THEY were college contemporaries. One has just become a father and the other is awaiting that happy event. Somewhere in between, the lives of Ross Bain and Tiger Woods have become disentangled.

Woods, the defending and three-time champion, will tee up at Carnoustie as world No 1. Bain will be making his Open debut and is ranked 774 places lower. Yet, for a while at least on Thursday morning, they will be golfing equals.

As was Ben Curtis when he started his first round at Royal St George's four years ago. And Todd Hamilton at Troon 12 months later. Bain, a 31-year-old Scot who has spent most of his life in Dubai, can only dream.

The player is the first to admit his career has not taken the path he had hoped when he played for the University of North Carolina. There, on a campus which spawned the legendary Michael Jordan as well as Davis Love and Ray Floyd, he was a team-mate of Tim Clark. Among their opponents was Eldrick Tiger Woods (Stanford University).

"He killed us for the last two years, so when he turned pro it was almost a relief when he started winning almost straight away," says Bain. "Otherwise we might have had to do some schoolwork as we'd have been questioning whether we could make a living from golf."

But while South African Clark, winner of last year's Scottish Open, has prospered, it has been a struggle for Bain.

He had moved to Dubai when he was seven with his father, an architect and, on returning from America, used Dubai as his base to straddle tournaments in Europe and Asia. But, with the money poor on the Challenge Tour and attempts to win his European Tour card proving futile, he became an Asian Tour player. Even then, unlike fellow Scot Simon Yates, not a conspicuously successful one.

It's hardly surprising then that Bain is viewing this week as a lifetime opportunity. The closest he has come to playing in the Open was at Birkdale in 1998, but in final qualifying he lost out in a play-off.

The irony of his qualification is not lost on a man whose formative years were spent in Helensburgh. When the R&A introduced international final qualifying the intention was to increase the number of nationalities in the field. Instead, a Scot has won one of the five Asian places.

"I didn't particularly like the idea that you could go to a resort course in Asia to qualify for a links course in Scotland," says Bain. "My opinion has changed since I qualified. The way it was scheduled in Singapore in March it made logistical sense to do it as I was already there. It worked out well obviously."

When growing up in Dubai, Bain would return home for his summer holidays and play on the boys' circuit alongside Alastair Forsyth, Gordon Sherry and Euan Little. But when his flight touched down in Glasgow on Wednesday, it was the first time he had been on Scottish soil for five years.

Quickly reacquainting himself with links golf at Dundonald and Turnberry, he will arrive at Carnoustie today with his coach Wayne Johnson. He has played there several times before, including once in a Scottish Amateur championship.

"It will be interesting to see how they've set it up," he says. "My ball striking is generally pretty good and I'm using a long putter now - before, that part of my game was my nemesis.

"The good thing about the Open is that so many dark horses have done well in it recently. You never know what the weather is going to do and somebody can come from nowhere to win it. Ben Curtis obviously won, but although Todd Hamilton may not have been well known in Europe, he was in Asia, where he'd won tournaments.

"I have high expectations of myself - I won't think of myself as one of the lowest ranked players at Carnoustie. My aim is to have a solid strategy for the week, and if I play well I'll compete."

Bain realises his failure to play consistently for 72 holes, rather than lack of talent, is what's holding him back.

"Thomas Bjorn and Henrik Stenson are also resident in Dubai and I know even from playing them in bounce matches in the winter months that I have nothing to fear from playing in this company. I'm going to be nervous on the first tee because it's the Open, not because of the players I'll be competing against. This is the biggest one, the one you've always wanted to play in since you were a kid."

One very important person missing at Carnoustie this week will be his wife, Justine. With the couple's first child due on August 20 she is staying at home in Dubai.

The date is far enough away to all but ensure there will be no drama this week: but if the unexpected happens Bain says he will do the decent thing and return home - just like Tiger.