Clive Agran: The Open of hope

I came to this Open Championship with no great expectations but, having seen what Greg Norman has done, I now believe that I can, after all, win a major. Okay, I m getting on and can t afford to leave it very much longer before making my breakthrough but, as Greg has clearly demonstrated, there s no substitute for solid experience and I ve had plenty of that. Twice runner up in the Dale Hill Summer Cup, a three-time medal winner and a string of solid performances in midweek Stablefords must surely count for something when the Big One comes along.

Although I don t have his wavy hair or shiny teeth, there are a number of spooky similarities between Greg and me that give me reason to hope. For a start, we re both right-handers. Furthermore, we re both in our 50s. It s true that he s considerably wealthier than I am but I ve been picking up quite a bit of freelance editorial work of late which should help me to close the gap, at least a little.

Wouldn t it be wonderful if Norman kept the kids at bay and struck a blow for the balding generation by carrying home the Claret Jug on Sunday night? At his post-round press conference today he was understandably reluctant to say whether or not he thought he could win. I feel less constrained about speculating on my prospects and am happy to go on record as saying that I believe that, provided my partner Jimmy Three Putts Henderson can get over his recent attack of the dreaded shanks, the Dale Hill Winter Fourball Trophy is a definite possibility.

If Greg and I can both pull it off, what a double blow that would strike for senior golfers everywhere.