There are hundreds of top golf tournaments played across the globe, but there is none other like The Open Championship.
Of course there is the history that is attached to it – it's the oldest golf tournament in the world – but what makes the Battle for the Claret Jug unique is that it is played on links courses and that levels the playing field to such an extent that The Open rarely plays to form.
Over the years, it has humbled the mighty and made stars out of virtual unknowns.
Such is the lie of the land, it dictates that you must have tremendous skill and imagination, backed up by a bucket load of good luck.
If you are young and strong, you can sometimes overpower it with your strength, but if you are older and not hitting the ball miles, experience proves invaluable around the demanding courses.
So, for every young Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus win, there are an equal number of inspiring stories such as Ben Curtis, Tom Watson (especially the one that got away as a 59-year-old in 2009) and Darren Clarke.
This year, in the 143rd edition being played at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, we can expect more of the same.
What makes it an even more interesting situation is that each and every top star of the game is out there to prove something.
Tiger Woods is the most talked about man here, like he is at any golf tournament he tees up for, but this is a different Woods.
The man who virtually won the 2008 US Open on one leg, is coming out of his most serious setback ever – injury or otherwise.
Of all the big group of muscles that a golfer uses in his swing, the back is the most critical one.
So, for Woods to have missed just two majors after undergoing surgery to rectify a pinched nerve is miraculous and golf should be grateful that its biggest star is playing once again.
For Woods, his biggest point to prove is that he is ready to play good golf again and, in order to do so, he doesn’t need to be hoisting the trophy aloft on Sunday.
A top-10 finish would be a great result.
For Adam Scott, the challenge will be to make sure he finishes better than the second and tied-third of the last two years.
The Aussie himself said he’d feel a complete golfer if he wins The Open.
Meanwhile, Henrik Stenson's tournament not just represents a chance to get to the top of the world rankings, but also to secure his maiden major title.
The Swede has come close to winning a couple of times and, given the way he is hitting his iron shots, Hoylake provides him with another golden opportunity.
Justin Rose may be the hottest player in the game right now, after winning back-to-back titles on either side of the Atlantic, but he has to prove his game is good enough for The Open.
His only top-10 in the tournament was back in 1988 as an amateur.
For Rory McIlroy, the biggest question mark is not how he plays his second round, but whether he has finally fallen in love again with links golf.
Phil Mickelson, the defending champion, has had a horror season so far by his standards and he would like to prove that his game is actually in fine fettle.
And then there is a whole group of class players who have never won a major – Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Matt Kuchar, to name just a few – who would like to secure their names in golfing folklore by winning the Claret Jug.
When it comes to The Open, expecting the unexpected is the best policy – and that, of course, includes the British weather.
But, if I have to stick my neck out and pick one player out of that lot, it would be Stenson.
Not only because the Swede has run into some good form lately, but because of his amazing knack to hit more greens in regulation than most other players.
And if he can start holing some putts, which he is very capable of, we could well be looking at another new major champion.
