British Open Round Three Tee Times and Pairings

 

The most interesting man in golf, "The Mechanic" leads the Open after two rounds.

Eastern Time:
3:10 a.m.: Shingo Katayama, Richard Sterne
3:20 a.m.: Carl Pettersson, Jonas Blixt
3:30 a.m.: K.J. Choi, Chris Wood
3:40 a.m.: Mikko Ilonen, Todd Hamilton
3:50 a.m.: Peter Senior, Mark Brown
4:00 a.m.: Geoff Ogilvy, Paul Lawrie
4:10 a.m.: Richie Ramsay, Thongchai Jaidee
4:20 a.m.: Boo Weekley, Gareth Wright
4:30 a.m.: K.T. Kim, a-Jimmy Mullen
4:45 a.m.: Josh Teater, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
4:55 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Fred Couples
5:05 a.m.: Jason Dufner, Bud Cauley
5:15 a.m.: Bo Van Pelt, A-Matthew Fitzpatrick
5:25 a.m.: Russell Henley, Tim Clark
5:35 a.m.: Ernie Els, Graham Delaet
5:45 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Oliver Fisher
5:55 a.m.: Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington
6:05 a.m.: Sandy Lyle, Y.E. Yang
6:20 a.m.: Steven Tiley, Ken Duke
6:30 a.m.: George Coetzee, Thomas Bjorn
6:40 a.m.: Brandt Snedeker, Stewart Cink
6:50 a.m.: Matt Kuchar, Freddie Jacobson
7:00 a.m.: Marcus Fraser, Danny Willett
7:10 a.m.: Martin Kaymer, Eduardo De La Riva
7:20 a.m.: Gregory Bourdy, Graeme McDowell
7:30 a.m.: Stephen Gallacher, Kevin Streelman
7:45 a.m.: Ben Curtis, Bernd Wiesberger
7:55 a.m.: Shiv Kapur, Jamie Donaldson
8:05 a.m.: Branden Grace, Harris English
8:15 a.m.: Tom Lehman, Mark O’Meara
8:25 a.m.: Johnson Wagner, Hideki Matsuyama
8:35 a.m.: Jason Day, Hunter Mahan
8:45 a.m.: Justin Leonard, Phil Mickelson
8:55 a.m.: Ian Poulter, Bubba Watson
9:10 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Webb Simpson
9:20 a.m.: Adam Scott, Charl Schwartzel
9:30 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Jordan Spieth
9:40 a.m.: Ryan Moore, Angel Cabrera
9:50 a.m.: Zach Johnson, Rafael Cabrera-Bello
10:00 a.m.: Martin Laird, Dustin Johnson
10:10 a.m.: Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood
10:20 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Miguel Angel Jimenez

Round One British Open Photos

Phil Mickelson hits backwards flop shot at Muirfield

Don't try this at home. Phil Mickelson hits his patented backwards flop shot during a practice round at Muirfield.

The history and course design of Muirfield in Scotland

Course history and design of Muirfield in Scotland:

Golf was first played at Muirfield in 1891 on 16 holes laid out by Old Tom Morris which was extended to 18 holes for the Open the following year. Restricted by stone walls that completely surrounded the course, the original layout occupied 117 acres. The turf was good in places but there were areas of sandy wasteland and some of the lower points were waterlogged. Over a period of thirty years, the land was drained and the sandy areas were seeded and cultivated.

Muirfield hosted the first Open Championship to be played over 72 holes in 1892 and then again in 1896. After each event, the course received some criticism and improvements were made. It was evident that the surrounding walls had limited the design and the first significant alteration was made with the purchase in 1907 of an additional 13 acres.

British Open 2013: Pairings and tee times

GULLANE, SCOTLAND - JULY 15: Ernie Els of South Africa hits out of a bunker ahead of the 142nd Open Championship at Muirfield on July 15, 2013 in Gullane, Scotland. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Here are the British Open pairings and tee times for the opening two rounds. If you live on the East Coast, you need to wake up at 4am if you want to catch the early coverage on ESPN. All times are local. Eastern Time is five hours behind. For example, the first grouping on Thursday goes off at 6:32 a.m. in Scotland or 1:32 a.m. ET.

British Open 2013: Betting Odds

Phil Mickelson enters the British Open coming off a playoff win at the Scottish Open.

The 2013 British Open Championship begins Thursday at Muirfield in Scotland. Here are the betting odds for the week:

FAVORITES:
Tiger Woods: 8-1 (3-time British Open champion)
Phil Mickelson: 16-1 (coming off win at Scottish Open)
Adam Scott: 18-1 (2013 Masters champion)
Justin Rose: 18-1 (2013 U.S. Open champion)
Rory McILroy: 20-1 (2-time major winner)
Graeme McDowell: 22-1 (3-time winner in 2013)
Ernie Els: 25-1 (4-time major winner and defending champion)
Jason Day: 25-1 (finished top 3 at Masters and U.S. Open)

British Open Past Champions List

British Open past champions:



2013: Phil Mickelson (Muirfield)

2012: Ernie Els (Lytham and St. Annes)
2011: Darren Clarke (St. Georges)
2010: Louis Oosthuizen (St. Andrews)
2009: Stewart Cink (Turnberry)
2008: Padraig Harrington (Birkdale)
2007: Padraig Harrington (Carnoustie)
2006: Tiger Woods (Liverpool)
2005: Tiger Woods (St. Andrews)
2004: Todd Hamilton (Troon)
2003: Ben Curtis (St. Georges)
2002: Ernie Els (Muirfield)
2001: David Duval (Lytham)
2000: Tiger Woods (St. Andrews)

All Champions since 1860

Tiger Woods talks strategy for playing Muirfield

In Tiger Wood's most recent blog post, he touched on his past experience playing in Open Championships and described the strategy needed for being successful at Muirfield.

This marks my second trip to Muirfield. My first visit in 2002 didn't go very well. I caught the worst of the weather and wound up tying for 28th. That's just the nature of links golf. Luck plays a big part in it, and you never know what you're going to get. 

Tiger shoots 81 at Muirfield in wind and rain

Muirfield is one of the hardest courses in Scotland. The front nine is basically played clockwise and the back nine is played counter-clockwise and on the inside of the front nine. You have to shape the golf ball both ways, and you never know what's going to come off that water as far as wind. It can change directions. If the wind switches, you can be aggressive on certain holes and others you have to be conservative. That's the neat thing about a British Open: You just never know what type of conditions you're going to get each day. 

How to play a bump and run and a knockdown for links golf

This pro demonstrates a typical bump and run shot in Scotland.



This pro demonstrates how to play a low knockdown into the wind.

Video Flyover of 2013 British Open venue Muirfield

Tiger Woods shot 81 at Muirfield in brutal conditions

When the British Open was last held at Muirfield in 2002, Tiger Woods shot a 10-over 81, his highest score ever as a professional. In this video, Woods battles the wind, rain, and cold weather as his shots continue to go sideways into the knee high rough. This tough 3rd round knocked him out of contention to win, but he did come back on Sunday and shoot a 65. Ernie Els went on to win in a playoff.

What is a links golf course?

The British Open will be played next week at Muirfield in Scotland, one of the famous links courses in the Open rotation. What exactly is a links course?

A links golf course, sometimes referred to as a seaside links is the oldest style of golf course, first developed in Scotland, where golf originated. The word comes from the Scots language and refers to an area of coastal sand dunes.

Links tend to be located in coastal areas, on sandy soil, often amid dunes, with few water hazards and few if any trees. This reflects both the nature of the scenery where the sport happened to originate, and the fact that only limited resources were available to golf course architects at the time, and any earth moving had to be done by hand, so it was kept to a minimum. It is believed that the term "links" comes from the fact that the land used for golf originally was the land near the sea that was not good for farming. This land was between the sea and the farmland and thus was a "link" between the two.

Betting odds for the British Open at Muirfield

The Open Championship, the 3rd Major of the year, will be held at Muirfield beginning July 18th. Here are some early betting odds to take a look at:

FAVORITES:

Tiger Woods: 6-1
Rory McILroy: 12-1
Adam Scott: 18-1
Justin Rose: 18-1
Lee Westwood: 20-1
Luke Donald: 20-1
Phil Mickelson: 22-1

MID RANGE:

Jason Day: 33-1
Ernie Els: 33-1
Louis Oosthuizen:33-1
Rickie Fowler: 40-1
Hunter Mahan: 40-1
Martin Kaymer: 50-1

LONG SHOTS:

Nick Watney: 90-1
Bill Haas: 100-1
Geoff Ogilvy: 100-1
Darren Clarke: 150-1
John Daly: 250-1

The Van de Velde British Open Collapse

Adam Scott's loss at the British Open was absolutely devastating. However, it can't be compared to the collapse of Jean Van de Velde in 1999 at Carnoustie.

Betting Odds: British Open 2012

Luke Donald hits an approach shot at the Scottish Open.

Notable player betting odds for the 2012 Open Championship:

Tiger Woods: 13/2
Lee Westwood: 12/1
Luke Donald: 12/1
Padraig Harrigton: 16/1
Rory McILroy: 16/1
Justin Rose: 25/1
Sergio Garcia: 28/1
Martin Kaymer: 33/1
Phil Mickelson: 33/1
Rickie Fowler: 35/1
Hunter Mahan: 40/1
Louis Oosthuizen: 40/1
Bubba Watson: 50/1
Charl Schwartzel: 50/1
Darren Clarke: 125/1
Tom Watson: 250/1

British Open Past Champions

The 2012 Open Championship begins Thursday at Royal Lytham and St. Annes.

Past Champions:
2011: Darren Clarke (St. Georges)
2010: Louis Oosthuizen (St. Andrews)
2009: Stewart Cink (Turnberry)
2008: Padraig Harrington (Birkdale)
2007: Padraig Harrington (Carnoustie)
2006: Tiger Woods (Liverpool)
2005: Tiger Woods (St. Andrews)
2004: Todd Hamilton (Troon)
2003: Ben Curtis (St. Georges)
2002: Ernie Els (Muirfield)
2001: David Duval (Lytham)
2000: Tiger Woods (St. Andrews)

All Champions since 1860

British Open 2011 Betting Odds

Betting odds for the 2011 Open Championship can be found at Bodog.

Notable player odds:

Rory McILroy: 13-2
Luke Donald: 11-1
Lee Westwood: 11-1
Martin Kaymer: 22-1
Graeme McDowell: 28-1
Steve Stricker: 28-1
Sergio Garcia: 28-1
Charl Schwartzel: 40-1
Phil Mickelson: 40-1
Louis Oosthuiven: 66-1
Ben Curtis: 150-1
Tom Watson: 300-1

British Open Past Winners

This British Open was first played in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. The third of four annual major championships, and the only one played outside of American soil, the Open Championship has seen many great champions in tournament history.

Most recently, South African Louis Oosthuiven played nearly flawless golf over four days at St. Andrews to win his first major championship. The last to win at Royal St. Georges, the site of this year's Championship, was American Ben Curtis, who came out of nowhere to claim victory.

Recent Champions:

2010: Louis Oosthuiven, St. Andrews
2009: Stewart Cink, Turnberry
2008: Padraig Harrington, Royal Birkdale
2007: Padraig Harrington, Carnoustie
2006: Tiger Woods, Hoylake
2005: Tiger Woods, St. Andrews
2004: Todd Hamilton, Royal Troon
2003: Ben Curtis, Royal St. Georges
2002: Ernie Els, Muirfield
2001: David Duval, Royal Lytham and St. Annes
2000: Tiger Woods, St. Andrews

British Open Pairings

World #1 Luke Donald will seek his first major victory at the British Open after winning last week at the Scottish Open. (Getty)

Here is a look at the British Open Pairings and Thursday tee times.

Notable groups:
Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Ernie Els
Luke Donald, Ryo Ishikawa, Sergio Garcia
Graeme McDowell, Jason Day, Bubba "Eiffel Tower" Watson
Lee Westwood, Steve Stricker, Charl Schwartzel
Louis Oosthuiven, Martin Kaymer, Phil Mickelson
Nick Watney, Matteo Manassero, Angel Cabrera

Tiger will not win his 4th British this year

Tiger has announced he is out of the 2011 British Open with injury. It will still be a great tournament with Rory McILroy as the favorite. At least the fans over there can root for Mr. Foreign relations, Bubba Watson.