Mike, I'm not saying you cannot get a sense of the quality of a course prior to completion, but there is a difference between quality and setting the "standard." Things can change, and the course, although unlikely considering who is behind it and what they are aiming for, might not play well (i.e. how it is maintained, its playability over time, the quality of other holes on the course etc.). Robert himself points to some aspects of the course which didn't totally convince him they are world class or somewhat plain.
For me, the course has to have an overall sense of cohesion and greatness throughout to set a standard, and all I am saying is that we can't set standards before the course is fully experienced. Doing so is just hype and marketing, which I tend not to buy into. The general media does it and Robert has done it with courses like Goodwood, Coppinwood and Sagebrush in the past. All very good, I would think most agree, but of those three, Highlands still takes the cake for me.
Cabot Links might very well end up being the best course in Canada, but I find it hard to take that it...or any other course...would be THE course by which all other are judged. If there is such a thing, we would have a very limited view when it comes to the art of golf course architecture. There are too many great golf courses on this planet to simply use one as the standard.