Standing tall (Part Two)

So, looking back now, what were the chances of the Sheffield-born antique collector following in the footsteps of becoming the first English winner since Nick Faldo in 1992?

"Paul Lawrie did it at Carnoustie last time it was there so who knows? Look at Todd Hamilton in 2004 at Troon and, at Sandwich, Ben Curtis came out of the pack there to win it. Who had ever heard of Ben Curtis? It can happen, dreams can happen."

If the disqualification wasn't bad enough there was also the missed opportunity to play alongside the red-hot favourite and world number one Woods. The 2000 champion, like Roe, had started the week slowly but was improving with every round.

"If you were asking me what were the highlights of my career that would have been one of them no matter how I played. I think he is an awesome competitor and the most wonderful ambassador for the game of golf. I'm a huge, huge Tiger Woods fan and would have loved to play with him.

"I would also have loved the chance to see what I could have done in the cauldron of pressure that is the final day of the Open Championship and see if I was perhaps ever good enough to claim a Claret Jug."

Whether he would have handled the pressure and gone on to triumph is anyone's guess, what is certain is that he couldn't have handled the heartbreaking news any better.

Many were outraged that the decision could not be reversed, or that the rule even existed in the first place, but Roe was having none of it.

"I'm a great traditionalist and I always think the rules of golf are there to protect the game. That's the one thing, that when my father introduced me to the game of golf, he taught me it was a gentleman's game and I've always tried to respect that in my own way.

"I guess that was one opportunity in my life where I was able to show my father, although he wasnt there at the time and it would have been in his memory, that was why I was brought into the game and the best way was to handle things in a gentlemanly manner."

With the 136th Open Championship fast approaching Roe will be reminded more and more about events at Sandwich four years ago but it is still never far away from his thoughts.

"I have probably thought about it once every day since The Open. It might come into my head or somebody or something reminds me of it. It's an ever-present part of my career really, not been to Sandwich since but have a feeling that I might be going down this year before the Open to do a feature for Sky, added the popular Roe, who is now a regular pundit on Sky Sports Golf Night show.

"I still have the scorecards in my briefcase. I managed to get the R and A to send them to me so I can show the kids when theyre older. It's the thing that everybody remembers and wants to talk about to this day, it tracks me everywhere I go.

"If Ive got a scorecard in my hand or doing a corporate day or a Pro-Am people say dont give Roey the scorecard. Its always going to follow me round."