David T:
The game goes pretty well to form when you have truly great players near the peak of their careers. Several Hall of Famers were perennial contenders at the Open, almost locks to finish in the top 10.
There is no dominant player at all now, but the world rankings still insist on there being a #1, #2, #3 etc. They are just all too bunched together and interchangeable for it to mean anything. You could make a lot of money betting the field against the top 10 players today.