Wie fails in British Open bid

It will probably lack the headbutting of the World Cup and the grunting of Wimbledon. It will certainly lack a woman, Michelle Wie having failed last night in her bid to stay among the contenders for the last of the 156 places in the field.

But what the British Open championship – an all-male affair for the 135th time in a row – will have this coming week is a cast from all over the world and a different challenge for the title hopefuls and dreamers.

The Royal Liverpool Club at Hoylake hosts the event for the first time since 1967 and since the European Tour has not been there either since 1991 it will be a new venue for the vast majority of the players.

Not all of them, though.

Paul Broadhurst won that tournament 15 years ago – it propelled him to a Ryder Cup debut – and is hoping the course might help him to a second cap now.

Surprisingly perhaps, Ernie Els has winning memories too.

As an 18-year-old who had already lifted the South African amateur title and world junior championship Els came to England to further his golfing education and went home with the Tillman Trophy.

“I don’t remember much,” said the 2002 British Open champion. “I was in a play-off and we played the first hole (it will be the third this coming week) and I remember making par and he made bogey. “A guy called Dodds. Can’t remember his first name. Quite a long hitter.”

Els is part of an 11-strong Springbok contingent at Hoylake, but they are only the fourth biggest.

With two spots yet to be filled – one at the Scottish Open, the other at the US Tour’s John Deere Classic – America leads the way with 43, with no fewer than 29 English and 21 Australians.

In all, the flags of 25 countries will be flying. And that becomes 26 if you count Stephen Ames as Trinidadian rather than a representative of Canada, where he now has citizenship as well.

Over 60 of the field – 40% in other words – will be European and even if those who came through 54 holes of regional and final qualifying (and the returning Seve Ballesteros) are not likely to go shouting: “I’m going to win the Open” then hopes are high that this could be the time when the seven-year barren spell in the majors comes to an end.

That is chiefly because of where the superstars of the game stand.

Defending champion Tiger Woods will be playing just his third event since the Masters and the death of his father. In the first he shot 76-76 at the US Open and missed the cut in a major for the first time as a professional – but in the second he was runner-up at the Western Open last week.

World number two Phil Mickelson has won two of the last three majors and in the other he led standing on the final tee. But, as Colin Montgomerie had just before him, Mickelson made a complete mess of it and fans of all nationalities will be fascinated to see whether they can bounce straight back.

In any case, Mickelson’s Open record is not one of which he is proud. He was third two years ago, but apart from that has never finished in the top 10.

World number three Vijay Singh has had-top 10 finishes in the last seven majors, but like Europe’s top-ranked player, Sergio Garcia, has become frustrated with his putting too often for comfort, while Ernie Els still appears to be feeling his way back after his knee surgery last year.

Montgomerie, runner-up to Woods at St Andrews last year, and Padraig Harrington were both in contention at the US Open and Kenneth Ferrie’s battling performance on his debut in the event – he shared the lead with Mickelson with a round to go – will have given him and others like him a massive boost in confidence.

David Howell, Luke Donald and Paul Casey have hinted they could be ready to challenge for a major, Darren Clarke’s game has long been good enough and there are countless more waiting for that one magic week.

There was a seven-year gap between Nick Faldo’s triumph at Muirfield in 1992 and Paul Lawrie’s at Carnoustie. Seven years on and it is time for the current crop to deliver. They cannot be sure when another chance as good as this will arrive.

It is called the Open and this one looks wide open.