ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — When the greatest golfer the world has ever seen walks up the 18th fairway at the Home of Golf for the last time this week it will be an emotional end to Jack Nicklaus’ incredible career.

The R&A, the guardians of golf, wanted desperately to pay a final tribute to Nicklaus, whose dominance of the Open is second to none.

But in 2000, when the Open was last played at St Andrews, it looked as if the chance had passed them by.

R&A chief executive Peter Dawson when chatting after Nicklaus failed to make the cut and the American asked when the Open would be returning to St Andrews told him: “We haven’t announced it yet but we’re thinking about 2006.”

Nicklaus’ face dropped.

“Oh that’s too bad. I’ll be past the age to be able to play,” he told Dawson.

“That’s right,” said the R&A chief executive. “If it happened in 2005 would you come back?”

And so the man who has won 18 majors, winning three at the Open, saw the rota for the Open changed so he could bow out at St Andrews.

“The R&A decided they wanted to make sure that their date was 2005 to coincide with my 65th birthday. I thought that was a nice honor,” said Nicklaus yesterday.

“I thought if I would come back and play and have a golf game in some shape I would certainly do so.

“For the past few years I’ve planned it and hoped that 2005 would be my year, and St. Andrews was the place that meant so much to me in the game of golf, and to so many people that that’s why I selected it. I think it’s the most appropriate place for me.”

But Nicklaus is not planning on this week being a ceremonial march over the hallowed Old Course.

“I’m here as a competitor. And we’ll find out whether that competitor can play through to Sunday and try to do the best he can,” he said. “I still look at the scenario when I walk down somewhere late Sunday afternoon. That’s maybe not the most realistic scenario but I still look at it.

“At that point in time it will be something different. It will be looking at my last tournament,” said the player dubbed the Golden Bear. Nick Faldo, who played a practice round with Nicklaus on Monday, insisted the American does have a real chance of making the cut.

“He was hitting the ball well. It was pretty impressive,” said Faldo. If Nicklaus does reach the weekend he can thank fellow pro Lee Rinker.

“He mentioned to me a little about my body posture, and where my head was and so forth. And I made that change and actually I’ve played pretty well, and I played pretty well yesterday (Monday),” said Nicklaus.

But make the cut or not, the Scottish fans will give Nicklaus a send off that will have the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.

Nicklaus has never cried in victory, nor cried in defeat. This week the Golden Bear will have tears in his eyes when he marches to the 18th green for the last time.

Meantime, with the temperatures more Singapore than typical St Andrews, the Asian challenge at this week’s British Open is set to be stronger than ever, according to Thai star Thongchai Jaidee.

Thongchai has been revelling in the blue skies and virtually wind-free conditions on the Old Course as he prepares to tee off on Thursday alongside France’s Jean Van de Velde and American Tom Pernice.

“I’m swinging it nicely and putting well,” he reported.