Champion Harrington teams up with Leonard, Goosen

Published on Monday 14 July 2008 23:19

IT MIGHT have been denied considerable star-dust due to the absence through injury of Tiger Woods, but the draw for the 137th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale has benefited from the addition of something – opportunity.

One hundred and fifty six golfers will file onto the first tee on Thursday for the first round of a tournament that is as wide open as any in recent memory. While Woods won't be here his name will be evoked constantly, and Padraig Harrington will attempt to do what only Woods has done since 1983 – win the Open in successive years. The Irishman begins his defence at 7.58 on Thursday morning, and in what is perhaps the pick of the groups being introduced by Ivor Robson, the veteran starter.

Joining Harrington is another Open champion in Justin Leonard, who lifted the Claret Jug in 1997 at Troon. The decorated trio is made-up by South African Retief Goosen, the double US Open champion.

Tom Watson is the last man before Woods to lift successive Claret Jugs – he won at Royal Troon in 1982 and then repeated the feat at Royal Birkdale the following year – and the veteran begins his third last Open alongside Justin Rose, another who has vivid memories of this Lancashire course.

Rose burst onto the scene as a precocious 17-year-old the last time the Open Championship was held at Birkdale, 1998. Rose, playing as an amateur, finished an incredible fourth, helped by holing a 45-yard wedge shot on the final day. It has been called Birkdale's greatest-ever shot. Rose and Watson head out alongside Australia's Aaron Baddeley at 7.36am.

Mark O'Meara, the last man to win the Open at Birkdale, is grouped with Niclas Fasth and Michael Campbell, and they tee off at 12.14pm on Thursday and then 7.03am on Friday.

Paul Lawrie, one of only five Scots in the draw, goes out in the group before O'Meara, and will command interest, too. Not only is he aiming to add to his Open title at Carnoustie in 1999, but the Aberdonian will also be accompanied by Rocco Mediate, who lost out to Woods in the US Open play-off in June. Another popular attraction will be the third member of the group, the big-hitting Argentinian, Angel Cabrera.

Colin Montgomerie will head out at 9.20am, alongside America's Boo Weekley and Canadian Mike Weir, and will hope to make up for a disappointing season by going one better than in 2005 at St Andrews – when he finished in second place behind that man Woods.