THERE was hardly a soul in sight when Rob Dinwiddie signed off after finishing his first ever 18 holes at an Open Championship two years ago. It is fair to assume tomorrow afternoon will be a lot different when he holes his closing putt at Royal Birkdale.

For the second time in his career, Dinwiddie is back gracing the same major stage as the best golfers in the world in a bid to challenge for the Claret Jug. A little like buses, having waited so long for his first, a second has soon come along.

Unlike at St Andrew’s, when he was literally the last group out on the course waiting on tee boxes in the cold wind and rain as the bin lorries cleared up in front, this time he will play his first round right in the middle of a star-filled field.

When Dinwiddie tees off at 11.15am alongside fellow Englishman Adam Hodkinson and American Julian Suri, he knows there will be a packed grandstand and thousands of spectators out walking the course. He will play just ahead of Andrew ‘Beefy’ Johnston and 1995 Open winner John Daly.

The experience of two years ago should serve him well. He found out what it was like on the Old Course to see his name posted on the on-course leaderboard, having climbed to tied eighth with Jordan Spieth on four-under after ten. Those following him dared to dream before closing with a one-over 73.

If his family and friends - of which he knows there will be plenty travelling over from Barnard Castle, County Durham, including his 15-month daughter Beatrice with girlfriend Natasha, his father Alastair and mother Ann - are dreaming at the turn today then he hopes the conditions are more favourable.

“I don’t think I took enough clothes with me last time!” said Dinwiddie. “It was 9.30 at night, battling into the wind, the rain was coming in and we were waiting on every tee … it was really tough. It was still disappointing not to scramble in a bit better. It gave me a lot of work to do the next day.

“It was a great experience and it showed me I can go out and shoot a score, even if it was only the front nine. I will be remembering that this time. I think I have packed all of my clothes, hopefully I won’t need them!

“You never know, hopefully after a good first round, this time such a late tee off time, which I have got on the Friday, could work out in my favour … it could be benign out there, and then I can really get on with what I need to do.”

Being handed a late second round tee time – three minutes later than when he went out 12 months ago at 4.10pm and finished past 10pm – tends to be what happens when you qualify through the harder route.

Dinwiddie has had a torrid time on the European and Challenge Tours since losing his full playing rights last year. He has massive work to do to earn his European Tour card for 2018, so appearing at the Open via Final Qualifying at Royal Cinque Ports, where he secured one of three places, is a real bonus.

The challenge is to build on it at Royal Birkdale. “I have not had a great year so far, I know why, I just haven’t been swinging the club particularly well,” he admitted, in between hitting shots on the driving range.

“I know what I need to do better. It can take time to change things, I have made a bit of progress. I think one of the reasons I got through at Cinque Ports was because I was getting the club in a slightly better position, hitting the ball better. I feel good. I will just try to keep it simple. I will look to hit the ball as well as I possibly can and see what happens.”

His younger brother Douglas will be on his bag and, as Rob worked on his iron play, the caddy who doesn’t normally work with him suggested ‘what a story it would be if Rob could do well, even win it, with his brother with him!’ There would certainly be a book to be written there, knowing how he now sits 752nd in the world rankings.

Rob said: “Douglas has been caddying for Johan Carlsson and they were at the Scottish Open. He had a pretty decent final day but not good enough to get in the top three, so I asked him if I could steal my brother for Open week! It’s nice to have him here.

“He caddied for me first in 2010. He has not been on Tour caddying with me ever since really. He went in a different direction. He is a very good caddie. He is someone I can talk completely honestly to. I think he will keep my head in the right place.”

The brothers, who used to hit the fairways together at Barnard Castle, have been out and sampled the glorious Royal Birkdale track where Padraig Harrington won the last Open here in 2008.

Dinwiddie said: “I played all 18 holes on Tuesday and walked it last week when it was quiet. That was with the north-westerly wind which is forecast as well. When we played it on Tuesday we played it with the opposite wind.

“It doesn’t really change my game plan much. Maybe it means I can get over a bunker, but we have a plan, work on the shots we need and just relax.

“St Andrew’s is a special place to play no matter what competition you are in, but it feels nice to play an Open on a typical links course, not at St Andrew’s. It feels very similar, in terms of the excitement being still the same.

“It’s a great location for family and friends. It’s dead easy to get to. I hadn’t played the course for a long time but I have played it a lot with England golf, as an amateur. It is a familiar area to me.”

This might only be Dinwiddie’s second Open Championship outing, but he is determined to make the most of it. If he can avoid missing the cut like he did two years ago then that would be an even greater bonus.

He said: “Noone will forget what Justin Rose did here in 1998 (holed an 80-yard approach on the last to claim the Silver Medal), it’s been easy to reminisce recently because I have been able to watch the re-runs on the TV about this place.

“Mark O’Meara winning in 1998, Ian Baker-Finch in ‘91. I have watched to see how they played the course, there’s bits and pieces they might have changed since then but it gives you an idea of the feeling coming down the last few holes in contention. That must be a cool feeling. I have to try to tap into that.

“There’s been a fantastic buzz about the place since I arrived. I am staying nearby so I can get a flavour for it. I used to go to watch Opens as a child from the age of 11 with my dad. They get bigger and better and it’s fantastic to be a part of this one.

“It’s even more fun to get inside the ropes and play golf here.” And that’s before a ball has even been struck on the opening day in the battle for the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale.