Five to watch at Turnberry

Age: 33
British Open starts: 13
Cuts made:13
Low score: 64
Best finish: 1st (2000, 2005, 2006)
Case: The heavy favorite, as always. But it’s too easy - and not much fun - to pick Woods to win every big tournament. This much we know: If he plays well, he’s the man to beat. This marks the first time he has arrived at a major championship having never played the golf course since the 2006 British Open at Royal Liverpool. How did that work out? Woods won by two. Plus, think about this: For the first time since 2004, Woods doesn’t have any of the major championship trophies sitting above his fireplace. I’m guessing that doesn’t sit well with him.

Age: 36
British Open starts: 14
Cuts made: 10
Low score: 67
Best finish: 4th (2004)
Case: Paired with Tiger Woods the first two days, maybe Westwood can take a page from NASCAR and draft his way toward the top of the leaderboard. He’s accustomed to playing in and contending in major tournaments: finished a shot out of the Woods-Rocco Mediate US Open playoff last year, and had a favorable showing (T23) at Bethpage Black last month. I don’t think we can appreciate how much pressure is put on the Brits to win the British Open. Westwood certainly has the chops to become a major championship winner. Is it finally his time?

Age: 27
British Open starts: 4
Cuts made: 3
Low score: 65
Best finish: T-6th (2007)
Case: It seems the only thing Mahan hasn’t done this year is win, and that figures to change very soon. In his past seven tournaments, dating to The Players Championship, Mahan has improved each start: T71, T45, T27, T14, T6, T4, 2. The sixth-place tie came at the US Open, the tie for fourth came near Hartford at the Travelers Championship, and his second came two weeks ago at the AT&T National, where he finished a shot behind Tiger Woods. He’s gone low, too: a final-round 62 at Congressional, and a 63 and 64 at TPC River Highlands.

Age: 33
British Open starts: 8
Cuts made: 7
Low score: 69
Best finish: 2d (2008)
Case: If the conditions get tough and low scores become hard to find, Poulter might be more of a threat. He’s only broken 70 five times in 30 British Open rounds, and all five of those scores were 69. But he was tied for the British Open lead with just a few holes to play last year, before Padraig Harrington seized control. Poulter tied for 18th at Bethpage Black, tied for 20th at the Masters this year, and, you might forget, was second at The Players Championship. Big events, obviously, don’t faze him. Other than his runner-up finish last year, he doesn’t have any other top-10 finishes at the British.

Age: 29
British Open starts: 12
Cuts made: 9
Low score: 65
Best finish: 2d (2007)
Case: I can think of a dozen reasons why he shouldn’t be picked to win, and not many why he should. His record in this event, for the most part, is exemplary: he has six top-10 finishes the past eight years, including fifth-place ties in 2005 and 2006, and the runner-up finish in 2007, when he coughed up a three-stroke lead in the final round and lost to Padraig Harrington in a playoff. Garcia tied for 10th at the US Open, his best finish on the PGA Tour this year. When it comes to Garcia, there’s usually drama. A victory in a major would definitely make for must-see TV.