one that many suggested should go off the rota, earned solid (if not rave) reviews last week largely because of its setup. The architecture was essentially the same as '03, but miracle of all miracles, the rough was tame (you go Mother Nature) and the greens were managed to perfection, preventing the undulating surfaces from getting out of hand. Furthermore, on Sunday the hole locations were perfectly balanced to open the door for a low round without altering the flow of the championship.

But most of the success lies in the rough, or lack thereof, and last week should be a reminder that in wetter years, the R&A would be wise to hire a flock of sheep to keep Open roughs properly thinned out.

More than anything, I'm curious what a convincing Darren Clarke win, an exciting run by Phil Mickelson Sunday, and a few days to reflect have done to your view of Royal St. George's. Staple of the rota? Still too quirky? Somewhere in between?