The Open Championship

Tomorrow is the start of the first round of The British Open, or as they call it across the pond, The Open Championship. This year the major is being held at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England. This tournament is wide open mainly due to the absence of Tiger Woods. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be some good golf and some high drama. I will say one thing, Woods isn't bigger than a major -- nobody is -- but it isn't quite the same without him. Some of the golfers playing are saying that it is a different championship with out Tiger, but it shouldn’t devalue the prestige of the tournament. People are saying there needs to be an astrik by the winner due to the fact that Tiger is not in the field. But I totally disagree! Who ever wins will truly have to earn it! Tiger has shown that he does struggle from time to time in this tournament. The weather can be so brutal that even the best player in the world can look like an everyday hacker. So who ever wins will have to conquer the weather, the course and the rest of the field. But with Tiger out, the door is opened to a few more golfers to win. There are easily 20 guys that can win the Claret Jug. Of course the big favorites going into the first round are: Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Geoff Ogilvy, Justin Rose, Lee Westwood, Ernie Els, Adam Scott and Paul Casey. I think it is going to be extremely tough for the defending champion to repeat; Padraig Harrington suffered a wrist injury last weekend in the Irish Open. He has already said that if this were not the British Open, he would have already pulled out of the tournament. So even with Tiger out, I am still looking forward to some great golf this weekend. Coverage starts Thursday morning. That is another great thing about this tournament, you can watch it the first thing in the morning!