Bad weather and Rory McIlroy have not made easy bedfellows in the past, but the Northern Irishman was stoic under the deluge to lay down a serious marker at Carnoustie.
The 1986 film "Clockwise" starring Monty Python actor John Cleese tells the story of a clock-watching headteacher's journey to chair an important conference thwarted at every turn.
He's the curly-haired kid who lit up Carnoustie as an amateur, and now Rory McIlroy hopes to channel some of that boyish bounce as he seeks a fifth major title at the Open this week.
He's an old man compared to golf's young guns, but Tiger Woods says the British Open gives him the best chance of adding to his major tally for the first time in 10 years.
The World Cup has been lifted and the Wimbledon prizes handed out. But for bereft sports fans, golf's British Open is stepping in smartly to fill the void.