The 137th Open Championship
Tiger-less Tournament will not be Tainted
The world's top golfers are rubbing their hands together at the prospect of a Tiger-less Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. The non-appearance of the sport's dominant force Tiger Woods due to injury has left the door wide open for the rest of golf's elite to battle for some major success.
Woods is set to miss most of the 2008 season after undergoing surgery on a troublesome knee and opinion is divided on the effect his absence will have on the third major of the year. World number five and 2002 winner Ernie Els (16/1) is one of the players who has been pondering Woods's no-show.
He said: "Although we will miss him, the game of golf is there and the Open Championship will be played whether Tiger is there or not, and I think that's what we've got to realise. On the other hand, the best player of this generation is not there and whoever is going to win next week is going to have to answer questions of 'do you think you would have beaten Tiger if he was here'?"
Els, who has three majors under his belt, took his first title in over three years in March with a win at the Honda Classic and is always in the mix at the majors. Joint second favourite to take Padraig Harrington's (25/1) title is Phil Mickelson (16/1), who is widely-considered to be the best golfer in the world after Woods, as his number two world ranking would indicate.
'Leftie' already has two titles two his name in 2008 after winning the Crowne Plaza International and Northern Trust Open - he will be looking to add to a tally of three majors at the Merseyside venue.
The favourite to lift the Claret Jug this year is Spaniard Sergio Garcia (20/1), a man still searching for his first taste of glory at a major. It is almost inconceivable that a golfer of Sergio's calibre could go through his career without winning one of the game's showpieces and the 2008 Open may well be as good a time as any for the 28-year-old to bring home a trophy, considering Spain's sporting success over this summer.
"This year has been solid for me so far and, with the Spanish football team and (Rafael) Nadal (Wimbledon winner), I'm just trying to keep up with my fellow countrymen," he said.
In-form Lee Westwood (20/1) will lead the British charge. The world number 19 finished one shot off leaders Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate (200/1) at the US Open in June and has demonstrated his re-found consistency on the big stage.
Royal Birkdale holds special memories for British number one Justin Rose (33/1), who burst onto the world stage at venue in the 1998 Open as a teenage amateur to tie for fourth place.
One Brit who has slipped into the winning groove in 2008 is Northern Ireland's Gary McDowell. The Ulsterman has already bagged the Ballentine's Championship and Scottish Open this season and will be looking to become the first UK player to win a major since Paul Lawrie's (200/1) Carnoustie triumph at the 1999 Open.
Will a British golfer capture the covered Claret Jug?
Odds quoted from Ladbrokes sportsbook ~
