Doug McGuigan ambled around Carnoustie yesterday shrouded in anonymity, a stranger in the land he calls home. Born in Durban, South Africa, the 36-year-old's roots are in Alloa and he is fiercely proud to be representing the country of his father's birth.

Of the Scottish contingent, it is he who has arguably the most compelling tale.

His father, Francis, was a footballer for Falkirk and then Blackpool, in the same team as Sir Stanley Matthews, before moving to Durban, where he ended his career. On discovering the climate was altogether more pleasant than Scotland, he decided to stay and bring up his family.

Although they returned for a couple of years in the early 70s, McGuigan senior had not set foot in his native land for 32 years until he came back two years ago to watch his son play in his first Open championship at St Andrews. McGuigan junior missed the cut at the home of golf and shied away from any rash predictions this time around.

"I don't expect anything," reflected the Scot, who will tee off just after 11am in the company of Australia's Won Joon Lee and Japan's Toshinori Muto. "I get very miserable when I don't do well, so I'm just going to go out there and try and enjoy the whole thing.

"It's nice to come back here. I've been with my family for the past week in Alloa and it's all been great. It's been one big, happy week."

McGuigan, who plays on South Africa's Sunshine Tour, was involved in a six-man playoff at the Dunhill Links Championship, staged jointly at Carnoustie, St Andrews and Kingsbarns, in 2003, and eventually finished tied second, but admits to still being a little starstruck.

"I'm going to Carnoustie a little wiser and a little older but, in the greater scheme of things, to be standing on the driving range with guys like Tiger Woods, Chris DiMarco and Jim Furyk is an overwhelming experience. I hope my Dunhill Links experience will help me, because it is a difficult course that requires accuracy and the precision of a surgeon. The greens alone at Carnoustie produce more tears than a funeral."

McGuigan revealed that he considered following in his dad's sporting footsteps, but decided that golf was a more prosperous career path.

"I was very torn between football and golf for a living but, at my age now, football would have been finished," he said. "I'm pretty much just getting up and going in golf. Probably the next 10 years will be big ones for me."

Ross Bain is another expatriate who will play under the Scottish banner this week. Five years younger than McGuigan, he was born in Dunfermline and spent his early years in Helensburgh before moving to Dubai, where he is based.

"I left Scotland when I had just turned seven,"

said the 31-year-old, who has made a successful career for himself on the Asian Tour over the last nine years.

"My dad moved to Dubai with a Glasgow architect firm. He was only meant to go for two years, but stayed.

"It's become home away from home. I still like to think I'm Scottish. I still have the accent. I played so much boys golf in Scotland that I was just scared of coming home in the summer and sounding English. Playing the Scottish boys means I know roughly what's going on with links golf, too. Before I came here I played Turnberry and tried to get the links shots going."

Bain, who will tee off at 7.14am alongside John Bickerton and Duffy Waldorf, is setting his sights high this week. "You don't step on to the first tee of any golf tournament without trying to win it," he said. "I'm not here to make up the numbers. I'd need to play better than I've ever played before to do that.

"You could say that four rounds would be a good achievement in the first Open, but if you start looking at it that way, then you only think about just making the cut.

I'll try and play as well as I can and just enjoy it.

"I've got a good group.

I've known John Bickerton for a long time and met Duffy Waldorf the other day and he seems like a really nice guy. I'll just try and have fun, really. If I can start well and make a few birdies, then there will be fantastic local support. It will be like a 15th club. Playing the Open in Scotland . . . it doesn't get much better than that for me."

Paul Lawrie, Sandy Lyle, Colin Montgomerie, Alistair Forsyth, Scott Drummond and Richie Ramsay will bring the Scottish presence to eight this week.