They allow, even encourage, youngsters to attend the British Open Championship free so it is surprising to see them levying money to attend an amateur match. Most likely it has something to do with limited space with fans gathered at just a few games.

But this has to fall short of full logic on two counts: (a) They are likely to be controlling the crowd size, and the size of the juvenile element, at Royal County Down so it is hardly a financial imperative to charge; and (b) The big-numbers-around-a-fewgames argument can hardly stand up when one considers that everyone at The Open would want to look at Tiger Woods.

There will be no comparable frenzy-inducing attraction at the Walker Cup.