:01:25. > :01:28.Liverpool's parched fairways were scorched by the sun and the
:01:29. > :01:33.relentless control of Tiger Woods on his way to a third Open title. Now
:01:34. > :01:40.he is back and so are we at Hoylake on the Wirral peninsula for the
:01:41. > :01:43.143rd Open Championship. Golf's most famous trophy has been in the
:01:44. > :01:48.possession of Phil Mickelson over the last 12 months after his
:01:49. > :01:51.brilliant whirlwind round at Muirfield last year. On Monday, the
:01:52. > :01:59.five times metre champion had to hand it back. -- major champion.
:02:00. > :02:04.Coming back to the Open Championship as a past champion, it feels so much
:02:05. > :02:08.better, so different than it did before when the questions were, I do
:02:09. > :02:14.go to get over the hump and play links golf effectively? Coming back
:02:15. > :02:19.as a past champion, I have already accomplished the links golf
:02:20. > :02:25.challenge. But the memories and emotions that were created last year
:02:26. > :02:30.were so strong and I love reliving it, I love watching the replay is. I
:02:31. > :02:35.would love nothing more than to create more memories, more emotions,
:02:36. > :02:40.more experiences like last year. Back-to-back champions include
:02:41. > :02:43.Padraig Harrington, Arnold Palmer, it would be lovely to join them,
:02:44. > :02:47.wouldn't it? I am getting way ahead of myself
:02:48. > :02:54.even saying that, but it would be special, just the fact that I won
:02:55. > :02:58.this tournament wants. Mickelson's win last year came after
:02:59. > :03:05.20 years of trying to fully master links golf but no Championship that
:03:06. > :03:09.includes 90 of the world's best 100 golfers want to take away his title.
:03:10. > :03:40.-- but now a Championship. No doubt about the inform player
:03:41. > :03:43.coming to high lake, England's Justin Rose.
:03:44. > :03:48.Hot from his victory at the Scottish Open at the Royal Aberdeen at the
:03:49. > :03:51.weekend and before that the Congressional in America.
:03:52. > :03:56.Two wins in his last two starts, he has no word on that before, and now
:03:57. > :04:01.he is going for a rare hat-trick. Justin Rose, Open champion favourite
:04:02. > :04:06.- how does that sound? Yes, it sounds a little surreal. I
:04:07. > :04:10.have dreamt about playing this tournament as a kid and now I am
:04:11. > :04:14.coming in here with the billing of the favourite. My view is I would
:04:15. > :04:18.still rather go out and play golf and try and win it with my golf
:04:19. > :04:22.clubs than if someone gave me 12-1 rolling the dice. I would still take
:04:23. > :04:27.my odds with the golf clubs. When you are playing so well, are
:04:28. > :04:31.you a man who tinkers or do you think, I will just go read there and
:04:32. > :04:33.do what I did the week before and hopefully that will work?
:04:34. > :04:38.Every golf course presented different challenge and you have to
:04:39. > :04:43.understand it. I see this week as a fresh slate, I have to rebuild. You
:04:44. > :04:48.have to work your way into the week. I wonder how hard it is this week
:04:49. > :04:51.when everyone is talking about that favourite tag, to just concentrate
:04:52. > :04:56.on shot number one on Thursday and not think about what might happen at
:04:57. > :05:00.the weekend. To be honest, being the favourite
:05:01. > :05:03.does not pan out most of the time for any player, anyway. I will write
:05:04. > :05:07.it off, to be honest with you. I cannot wait to get to the golf
:05:08. > :05:10.course, if that makes sense. Hopefully the playing should be easy
:05:11. > :05:14.part. It has not been a great British
:05:15. > :05:18.summer - World Cup, Wimbledon, Tour de France, the cricket - can you
:05:19. > :05:23.sort out the golf for us? I am definitely going to try. It is
:05:24. > :05:26.special to play an Open in England. The last couple of summers of
:05:27. > :05:31.British sport have been fantastic. It is all up to me now.
:05:32. > :05:35.We know that Justin says it has not been a great summer for English
:05:36. > :05:40.board spent, but does he have enough gas left in the tank to try and
:05:41. > :05:43.bridge the gap back to Nick Faldo? He comes in with incredible
:05:44. > :05:47.confidence winning the Congressional, which is a super golf
:05:48. > :05:50.course in America. He won there, he was the Scottish Open winner, so he
:05:51. > :05:53.was the Scottish Open winner, Sony has come in with a lot of
:05:54. > :05:58.confidence. He knows he has the strategy, I see no reason why not.
:05:59. > :06:04.He is the top English Open, no doubt about that. Hyde fourth as amateur
:06:05. > :06:11.but no top tens as a professional. He did not play here in 2006, he was
:06:12. > :06:15.having at lean time of it then. His career has moved on since then,
:06:16. > :06:20.his game has moved on, he has more confidence. I don't think the pastor
:06:21. > :06:27.will make any difference to him. Rory McIlroy was on his holiday with
:06:28. > :06:31.his mum and dad the last time the Open Championship was staged there.
:06:32. > :06:34.Does the tight links here at Hoylake suit his power game?
:06:35. > :06:39.It will be very interesting. You often find a power player on the
:06:40. > :06:41.shortest golf course it can work for them.
:06:42. > :06:46.It was a little softer this year it was last time we played it in 2006.
:06:47. > :06:54.It will enable him on occasions to take out his driver and cut a few
:06:55. > :06:57.doglegs and run through the fairway. He has been a little up and down
:06:58. > :07:01.with his consistency, played some building brands and hats the odd
:07:02. > :07:04.poor one, but he is a major winner, a great player and the crowd will be
:07:05. > :07:10.roaring for him. The bookies are being no doubt, they
:07:11. > :07:17.have put -- Justin Rose as 14-1 favourite with Rory second
:07:18. > :07:36.favourite. The bookies like Rory's chancers, but does he?
:07:37. > :07:43.My first Open was in 2007 at honesty as an amateur. Since then it has
:07:44. > :07:47.been disappointing. I should do better because I grew up on some of
:07:48. > :07:51.the best links courses in the world in Northern Ireland. -- at
:07:52. > :07:56.Carnoustie. I guess I have to adapt a little bit better to this style of
:07:57. > :08:00.golf. Playing the Scottish Open last week will definitely help that and I
:08:01. > :08:04.will be more links ready. I feel like my game is in good shape. If I
:08:05. > :08:10.can string four rounds together it would be nice come it will be
:08:11. > :08:12.helpful. I feel like I am playing well for three, three and a half
:08:13. > :08:14.rounds that tournament is these days, just not quite getting on a
:08:15. > :08:21.stretch of holes that can little bit. If I can just get rid of
:08:22. > :08:25.that and string four rounds together I should not be far away. Do you
:08:26. > :08:30.remember the first time you played here at Hoylake?
:08:31. > :08:35.I do, back in 2003 in the British boys. I did not stay long, I got
:08:36. > :08:40.beaten in the first round. It is great to be back. It looks in great
:08:41. > :08:42.shape and it is shaping up to be a great week.
:08:43. > :08:46.What would it mean to win your third major Championship here this week?
:08:47. > :08:49.It would mean a lot. I guess it would be three legs of the career of
:08:50. > :08:56.the land slam, which is very important to me. -- the career grand
:08:57. > :09:01.slam. Not many players have won four major championships. If I can get
:09:02. > :09:03.one step closer to that this week it would be huge.
:09:04. > :09:06.BBC Radio 5 Live's golf correspondent Iain Carter, up with
:09:07. > :09:11.someone who knows the world number eight very well indeed, the European
:09:12. > :09:15.Ryder Cup captain for the match in September, Paul McGinlay.
:09:16. > :09:20.He is getting more experienced, he is becoming more accustomed to
:09:21. > :09:25.winning major championships, he will grow to love the British Open, that
:09:26. > :09:28.is for sure. I know he has said he finds it very difficult but he will
:09:29. > :09:32.grow to love it, we all do. He is very motivated and really enjoys
:09:33. > :09:37.what he does. The other thing that is so striking
:09:38. > :09:40.is the number of headlines he makes. All of the hullabaloo around him.
:09:41. > :09:44.But he seems to cope with it very well.
:09:45. > :09:48.He is in the spotlight and he knows that. It is important egos and lives
:09:49. > :09:52.his life. No matter what he does, people comment on it whether it is
:09:53. > :09:57.good, bad or indifferent. It is important he is happy in itself and
:09:58. > :10:00.does what he wants to do. Fabulous playing from Rory McIlroy,
:10:01. > :10:04.magnificent golf. It is good to win a big tournament
:10:05. > :10:09.again. He has had a bit of a lull, he had a good win in Australia last
:10:10. > :10:13.year, then to win that flagship event was big boost for him going
:10:14. > :10:17.forward. I would not surprise -- be surprised to see him picking up a
:10:18. > :10:20.major before the end of the year. How do you feel preparations are
:10:21. > :10:24.going for the Ryder Cup? They are going well, looking at the
:10:25. > :10:28.list of guys qualifying, a lot of them are established guys.
:10:29. > :10:31.The form in summer is great, the form in September will be what we
:10:32. > :10:35.are looking for. We can spark off each other, that is what is
:10:36. > :10:37.important. The competition is helpful.
:10:38. > :10:40.And the Open Championship going to Portrush, as an Irishman you must be
:10:41. > :10:46.happy? Yes, it is one of my favourite golf
:10:47. > :10:51.courses in the world. I used to love playing up there. I played great in
:10:52. > :10:58.a final price, but I have never won it. I love it, there are no tricks
:10:59. > :11:02.to it, but tremendous that it is going back to Northern Ireland. It
:11:03. > :11:06.will be a very worthy host. Yes, the Open going back to Royal
:11:07. > :11:12.Portrush for the first time since 1951 and we understand it will be
:11:13. > :11:15.2019 at the earliest. Good news. Also good news, Tiger Woods
:11:16. > :11:22.confirmed he will be playing here at the Open Championship. The 14 time
:11:23. > :11:27.major Championship -- major champion had surgery on his back for a
:11:28. > :11:30.pinched nerve in March and having missed the Masters and the US Open
:11:31. > :11:34.it is great to see him back here at Hoylake. Remember, he has only
:11:35. > :11:40.played two rounds into this latest comeback. He has been talking to Dan
:11:41. > :11:44.Walker. Mr Woods, how nice is it to be in a
:11:45. > :11:47.place you have seen it, won it, done it before?
:11:48. > :11:52.It is very nice. It is very different this year. Last time we
:11:53. > :11:57.played it was hot and dry, almost a dust bowl. It was so much faster
:11:58. > :12:03.than it is now. We have forecast rain for the weekend.
:12:04. > :12:07.The conditions of your golf swing, and your life, are very different to
:12:08. > :12:11.that time eight years ago, are they not question might yes, it was a
:12:12. > :12:17.very tough period of my life. I lost my father, that was the last
:12:18. > :12:22.major theatre on replay. I didn't not play well, then I creamed year
:12:23. > :12:26.and played well. -- then I came here.
:12:27. > :12:31.And your injury? As I get stronger and out of --
:12:32. > :12:35.faster I can start getting it at the third again. I am starting to speed
:12:36. > :12:39.back I am used to. Don't take this the wrong way but there are some
:12:40. > :12:41.people who don't think you have a chance of winning another Claret
:12:42. > :12:44.Jug. Is part of your motivation this week
:12:45. > :12:45.that you can prove a lot people wrong?
:12:46. > :12:51.I have never looked wrong?
:12:52. > :12:55.I have always looked that I have a chance of winning I have won 14 of
:12:56. > :12:59.these things and hopefully I can ever 15. Thank you for talking to
:13:00. > :13:02.us. And that many tomorrow it will be
:13:03. > :13:07.fascinating to see him in major action again in the company of Angel
:13:08. > :13:12.Cabrera and world number two Henrik Stenson.
:13:13. > :13:21.9:26am is the call time for Rory McIlroy out with Jordan Spieth and
:13:22. > :13:29.Hideki Matsui Amer. At 2:05pm it is the turn of Phil
:13:30. > :13:31.Mickelson with Ernie els and a double Masters champion Bubba
:13:32. > :13:35.Watson. Heavy on talent, that trio. Just
:13:36. > :13:39.before 2:30pm, another major winning line-up with world number one Adam
:13:40. > :13:45.Scott, Justin Rose and reigning US PGA Championship Jason Dufner.
:13:46. > :13:49.Play begins here, 6:25am and it will be David Howell who will have the
:13:50. > :13:55.honour of getting is underway in the 143rd Open Championship. Now, blown
:13:56. > :14:00.by mighty winds and breeder of mighty champions. That is how
:14:01. > :14:04.Bernard Darwin described Hoylake but Andrew Cotter for one was hoping not
:14:05. > :14:08.to be buffeted by those mighty winds when he took an aerial tour of our
:14:09. > :14:18.surroundings here on the Wirral the other day.
:14:19. > :14:25.The first thing you notice when you come up in the air, looking down, is
:14:26. > :14:30.how much greener the courses than it was in 2006, when it was brown,
:14:31. > :14:36.yellow and a bit more burned. 1869 is when the club was founded. Two
:14:37. > :14:40.years later it was given its royal name, Royal Liverpool golf club.
:14:41. > :14:45.It's a very flat course, built on the site of an old Racecourse. The
:14:46. > :14:48.first hole as the members play, the third for the professionals, was the
:14:49. > :14:54.finishing straight of the Racecourse. This is a place of the
:14:55. > :14:58.origins of golf. 1872 saw the first professional tournament in England.
:14:59. > :15:02.1845 saw the first amateur Championship. There was a matchplay
:15:03. > :15:07.between Great Britain and Ireland, and the United States, which would
:15:08. > :15:12.go on to become the Walker cup. Massey became the first winner and
:15:13. > :15:18.he named his daughter Hoylake, lovely girl(!) Lets tell you more
:15:19. > :15:22.about this place. It sits right on the corner of the Wirral, at the
:15:23. > :15:26.mouth of the street. At the other side, you have the Mersey. The name
:15:27. > :15:41.of the Wirral comes from the old English word for bog and corner.
:15:42. > :15:45.It's the Open Championship venue nearest to a major city. It's just
:15:46. > :15:52.eight miles to Liverpool in the north-east. In 2006 they had over
:15:53. > :15:55.100,000 for the week. Only St Andrews gets more of a crowd than
:15:56. > :15:59.Hoylake. That is what it looks like from the
:16:00. > :16:04.air. This is what it looks like from our studio. Haven't Germany had a
:16:05. > :16:07.great summer so far? A fourth World Cup in Brazil at the weekend. Their
:16:08. > :16:14.success story really began with Martin Kaymer's thumping victory at
:16:15. > :16:21.the US open at Pinehurst. The footballers said how much it
:16:22. > :16:25.inspired them. It was his second title since May. So, could he
:16:26. > :16:30.continued Germany's hot streak at Hoylake?
:16:31. > :16:36.The open, it is one of those weeks where you can play great golf, but
:16:37. > :16:43.you need luck as well. You need a bit of luck with the bouncers, the
:16:44. > :16:47.weather. You need to be fortunate once in a while. You need one of
:16:48. > :16:51.those lower rounds than all of the other guys. When you have one of
:16:52. > :16:58.those OK days, you need to stay in it. You can only hope that those
:16:59. > :17:02.things all work out together. Hopefully you have a chance. At the
:17:03. > :17:08.end of the day, if I have a chance on Sunday, it's all you can ask for.
:17:09. > :17:10.Players champion, US open champion, all people
:17:11. > :17:15.Players champion, US open champion, is the World Cup victory. To see
:17:16. > :17:19.them succeeding, the way they play football and now they have won the
:17:20. > :17:24.World Cup, it's a big inspiration. I'm very proud to be German and to
:17:25. > :17:28.be, kind of like, part of it. I see myself as a German athlete. It's
:17:29. > :17:36.been a good couple of months for Germany. Second major in the summer,
:17:37. > :17:40.will that get noticed in Germany? I still think I will not become the
:17:41. > :17:44.athlete of the year, because of what happened with the World Cup. But it
:17:45. > :17:49.would give me a lot of satisfaction. I think there will be a lot of
:17:50. > :17:55.recognition. I think there will be very proud there.
:17:56. > :18:06.Nobody has won back-to-back majors in the men's game since Padre
:18:07. > :18:14.Carrick some -- Patrick Harrison. Well, he tried to change his swing
:18:15. > :18:18.and lost his way a little bit. He dropped out of the top 16. The last
:18:19. > :18:32.year or so, he's gone back to those nice, safe swings. He's been very
:18:33. > :18:37.predictable off the tee. You're coming with great form and a lot of
:18:38. > :18:41.confidence. No doubt he will be the man to beat. This course becomes a
:18:42. > :18:47.little bit more open when it's windy. If it's nice weather, I think
:18:48. > :18:51.you'll be there. He's one of the top European hopefuls. There are no
:18:52. > :18:56.fewer than 18 Europeans in the top 50. Iain Carter has been casting his
:18:57. > :19:00.eye over the best of them. Henrik Stenson is a major winner in
:19:01. > :19:04.waiting after claiming the PGA play-offs and the race to Dubai.
:19:05. > :19:11.Last year, the world and that he was second at Muirfield. Sergio Garcia
:19:12. > :19:18.is still waiting for a major. Last time, he was in the final group but
:19:19. > :19:21.faded with a closing 73. Luke Donald is struggling for consistency and it
:19:22. > :19:26.will take an upturn in recent form if he is to improve on his best open
:19:27. > :19:32.performances, two fifth-place finishes. It is that opens where Ian
:19:33. > :19:36.Poulter has looked closest to reproducing Ryder Cup heroics,
:19:37. > :19:41.second in 2008 and he came close again last year with a final day
:19:42. > :19:47.charge. That was a day when Lee Westwood had led by two going into
:19:48. > :19:52.the closing round. The nearly man fell short again, recording yet
:19:53. > :19:59.another major top ten. Still fighting fit at 50, Spain's Jimenez
:20:00. > :20:05.could become the oldest winner of the Claret jug. The 2010 US open
:20:06. > :20:08.champion Graeme McDowell heads to Hoylake in fine form after
:20:09. > :20:12.successfully defending his French Open title. Paul Casey's results
:20:13. > :20:15.continue to improve. A strong performance here might catch the eye
:20:16. > :20:20.of the Ryder Cup skipper, Paul McGinley. And Wales's Jamie
:20:21. > :20:24.Donaldson makes only his fourth appearance, but knows how to win on
:20:25. > :20:29.the links, having claimed the Irish open at Portrush.
:20:30. > :20:33.Right at the top of the pile, amongst the top ten, you have four
:20:34. > :20:58.Europeans. Adam Scott has been tantalisingly
:20:59. > :21:04.close to the Claret Joke as well. -- Jug. Are you ready for another open
:21:05. > :21:09.challenge? It's a great time of year, I love The Open. I've been
:21:10. > :21:12.enjoying getting a good feel for the golf course. That's what I've done
:21:13. > :21:15.the last couple of years. I've come here and really enjoyed playing some
:21:16. > :21:21.different styles of golf and embraced it. It's rewarded me with a
:21:22. > :21:25.couple of chances to win. That's really positive for me. I would like
:21:26. > :21:32.that to continue this week, and give myself a chance. When you look back,
:21:33. > :21:37.do you almost feel you need to win it so that you can banish the
:21:38. > :21:42.memories of what went wrong? To be honest, I don't think about it that
:21:43. > :21:48.much. I think when the day comes, when I do happen to win the The
:21:49. > :21:53.Open, it might take my mind off it as the one that really slipped away.
:21:54. > :21:56.It's a shame, because you don't know if those opportunities are going to
:21:57. > :22:00.come around like that. But I'm playing really great and I can pop
:22:01. > :22:06.factor that this week with four good days. US Masters champion last year,
:22:07. > :22:09.world number one this year, how I view enjoying life at the top of the
:22:10. > :22:13.tree? I've thoroughly enjoyed the last couple of months as number one,
:22:14. > :22:18.playing as number one. It is motivating for me to try to play
:22:19. > :22:25.even better. Hopefully, I can live up to that as well. We have come
:22:26. > :22:33.inside to the commentary book, Frank is going to be part of our team once
:22:34. > :22:37.again. Tell us about the Antipodean challenge. It's getting stronger.
:22:38. > :22:43.World number one, Adam Scott, he had a great summer in Australia. You've
:22:44. > :22:48.got another links golf course, could have won last year, could have won
:22:49. > :22:55.the year before, maybe third year that the. Day, many people think his
:22:56. > :23:00.time is coming. But he had some injury problems? He was my pick to
:23:01. > :23:05.do something outstanding. But the thumb injury, it's fine now, he took
:23:06. > :23:10.the appropriate amount of time off. He carries a driving iron, a regular
:23:11. > :23:15.club in his bag, and that is one that you will need. The Aussies have
:23:16. > :23:39.echoes of the past, Thomson having won a third in a row at Hoylake. If
:23:40. > :23:42.it's not going to be New Zealand, who is your pick? We had three
:23:43. > :23:51.straight 40 somethings. Jim Furyk played well in 2006. I think it's
:23:52. > :24:01.going to be the younger guys. Jordan Spieth is also on form. Jordan
:24:02. > :24:12.Spieth, aged 20. I turned pro two years ago. This will be my do you
:24:13. > :24:17.feel golf, as a sport, really needs a young, vibrant start, right in the
:24:18. > :24:25.middle? I don't feel any extra pressure outside of I would like to
:24:26. > :24:33.get another year. I've had a lot of close calls and whenever anybody
:24:34. > :24:43.else says anything, good or bad, I try to What did you learn out of
:24:44. > :24:49.that? I was in a position that I've dreamt about, way earlier than I
:24:50. > :24:54.could have imagined being there. The greater young hope of American golf.
:24:55. > :25:04.He lives up to his billing. I did a lot of things right and it could
:25:05. > :25:13.have gone my way as easily as it did . Very field-based golf is what I
:25:14. > :25:17.group trying to do. Often it comes down to putting? I would say the
:25:18. > :25:21.Open Championship, more than any other one in the world, is a ball
:25:22. > :25:36.strikers tournament. If you are striking the ball well, keeping it
:25:37. > :25:42.on those greens, par is the worst you are going to get. Now, Jordan
:25:43. > :25:51.Spieth is a rising star. How is he viewed in America? The great hope. A
:25:52. > :25:56.steady player, he's not sitting on a powder keg like some players when
:25:57. > :26:02.they go around the golf course. He's very steady, physically he's very
:26:03. > :26:08.talented. One of four Americans in the top ten. Top is Bubba Watson. A
:26:09. > :26:14.lot of people think that it will indulge his creativity, but might it
:26:15. > :26:17.stifle it? He will, Bubba Watson will have to be disciplined. He
:26:18. > :26:25.reminds you of somebody that is sitting on a powder keg, with the
:26:26. > :26:30.fuse lit. I think he's going to have to be really discipline to play
:26:31. > :26:49.well. Who is your pick of the Americans? I like Matt Crutcher
:26:50. > :26:56.Kuchar. Everybody remembers Tiger hitting off all of the Tees. I think
:26:57. > :27:06.the players are going to play short of the bunkers, playing to the
:27:07. > :27:13.strength of the guys like Jim Furyk and Johnson. Where do you stand on
:27:14. > :27:19.Tiger's state of readiness? He looks good, I've watched him swing. His
:27:20. > :27:23.swing looks powerful. I don't think he is favouring anything. Other than
:27:24. > :27:28.the rest, that's a big plus. We'll be looking forward to seeing him and
:27:29. > :27:33.everybody else. It all kicks off much sooner than you might think. We
:27:34. > :27:40.will be on air, 9am on BBC Two and we will not be going off until 8pm.
:27:41. > :27:44.Same is true of Friday. Saturday, 10am start. There are a couple of
:27:45. > :27:45.channel changers, but we will keep you right. Sunday's decisive fourth
:27:46. > :28:11.round gets going at 10:30. In 2006, Tiger Woods gave us one of
:28:12. > :28:18.the greatest displays of open golf ever seen. Over 230,000 people came
:28:19. > :28:24.to see it at Hoylake. On Sunday night, this gigantic wraparound
:28:25. > :28:28.grandstand will be full again to welcome Royal Liverpool's 10th open
:28:29. > :28:35.champion. It could be Tiger, but then it could be anyone of 155 other
:28:36. > :29:12.open wannabes. See you then. Goodbye for now.
:29:13. > :29:27.through the clouds for television's most ambitious experiment.
:29:28. > :29:32.With this, we're going to be able to see the weather from the inside.