Phew, what a scorcher! They all wish they were 24 hours from Tulsa

Welcome to the big four tournaments in golf in the era of climate change.

Colin Montgomerie came off the course after nine holes on Tuesday and looked and sounded as if he would have given anything to have been 24 hours from Tulsa. It is no fun if it is 100 degrees in the shade, you are 44 and carrying an extra pound or 10 of weight.

Perhaps it is just as well, then, that the vast majority of players these days are gym freaks. Six hours each day in this proverbial oven and fitness has to be a factor.

What was adding to Monty's sense of deflation was the Southern Hills course. You would expect one with bells attached to put the players through these extremes. But while it is a sound enough American country club layout, it lacks the 'wow' element to explain why it has hosted more PGA Championships than any other course.

One unique feature is the huge fans that look like jet engines and are perched adjacent to each green. The players are taking advantage of them to cool off but they are positioned to provide some air for the greens to prevent them from dying in the suffocating humidity. Yes, it is that stifling.

In these arid conditions it seems appropriate to talk about a drought. Having finally ended the long wait to win any major at Carnoustie last month, the Europeans find themselves answering questions from their largely American audience as to why none has won this event since it reverted to the strokeplay format in 1958.

Living in this enlightened age when 30 players match the eligibility requirements or have received invitations from the PGA of America, it is easy to forget the closed-door mentality that operated for so long. Twenty years ago, only 15 players of any international hue made the starting line-up. No wonder the winners nearly always wore stars and stripes. This year there are 10 players from England alone, while more than 40 per cent of the 156-strong field are non-American.

Two prominent overseas contenders are Sergio Garcia, who admitted yesterday to some hard days in the aftermath of his Carnoustie meltdown, and Justin Rose.

Nothing illustrates the dramatic uplift in Rose's fortunes than the fact that when he came here last year he was ranked 126th in the world. He returns in 16th place.

Twelve months ago, this was the first major he had qualified for in three years. Now, it seems only a matter of when he wins one.

Rose reflected yesterday on a decision after his opening 73 last year that changed everything. "I was so frustrated on the greens that I changed putters, which is unusual for me," he said. "I putted well for the rest of the event and have kept that putter in the bag ever since."

At the start of 2006, Rose's coach, Nick Bradley, came up with a two-year plan to become top Brit. As absurdly ambitious as it seemed at the time, the 27-year-old is nearly there as he closes in on world No 12 Luke Donald. This should be a course, however, to suit the latter, with its preponderance of dog-legs favouring players with a draw.

Donald led after the second and third rounds last year, eventually finishing tied third to Tiger Woods. The majors since have been disappointing and this represents one last chance to win before he hits 30.

On Tuesday, Woods, asked about a poll naming him as the world's most famous sportsman, told the assembled media he thought David Beckham a more worthy recipient. Perhaps his thinking had been influenced by an amusing incident when he came here last month for a practice round. He walked into a Starbucks coffee shop and was served by a man with no clue who he was. "What's your name?" asked the server, as they do in Starbucks. "Russell," replied Tiger.

Five minutes later, the employee was wondering why everyone in the shop was laughing at him when he cried out: "Russell, your non-fat hazelnut latte is ready."

Funnily enough, no one called Russell has ever won a major. This PGA represents the best-ever chance.