Price leads campaign against the big hitters

Nobody speaks with greater passion about the urgent need to reduce the advantage now held by big hitters in professional golf than Nick Price, whose doggedly combined 70 at Muirfield yesterday kept him well in contention for the Open Championship.

If it was less than the 45-year-old from Zimbabwe expected of himself after starting the day one shot behind the leaders, it nevertheless served to strengthen his view that professional golf is heading in the wrong direction by reducing the chances of players who rely more on strategy than power. "To my mind, this game has always been David and Goliath contests," he said, "Gary Player coming up against Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan playing Sam Snead, in more recent times, Nick Faldo and Corey Pavin against Greg Norman. That's what we should be thinking of, not making courses longer."

Lacerating in his condemnation of championship courses in the United States, including Augusta where it has become impossible to win without being able to propel the ball huge distances from the tee, Price argues for a change in policy. "You don't have to add length to make golf courses more difficult," he said. "If you pinch in the driving areas so that everyone has the same hazards to contend with from the tee, you get back to where the game is again about course management. Accuracy becomes as important."

Muirfield greatly appeals to Price. For a number of reasons he finds it wonderful. No par fours of 475 yards that are all carry; no par fours that force attempts to carry bunkers sited 265 yards up the fairway; chances to run the ball. "Pure golf is right here, the R&A have done a terrific job."

Trouble is that his words meet deaf ears. Few warm to his wisdom. "They (Augusta, the USPGA) never listen to anybody. Why would they listen to me? I don't care because my career is almost over. But I don't like the way golf is going because it is making a statement to all the kids now that if you can't drive the ball 290 or 300 yards you might as well not bother playing. When young guys come to me for advice about turning professional I have to tell them that if they don't hit it 300 yards they won't make a living. And that's really sad because it emphasises my point that a lot of courses in America are becoming obsolete. It just kills me what they are doing to professional golf. When in doubt, add length. That doesn't make a golf course harder, it simply rules out 90 per cent of the field."

Price is grateful for all the good things in his career that have taken him further than he ever imagined. A purple patch from 1992 to 1994 brought him two USPGA titles and an Open Championship, at Turnberry. "I'm coming to the end of it now," he said, "but I still think that I can win another major."

Once yesterday he led the field six under. Then a flaw, one with which he is all too familiar, sneaked back into that distinctively brisk swing. When a shot went at the eighth followed by another at the 10th, it caused Price to think that the 70 he was hanging on to could disintegrate. He fiddled with his swing – "too narrow" – went through a drill or two, but could not find the key. "You expect one bad round, and the way things shaped up I knew this was it," he said. "I was just holding things together, which was a shame because I'm putting so well that if I can get the ball close I can score."

It never did come properly together, sending Price to seek out his coach David Leadbetter. "I"ve got plenty of work to do. I think I can win here, but not playing like I did today." The fact that he had given up only three bogeys was almost a bonus to compare with his recent resurgence, highlighted last May by victory in the MasterCard Colonial brought by four sub-70 rounds.

Overall though, he has not been consistently in contention for major championships. It is 27 years since Price made his debut in the Open, playing at Carnoustie as an amateur. At Troon in 1982, he tied for second behind Tom Watson, putting the disappointment down to inexperience. He played as well as he possibly could at Royal Lytham in 1988 but not well enough to overtake Seve Ballesteros. "I came up against a juggernaut," Price recalled. "Seve holed from all over the place that day. He was phenomenal." Victory came in 1994.

Before Price went off to practise he was asked about events in Zimbabwe. "What's happened there is a tragedy," he said. "I like to think I've been a good ambassador for the country but what does that matter now? It's all fallen apart." That moment of agonised reflection made it easy to understand why Price is so popular. Golf is his game but not entirely his life.