Bookies back Garcia to lead European charge

EMBARRASSING. That's the best word to describe the failure of Europe's best to capture the Open Championship or indeed any major title since 1999.

Their latest chance to rectify the situation has arrived with the staging of the 133rd championship over the links of the Royal Troon club on Scotland's Ayrshire coast.

Yesterday's final practice day dawned damp and windy and the prospects are for much of the same over the next four days while the overnight rain softened the links just a little, probably helping to make conditions a little better suited to low scoring.