Tiger must tread a dangerous field

YESTERDAY, THE view from the 10th tee at Turnberry across to Ailsa Craig, a monolith of a rock in the Irish Sea off the craggy Scottish coast, was crystal clear. If only crystal ball gazing were as clear, for this 138th edition of the British Open – one where Pádraig Harrington will seek to retain possession of the famed Claret Jug for a third straight year – is far from making a clear-cut case in favour of Tiger Woods.

For sure, Tiger’s the man to beat. Isn’t he always? But, as Henrik Stenson so eloquently put it when debating the subject here yesterday morning, “I’ve seen him play ping-pong, he’s not superhuman . . . there were times he was considered to be unbeatable (in majors), he’s going to be one of the names to watch out for every time. But he’s definitely beatable.”

Indeed, there’s a belief that this championship could be a wide open affair.

For one, the wind – the greatest defence of a links course – has hardly blown at all for the past three days of practice. If that were to be the case during the real thing, then players should be able to keep the ball on the fairways and out of the stringent rough.

And, for another thing, the bowl-shaped greens have a tendency to allow the ball to gather towards the flagstick.

So, even with the addition of strategic fairway bunkers since the last British Open was held here in 1994, when Nick Price triumphed, and even with the rough being as penal as it is, there is every prospect that someone will find a way to go low.

That someone will, of course, have to have all aspects of his game finely-honed and in good working order. The question is, who?

If you were to base judgement on the last two British Opens, then Harrington would top any list. But you can’t go along with that this time. The Dubliner’s form this season – where he is ranked 137th in putting on the US Tour, 182nd in driving accuracy and 182nd in greens-in-regulation – has been such that the sorriest statistic of all is of five successive missed cuts on tour, ignoring last week’s Irish PGA win.

Yet, Harrington is adamant he is not just here to make up the numbers. “I’ve no interest in making the cut, I’m here to win the event. I want to win. If you told me I could finish second this week, I’d say no to you. I want to go out there to win it.

“The chances (of winning) may be slim, but I’d rather that chance. I’m not a great believer in having a great defence, I’m a great believer in winning a tournament.”

There are those in the locker-room who believe this could be the week that Harrington bounces back from his on-course troubles, caused by his decision to fundamentally change his swing. As Stenson – one of them – put it, “I don’t know if the stars are aligned there or not, but Pádraig’s going to be one of the players (capable of winning) . . . . Sergio too, he has come close a number of times, and Steve Stricker seems to be in good shape. McIlroy, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him up there.”

The thing is, there are many players in form and many players capable of finding form when the going gets tough; and, if past championships here count for anything, then the likelihood is that the winner will be someone who is a pure ball-striker and who has won at least once on tour this season.

Sure, Woods – a three-time winner on the US Tour this season – ticks those boxes . . . but so do others, like Kenny Perry, Brian Gay, Zach Johnson and, on this side of the pond, the in-form Martin Kaymer.

Could there be a springer? We’re due one. Not since Todd Hamilton emerged from nowhere to defeat Ernie Els in a play-off in 2004 have we had a dark horse winning.

Since then, Woods and Harrington have split the title between them – two apiece – and there’s plenty of mid-field quality capable of upsetting the apple cart here.

Harrington, who confined his last day’s practice yesterday to playing the back nine, has his work cut out.

“I’d want to be 100 per cent mentally strong and I am certainly not there,” he confessed, “but maybe with a little bit of luck I can build my way into that position on Sunday afternoon.”

Woods, though, remains the man to beat. One man against the field?

You’ve got to take the field. Someone will find a way.