By Iain Carter BBC Five Live golf correspondent

Five Live's golf correspondent Iain Carter on the international spirit of the Open, how to avoid flying balls and Sergio Garcia's new-found cricket passion.

The current list of the 154 players exempt for next week's Open fell onto my lap here at Loch Lomond and I wondered how many different countries would be represented at Hoylake.

World number one Woods leads the US hunt at the Open

By my calculations, there will be no fewer than 23 different flags flying over the grandstands around the 18th green for the most international of the four majors.

Once again the United States boasts the greatest number of players with 42 while Australia is well represented with 19.

The field features players flung together from far afield - the likes of Paraguay, India, Finland and Thailand all have interest.

But Ged e-mailed suggesting that the Open is losing its way when it comes to assembling the field.

He believes it is wrong to have the international qualifying tournaments because this limits the chances for "home-grown" players.

Birch, from the Turks and Caicos Islands, also dropped us an e-mail to say he would like to see more English players involved - there will be at least 23 on duty at Royal Liverpool, roughly 15% of the field.

But what should be remembered is that this championship is The Open, not the British Open, and it seeks to crown the champion golfer of the year.

It happens to be staged in Britain because our links courses represent the historic roots of the game, but there is actually no absolute reason why it has to be staged in the UK.

Not that the R&A are considering taking the championship beyond its current rota of courses.

If you are planning to visit Hoylake next week, keep your wits about you.

That's because balls can fly all over the place, including into the crowd.

On the subject of wayward shots, Simon has contacted Golfing Gossip to express concern about the lack of cries of "fore" from players.

Here is a tip if you are watching tee shots from afar:

Look out for the steward behind the tee box who will signal the direction the ball is flying using his "quiet please" sign.

This is how we commentators know whether a fairway is going to be hit, especially if the ball is hard to pick up against a grey sky.

Chris poses an interesting question: Why is it that when the US Open grows penal rough it's deemed "a good test of golf" but when Carnoustie did it the whole world cried foul?

I think the answer lies in whether it's done fairly, taking into account prevailing weather and the width of landing areas.

For me, Winged Foot was the toughest but fairest of major venues I've see so far. I didn't go to Carnoustie in 1999, so I'll leave that debate to you.

On the subject of the US Open, Dave reckons that we've not made enough of Padraig Harrington's near-miss because we were too caught up with Colin Montgomerie and Phil Mickelson.

He also says Harrington will have a major in his trophy cabinet by this time next year - I happen to think it might be by this time next month.

Darren Clarke has announced that his RBS Shot of the Month trophy for May is up for auction.

Proceeds will go to several breast cancer charities as his wife Heather continues to battle the disease. Full details are available at www.darrenclarke.com.

It was great to find that Sergio Garcia turned up for a cricket match between the press and the caddies at Loch Lomond.

Garcia fell in love with cricket but stayed clear of bowling

The Spaniard had never seen the game before and fell in love with it instantly. He had to be shown how to hold the bat and should have been stumped first ball.

Thereafter he thumped a few boundaries, finished 20 not out, dropped a catch and refused to bowl fearing damage to his shoulder.

This proved wise. Sun correspondent David Facey emerged from the encounter with his left arm in a sling and a finger bandaged. Not ideal for a golf writer's busiest week of the year.

More importantly, the incidents in which he picked up the injuries cost the pressmen the match.

My sporting highlight of the week was a stunning round at Royal Troon on Tuesday evening as a guest of BBC colleague Andrew Cotter.

We played off the very back tees and it was a fascinating insight into what the pros have to contend with on a championship course.

I think I'll stick to talking and writing about the sport. (I'll only tell you the result if you ask!)

Finally for now, a wicked whisper:

Which golf journalist mistakenly adorned his lunchtime pork at Loch Lomond with the chocolate caramel desert sauce, thinking it was gravy, and proceeded to clean his plate?

"Actually it wasn't bad," said the mystery hack.

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