O'Meara Back at Birkdale Without Buddy

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British Open Preview

The Washington Post's Len Shapiro previews the 137th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

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"It will be six months, and six months always seems like an eternity, more so for Tiger Woods than anyone else. Trust me. It's harder for him to sit at home or do his rehab than it is for him to be out here competing, because what he lives for is not necessarily the media and the fans. He lives for being inside the ropes and he lives for the competition. He lives for winning.

"We miss that, and I don't get tired of it. I think only because I feel privileged to have been around him, to kind of be sort of his big brother, to understand what he goes through day in and day out and what he has to live under. I know he makes a lot of money and I know he's famous and I know he does all the commercials. I've seen it all. But you know what? I don't know how he does it, to be honest with you. You have to be special, and he is special."

O'Meara also knows this week's event without Woods in the field is "kind of semi-wide open, yes, but there are some other players yet to have won a tournament of this magnitude that are very talented and are probably going to be in the mix this week."

He didn't mention any names, but clearly he had to be referring to players like Sergio Garcia, who lost a playoff in the Open last year at Carnoustie and is the betting choice of the legal bookmakers in this corner of the world to win his first major title. Lee Westwood, another non-major winner, is probably England's best hope, particularly after finishing a shot out of the Woods-Mediate playoff at Torrey Pines last month.

Phil Mickelson, ranked No 2 in the world, would also be a popular choice now that he's come to his senses and put a driver back in his bag after leaving it out at Torrey Pines until he was hopelessly out of contention on the weekend. But Mickelson has played in 15 Opens with only one top-10 finish, placing third at Royal Troon in 2004, and last year he missed the cut at Carnoustie, still not fully recovered from a wrist injury he incurred practicing for the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont.

Still, Mickelson is definitely worth wagering a few quid on, as is another semi-dark horse who wowed the galleries in the Nation's Capital with his swashbuckling panache and his play two weeks ago in winning the AT&T National. That would be 23-year-old Anthony Kim, winner of two of his last five tournaments, including the one at Congressional hosted by his own childhood idol, none other than Tiger Woods.

If Woods can't be here, Kim almost certainly would be Mark O'Meara's choice. He's also served in a mentoring role to Kim ever since they played together in a tournament last December. Kim has credited O'Meara, among others, with helping him get serious about golf after a rookie season of partying his way around the tour.

"When I left that tournament after playing three days with Anthony," O'Meara said, "I called a bunch of people, Tiger included. I said 'you know what, this kid is the best young player I've seen come along beside Tiger Woods.' He has the most skill, the most talent. He seems like he's got an attitude, but he's not afraid. So I'm not surprised to see what Anthony has done this year. He just doesn't have many weaknesses, and I think he's going to continue to grow and play. He's got all the skills to win a major championship."

Leonard Shapiro can be reached at Len.Shapiro@washingtonpost.com.