Sandwich, July 16: World number one Tiger Woods accepts he will need a lucky rub of the fairways as well as the green if he is to win this week's British Open Golf Championships which begin at Sandwich on Thursday (July 17). The world number one entered the tournament last year on course for a grand slam of all four majors but gale force winds and rain at Muirfield blew that dream away. He has not won one since. The Royal St George's links course on the south-east coast 100 kilometres east of London has been lengthened since the Open was last played here in 1993 and Woods fears the sharp wind and baked, undulating fairways could make golf something of a lottery. "You have to hit the ball well," he said. "I mean, you can't go out and hit poor shot and expect to win this championship, the golf course is just too demanding. You've got to hit good quality shots, and there is certainly a luck factor in any links course because you are going to hit some bad shots and hopefully you'll get a good bounce here and there and hit some good shots and get a bad bounce, that's just part of the deal of playing links golf, you understand that. Not to get agitated by it, but just move on and go back to business." At 27 years old, he has won all four of golf's majors at least twice with the exception of the British Open which he captured at St Andrews three years ago with eight shots to spare, the biggest margin since 1913.


One of his main rivals is likely to be defending champion and world number two Ernie Els of South Africa. "I don't think we have that big a rivalry yet, it's going to take time to develop into one," said Woods. "He's a hell of a player, and Ernie and I have probably faced off in more head-to-head battles then anyone I've ever played against since I turned pro, which isn't that long, six or seven years.


But we've certainly gone head-to-head a few times and it's been a lot of fun, I can tell you that because you know that he's a hell of a player and you know that you have to play really well to beat him."


Woods says he is entering the tournament on a high after his five-shot victory two weeks ago in the 100th Western Open and a fourth win in 10 U.S PGA tour starts in 2003.


"I feel very good, I feel very good about my game, my form has been pretty good and very similar to how I've been playing in the past going into the Open Championship."


Contenders for the title include a number of ex-champions; Australian Greg Norman, winner of the last Open to be played at Sandwich in 1993, three-time champion Nick Faldo of Great Britain, Zimbabwe's Nick Price and Americans John Daly and Tom Watson will all be taking part.


This year's two first-time major winners Masters' champion Mike Weir of Canada and Jim Furyk of the USA are expected to be strong challengers, though Furyk is still trying to unravel the mysteries of the links course.


"I think it's alright, I don't want to pass judgement properly," said the US Open champion. "I've seen the course twice now, there still a hole or two out there that I'm not baffled by but there still a hole or two I really want to see again to know how to play it. I want to see how it's set up for the tournament and then I'll pass judgement."


Bureau Report