Not This Year, Buddy........

THE OPEN starts tomorrow early morning for all those golfers out there. You have to get up (or stay awake later) to catch some of the action. I wont. I will be in Abilene Thurs & Friday but will have some recorded on TiVo. This one, as you know (or don't) will be the first major without Tiger in as far back as I can remember. Everyone says this opens up the field for everyone else. (Hadn't they all before him?) Nonetheless, this will make it interesting considering there isnt really a "favorite" to win and as anyone knows, the weather at Birkdale is make or break. Its hard to root for the 10-1 odds Sergio Garcia and Phil (16-1)is still inconsistent in his majors so I guess I'll root for my dog Adam Scott (22-1). He aint American but boy can play. (He is Australian, by the way). I leave you with some facts from "Postbulletin.com"............

• WHEN, WHERE: Thursday-Sunday, Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England

• COURSE FACTS: 7,173 yards, par 70. Considered the fairest of Open venues, Royal Birkdale dates back to 1889 but took its signature path between sand dunes in a 1922 overhaul by J.H. Taylor and Fred Hawtree. A 1940 Open debut was scuttled by World War II, with the course finally getting its opportunity in 1954. Peter Thomson won the first and last of his five Open crowns at Royal Birkdale, and Arnold Palmer's 1961 triumph is considered a turning point in the Open's fortunes.

• FORMAT: 72 holes, stroke play. Field cut after 36 holes to top 70 and ties. Four-hole playoff, if necessary, immediately after final round.

• FIELD: 156 players. Openings remain for this week's highest top-five finisher not yet qualified at both the John Deere Classic and Scottish Open.

• PURSE: $8.3 million at current exchange rates ($1.48 million to winner).

• DEFENDING CHAMPION: Padraig Harrington (69-73-68-67--277 at Carnoustie), beating Sergio Garcia 15-16 in a four-hole playoff.

• TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 6 a.m.-6 p.m. (TNT). Saturday, 6-8 a.m. (TNT), 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. ABC. Sunday, 5-7 a.m. (TNT), 7 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ABC.

• LAST YEAR: Harrington ended Europe's eight-year major drought in nerve-wracking fashion, making up a six-shot deficit despite twice finding the Barry Burn at Carnoustie's wicked 18th. Garcia could have won with a par at No. 18, but bogeyed to trigger extra holes. Harrington quickly gained control in the playoff, opening with a birdie to the Spaniard's bogey. Until the playoff, Europeans had endured 31 empty majors since Paul Lawrie's 1999 British Open win.

• LAST TIME AT ROYAL BIRKDALE: In 1998, Mark O'Meara caught Brian Watts with a closing 68, then won the ensuing playoff to become the oldest man to claim two majors in the same year. Watts, an Oklahoman who made the Japanese Tour his home, led by two going to the final day but needed a splendid bunker save to make the playoff. O'Meara then birdied the first extra hole to gain a quick edge. Tiger Woods missed the playoff by a shot; 17-year-old Justin Rose took fourth as an amateur.

• OPEN CHAMPIONS AT ROYAL BIRKDALE: Peter Thomson (1954, '65), Arnold Palmer (1961), Lee Trevino (1971), Johnny Miller (1976), Tom Watson (1983), Ian Baker-Finch (1991), Mark O'Meara (1998).

• CHANGES: All but two holes have been altered since the Open's last visit a decade ago, mostly through the addition of 20 new bunkers. Sixteen of those are fairway bunkers, tightening the driving area. Mounding also was added to seven greens, calling for more imaginative recovery shots. Royal Birkdale measures 155 yards longer than in 1998.

• FORMER CHAMPIONS IN FIELD: Tom Watson (1975, '77, '80, '82, '83), Sandy Lyle (1985), Greg Norman (1986, '93), Mark Calcavecchia (1989), John Daly (1995), Tom Lehman (1996), Justin Leonard (1997), Mark O'Meara (1998), Paul Lawrie (1999), David Duval (2001), Ernie Els (2002), Ben Curtis (2003), Todd Hamilton (2004), Padraig Harrington (2007).

• NOTEWORTHY: Plans for the Open to become the first major to conduct drug testing had to be shelved because of inadequate time this spring to educate applicants from outside the U.S. and Europe. Next month's PGA Championship now stands as the majors' first testing ground.

• QUOTE:"Someone is going to win these couple of majors British Open and PGA, and it's not Tiger Woods. How often can you say that?"