Not since the Kerry Packer-sponsored championships of 1977 and 1978 has the Australian Open compiled a field of such significance. Back then, Jack Nicklaus enticed 15 or 20 of the best Americans down to The Australian to boost Mr Packer's field and his hope that the Open would become one of the world's leading events.

That plan turned to dust when the AGU realized they had essentially lost control of the event they owned and for the next 20 years it was built on the broad appeal, and shoulders, of Greg Norman. Inevitably that would end and whilst we have never had so many competitive players on the American Tour none, it seems, are capable of appealing like Norman.

Despite what the rankings say, the best player in the world, Tiger Woods, is here and observing his progress, or lack of it, is still the most compelling story in the game.

Ian Baker-Finch thinks Woods is hitting the ball better than ever. Others wonder if he will ever win again such is the state of his driving. Some think the younger players, the best of whom are the absent Rory McIlroy and the present Jason Day, do not fear Woods in the way Els, Mickelson and the rest feared him.

The kids have only been around five minutes and Tiger has given them little to fear of late but it would only take a couple of performances reminiscent of the old days to put the fear of God into them again.

The course should suit Woods. The fairways are wider than the norm because golf is infinitely better when fairways are wider than the PGA Tour norm.

There is space to play and options of line off the tee. In that sense this course is good preparation for Royal Melbourne, and the Presidents Cup, next week.

Like Royal Melbourne, The Lakes is a short course by modern standards and to make for a demanding test it relies somewhat on the wind and firm greens.

The greens were looking firm enough by mid-afternoon on Tuesday but then the blackest of skies came over Sydney, lightning streaked the sky and within 10 minutes the ninth green (the only one visible from the safety of the press tent) was covered by a sheet of water. So much for hard greens.

Woods nominates (the absent) Gary Woodland as the tours longest hitter but two better-known smashers, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson, are here and it will be interesting to see how they play. The defending champion, Geoff Ogilvy, calls the distances they both drive as ‘ridiculous' and there are four reachable but water-lined par fives and a drivable par four to provide for easy birdies if the requisite shots are good enough.

Ogilvy is perhaps the local most likely because the course is perfectly suited to his game. He showed here last year and at Augusta this year that he can putt undulating greens as well as anybody and he enjoys the space afforded him from the tee. He is not one for playing down narrow bands of fairway - not for fun anyway - but he did win the US Open on a course arranged to test one's ability to hit very straight. He much prefers courses designed in the mould of Royal Melbourne, the place he first learned the game as a caddy.

This will be an interesting week. There are many who can win and much will depend on the weather. It can be a wild place at this time of the year and playing at the right time of the day can make for a course that is three or four shots easier than at ‘the wrong' side of the draw.

Woods, though, will be the story. He has barely played this year but he has had time to sort out his new swing.

Maybe this is the place it falls into place and he wins for the first time since the Australian Masters at Kingston Heath two years ago. No one who watched him flip a sand wedge into the 18th green at the Heath on that final day would have thought it possible.