Please use the links below to jump to your desired story.
Rory Raring to go After Three-Week Break
McIlroy Tees off With Els and Fowler at Open
Hole by Hole Guide to Royal St George's
Mickelson has new Approach to Open Golf
British Open Record Books
SANDWICH, July 13, 2011 (AFP) - Some records associated with the British Open golf championship ahead of the 140th edition at Royal St George's here on Thursday:
RECORDS IN THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Most wins
6 Harry Vardon (1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, 1914)
Most times runner-up
7 Jack Nicklaus (1964, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1979)
Oldest winner
Old Tom Morris, 46 years and three months (1867)
Youngest winner
Young Tom Morris, 17 years and five months (1868)
Biggest win
13 Old Tom Morris (Prestwick 1862)
Lowest score
267 Greg Norman (Sandwich 1993)
Lowest sub-par score
269 (-19) Tiger Woods (St Andrews 2000)
Lowest round
63 Mark Hayes (Turnberry 1977), Isao Aoki (Muirfield 1980), Greg Norman (Turnberry 1986), Paul Broadhurst (St Andrews 1990), Jodie Mudd (Birkdale 1991), Nick Faldo (Sandwich 1993), Payne Stewart (Sandwich 1993), Rory McIlroy (St Andrews 2010)
Lowest first 36 holes
130 Nick Faldo (Muirfield 1992)
Lowest first 54 holes
198 Tom Lehman (Lytham 1996)
Lowest closing 36 holes
130 Tom Watson (Turnberry 1977), Ian Baker-Finch (Birkdale 1991), Anders Forsbrand (Turnberry 1994)
Lowest nine holes
28 Denis Durnian (Birkdale 1983)
Debut winners
Willie Park 1860, Tom Kidd 1873, Mungo Park 1874, Harold Hilton 1892, Jock Hutchison 1921, Densmore Shute 1933, Ben Hogan 1953, Tony Lema 1964, Tom Watson 1975, Ben Curtis 2003
Biggest span between first and last wins
19 years - JH Taylor (1894 & 1913)
Biggest span between wins
11 years Henry Cotton (1937 & 1948)
Champions in three decades
Harry Vardon (1896, 1903, 1911), JH Taylor (1894, 1900, 1913), Gary Player (1959, 1968, 1974)
Most top-five finishes
16 JH Taylor, Jack Nicklaus
Most sub-par rounds
61 Jack Nicklaus
Record 18-hole lead
4 James Braid (1908), Bobby Jones (1927), Henry Cotton (1934), Christy O'Connor Jnr (1985)
Record 36-hole lead
9 Henry Cotton (1934)
Record 54-hole lead
10 Henry Cotton (1934)
Biggest 54-hole lead lost
5 Macdonald Smith (1925), Jean Van de Velde (1999)
Best last-day comeback to win
10 Paul Lawrie 1999
Champions with four sub-70 rounds
Greg Norman (1993), Nick Price (1994), Tiger Woods (2000)
Non-champions with four sub-70 rounds
Ernie Els (1993 & 2004), Jesper Parnevik (1994)
Best closing round to win
64 Greg Norman (1993)
Most appearances
46 Gary Player
Most appearances before win
16 Nick Price
Longest course
Carnoustie 2007, 7,421 yards
Rory Raring to go After Three-Week Break
SANDWICH, July 12, 2011 (AFP) - Rory McIlroy clocked in for work on Tuesday for the first time since his stunning win in the US Open and admitted that his life had changed forever.
Prior to events at Congressional Country Club last month, the 22-year-old Ulsterman was one of several great young hopes emerging in the golf world.
Following his eight-stroke demolition of the field he has become a golfing superstar, evoking memories of Tiger Woods in the immediate aftermath of his runaway 1997 Masters triumph.
"I didn't realise how much of a fuss it would create or how much of a buzz," said McIlroy who only arrived at Royal St George's, the venue for the 140th British Open, on Tuesday having played nine holes with his father at Royal County Down on Monday evening.
"I've already sort of noticed over the past three weeks it has been a bit of a life-changing experience, and it's just something I'm going to have to deal with."
Dealing with it so far has meant some heavy celebrations back home in Holywood near Belfast, a high-profile visit to Wimbledon where he spoke with Andy Murray and took in the men's final, and more recently back to golf practice.
Some, like McIlroy's Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie, have questioned his decision to take the three weeks off between the two national Opens and not play any competitive golf.
But the world No.4 says that should he fail to make it back-to-back Open wins this week, it won't be down to the manner of his preparations.
"I mean, I've prepared the exact same way that I've prepared for the last few major championships, and I feel it's a process that works for me, coming to the course the week before, getting a couple of practise rounds in, and then not really getting to the course until Tuesday afternoon," he said.
"That works for me. I used to do it to sort of keep under the radar. I'm not sure I'll be able to do that anymore. But it works for me.
"It might not work for other people, but I feel as if it's the best way for me to approach a tournament. It seems to have worked the last few times, so I just need to keep doing that."
Sandwich will be McIlroy's seventh British Open, having first made his mark internationally with his fine performance as an 18-year-old amateur at Carnoustie in 2007.
He tied for 42nd then and followed up with a tie for 47th at Turnberry in 2009.
But it was last year at St Andrews that McIlroy came close to winning his first Major when he opened with a 63, the lowest first round in the history of the tournament, only to slump to an 80 the following day as the wind came in off the North Sea.
He recovered somewhat to finish in a tie for third on that occasion. But another dramatic collapse followed at this year's Masters when he led by four shots going into the final round only, once more, to stagger in with an 80.
Doubts were being raised over his ability to go the distance in the Majors but, thanks to Congressional, these concerns have been consigned to the dustbin.
McIlroy said he will relish the attention he is certain to get on Thursday when he tees off at 9:09 am alongside Ernie Els and Rickie Fowler.
"I'm the sort of person that likes to have people watching," he said.
"I like to have a little bit of a buzz in the atmosphere around the group, and I'll enjoy it.
"It's not going to be the first time that I've played in front of big crowds. Last time I played a competitive round of golf, I had a pretty big crowd following me.
"I'll be fine. I've got used to it over the last few years, and it's something I enjoy."
McIlroy Tees off With Els and Fowler at Open
SANDWICH, July 11, 2011 - Rory McIlroy will begin his quest to add the British Open title to his US Open crown in the company of multiple major winner Ernie Els and rising American star Rickie Fowler.
The trio will tee off in Thursday's first round at 9:09am local time (0809GMT) at the Royal St George's Course in Sandwich, south-east of London, on Thursday where the 22-year-old McIlroy will aim to be become the youngest winner of the British Open since 1893.
South Africa's Els will be bidding to add to his 2002 British Open title with Fowler seeking his first Major triumph.
McIlroy, whose win at the Bethesda course in Maryland in June made him the youngest US Open champion since American great Bobby Jones in 1923, enjoyed a stellar start to last year's British Open at St Andrews, shooting a record-equalling 63 and finishing third despite a second round 80 in bad weather on the Scottish course.
The Northern Ireland youngster has not played a competitive round of golf since winning the US Open.
This year's British Open will be started by American Jerry Kelly, who is due to hit the first shot at 6:30am (0530GMT).
He will hope to avoid a repeat of his performance in taking 11 on the opening hole when the British Open -- the only one of golf's four Majors played outside the United States -- was last staged at Royal St George's in 2003.
Other eye-catching groups see world number one Luke Donald -- fresh from his victory in the rain-shortened Scottish Open on Sunday -- immediately after McIlroy, with the Englishman alongside Japan's Ryo Ishikawa and Sergio Garcia.
Defending champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa is an afternoon starter in a group featuring Germany's Martin Kaymer and American ace Phil Mickelson.
Immediately ahead of Oosthuizen will be his compatriot and US Masters champion Charl Schwartzel.
Meanwhile British amateur Tom Lewis, from the same Welwyn Garden City club that nurtured three-time British Open winner Sir Nick Faldo, will be alongside five-time champion Tom Watson and Sweden's Henrik Stenson.
Singapore's Lam Chih-Bing is the last man due to tee-off Thursday at 4:11pm (1511GMT).
Hole by Hole Guide to Royal St George's
SANDWICH, July 13, 2011 (AFP) - A hole by hole guide to Royal St George's which hosts the 140th British Open here from Thursday:-
1 - 444 yards, par four: Tiger Woods lost his opening drive in 2003 and Jerry Kelly took an 11, but the fairway has been widened since then. Out of bounds right and three bunkers front the green.
2 - 417 yards, par four: Out of bounds continues down the right on this dogleg left. Two bunkers are cut into the hill on the inside of the angle and the green falls away on all sides.
3 - 240 yards, par three: First of the four short holes is now 30 yards longer and with a narrow two-tier green cut into the hill can be a real brute.
4 - 495 yards, par four: Changed from a par five to a par four with a huge bunker staring you in the face on the tee and a really demanding tilted green with out of bounds immediately behind.
5 - 419 yards, par four: John Daly has driven the green over the dunes, but new mounding short right makes it less enticing. Bunkers down the left, but none round the green.
6 - 178 yards, par three: The Maiden hill to the left of the green is a popular spot for spectators. Four bunkers lie around the two-tier green.
7 - 564 yards, par five: Has played the easiest hole on the course in the past - with not a single double bogey in 1993 and 25 of the 27 eagles that week - but a new tee has added 32 yards.
8 - 453 yards, par four: Used to be a par three, but changed to an uphill dogleg right, the approach played over an area of rough to a long and slender green.
9 - 412 yards, par four: A bunker known as The Corset pinches in from the right and the humps and hollows are pronounced. A new tee adds 24 yards, while the green drops away steeply to the right.
10 - 415 yards, par four: Tom Kite was leading in 1985 when he went from bunker to bunker and took six. The green is perched up high and with slopes front and back, great accuracy is needed.
11 - 243 yards, par three: The one back-nine hole to be played directly towards the sea and demanding in the extreme when there is any wind. Three bunkers left and two right with a two-tier green.
12 - 381 yards, par four: A dogleg right where there is a temptation to bite too much off the corner over the bunkers. Five more traps are short of a green which Tiger Woods four-putted last time.
13 - 459 yards, par four: The drive has to be threaded between bunkers and the approach is played to the longest green on the course with a ridge running down its spine and out of bounds at the back.
14 - 547 yards, par five: Out of bounds all the way down the right and the 'Suez Canal' across the fairway at 330 yards. To add to the dangers the green was moved back and closer to the fence.
15 - 496 yards, par four: Twenty-one yards longer, but still a par four with five bunkers to be negotiated off the tee and three more in front of a green which falls away to the right.
16 - 163 yards, par three: Thomas Bjorn, two ahead at the time, took three to get out of the bunker on the right. In 1967 Tony Jacklin made the first televised hole-in-one here.
17 - 426 yards, par four: The fairway was one of the hardest to hit with all its swales, but it has now been widened. Greg Norman's closing 64 in 1993 included a missed 18-inch putt here.
18 - 459 yards, par four: Two well-struck shots are needed to a green which falls away to the left into Duncan's Hollow. Sandy Lyle was there in 1985 and his ball then came back, but a five was enough.
Mickelson has new Approach to Open Golf
SANDWICH, July 12, 2011 (AFP) - Phil Mickelson has decided to wipe the slate clean in an effort to finally get to grips with British Open-style links golf.
The 41-year-old, four-time Major winner has long been an outstanding threat at the three other Majors - Masters, US Open and USPGA.
But to date, the only one of golf's big four tournaments that takes place outside of the United States has remained for him a battleground.
In 17 previous appearances dating back to Birkdale in 1991, he has finished in the top 10 just once, a third place at Troon in 2004 behind compatriot Todd Hamilton and Ernie Els.
Nothing has worked for him, so this year at Royal St George's, Mickelson is erasing his memory bank.
"I'm entering this year kind of like a fresh start, if you will," he said.
"I'm not going to worry about past performances, and I'm going to try to learn and enjoy the challenge of playing links golf. And I'm having fun doing that.
"I'm trying to pretend like it's my first time here and appreciate playing the ball on the ground on days like this (windy) and appreciate being able to play some through the air when the wind is a little bit calmer.
"I'm not going to dwell and don't want to look back on my past performances that haven't been what I expect.
"But I feel excited and kind of reinvigorated to come over here and try to learn this style of golf and play it effectively."
With Tiger Woods injured and out of the picture, Mickelson shoulders the extra responsibilities of being the big name American and as such his country's flag bearer.
That at a time when US golf is in the doldrums and on a record run of five Majors without a win, the last being Mickelson's third win at the Masters in April of last year.
But he insists that the globalisation of the game is not something that should overly concern Americans, rather they should take it in their stride and look to make improvements.
"I'm not worried about American golf," he said. "I think I'm more happy to see how strong international golf is.
"We've got players from all over the world winning the biggest events, and I think that this only helps promote and grow the game of golf on an international level, so I think it's been a good thing.
"I'm not worried -- as though we don't have good young players coming up to represent America because I think we do."
Mickelson stayed true to his tradition of playing in the Scottish Open the week before the Open and this year enjoyed the switch of that tournament from Loch Lomond to the links of Castle Stuart near Inverness where he shot rounds of 73, 67 and 69 in the three rounds that were completed due to bad weather.
Mickelson opens on Thursday with a mid-afternoon tee-time playing along with defending champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa and fellow American Matt Kuchar.
Bjorn Gets Open Lifeline
SANDWICH, July 11, 2011 - Denmark's Thomas Bjorn has been handed a last-minute British Open lifeline to return to the scene of his tragic near-miss here eight years ago.
It was at Royal St George's in 2003 that the Ryder Cup stalwart had one hand on the Auld Claret jug as he led the Open by three strokes with just four holes to play only to suffer a meltdown that evoked memoriers of Frenchman Jean Van de Velde at Carnoustie four year beforehand.
With victory in his sights Bjorn inexplicably took three shots to get out of a greenside bunker at the 16th and then, shell-shocked, he bogeyed the next to hand victory to US debutant Ben Curtis.
It was a collapse that took its toll on the Dane, who subsequently saw his world ranking plummet and it looked like he would not qualify for the tournament's return to Sandwich this year until a rash of injuries cleared his path, the final one being that of Fiji's Vijay Singh on Monday.
The 40-year-old Bjorn said that he was eager to seize the moment.
"I'm just delighted. You don't want to see players pull out, but since Sandwich I have missed some Opens and it makes you realise how much you want to play in them.
"The year after what happened here was difficult, but these are the events you want to be playing in. When I think back I just count myself lucky that I got myself in a position where I had a chance to win. Loads of people don't get that chance."
Singh followed Tiger Woods, Thomas Levet, Tim Clark and David Toms in pulling out of the event and Bjorn gets his opportunity because Australian Brendan Jones turned down the chance to step in because his wife is expecting.
The world number 80 will play the championship course and the fateful 16th again for the first time in practice Tuesday and said: "When I get there I won't be thinking 'this is a horror hole' - it's a good hole.
"I just tried to erase it from my memory, but it might just creep into my mind on Sunday if I am playing well!
"You've really got a problem if you live eight years in the past. It was difficult for me when I played at Troon in 2004 - I really didn't want to be there - but these are the events you want to play in and I'm delighted.
"At the same time, though, there's some big names who have pulled out and you don't want to see that.
"I count myself lucky that I got myself in a position where I had a chance to win. Loads of people don't get the chance, but I was good enough to get there and I just didn't finish it off.
"When I get out there in practice it's a golf course. I won't relive what happened - I'll just play what's in front of me."
Bjorn will tee off at 7:25am (0925 GMT) on Thursday with England's Simon Dyson - he was another of the reserves called in - and American Gary Woodland.
Curtis, the man who benefitted most from Bjorn's collapse that day eight years ago, said that he and Bjorn had met several times since the drama of that day but that what happened was seldom the topic of conversation.
"I played with him a few times since then and we played together at the World Matchplay, the year I think he beat me in the semis," he said.
"We talked a little bit about it, but I'm not going to say anything to him about what happened. You don't wish that upon anybody.
"It's just a terrible thing that's happened to him, but he's moved on and he's played quite well since then."
Curtis believes his own chances are as slim as they were in 2003 when he was a 300-1 outsider, but he hopes that some of the magic of the Royal St George's links can rub off on him once again.
"It definitely gives you a little bit of confidence because you know you've done it before, and there's no reason why you can't do it again," he said.
"I just hope this is my week. But I'm not going to think about holding that trophy yet. Hopefully when the last putt is holed on Sunday it will be coming my way, but we'll see."
More to come! Stay tuned.