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DARE we hope for another home-based winner when Padraig Harrington defends the Open title he won so gloriously a year ago?

Thursday is the start of the first LATW major - life after Tiger Woods - when the whole field will fancy their chances in his absence. The shadow of the player on target to become the first person to accumulate a billion dollars through sporting prowess alone will inevitably hang over the event.

Woods, who won the US Open earlier in the summer on one leg, is out for the rest of the year at least which will give others a chance of getting in on golf's rich rewards after the great man earned $115m in 2007, almost twice as much as his nearest rival David Beckham.

Lee Westwood probably has the best chance of any Brit while Graeme McDowell will aim to carry on where he left off at the visually stunning Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

My own favourite would be Ernie Els, that gentle giant of the golf course.

And thank goodness it's all on the BBC with their incomparable commentary team of Peter Allis, prone to the odd gaffe which is part of his great charm, Ken Brown, with whom Allis shares a lovely rapport, the raspingly witty Sam Torrance and the estimable Wayne Grady. It should be a real treat.

12:29pm Tuesday 15th July 2008

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