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A new generation emerging at golf's oldest major

AP - Sports
McIlroy and Woods deliver at British Open

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HOYLAKE, England (AP) -- Even when he's not the favorite, Tiger Woods is still the show at the British Open.






''Tiger ruined a lot of guys' lives,'' Charles Howell III, a longtime friend of Woods who lived through those times, said earlier in the year. ''He caused a lot of people some sleepless Sunday nights. But he also motivated an entire generation behind him.''




''Looking at the different amount of winners in the last five years at the major championships, we're seeing so many players win,'' Henrik Stenson said Wednesday. It's so competitive. At some point there might have been 20 guys battling out for it. And now it feels like anyone in the field can win if they have a great week. So it's definitely tighter.''


''He's just one of the guys I need to beat if I want to do well this week,'' Stenson said. ''But it's a good start if you know you can beat him.''




Does he bring intimidation?

The Open is his next opportunity to see if he can regain the mystique that a younger generation has yet to experience. Matt Kuchar, who played a practice round with Woods on Sunday, doesn't think it will take much. He's not sure Woods ever lost it.

''The kids today grew up idolizing him,'' Kuchar said. ''He gets back on form again, I don't think that intimidation factor is gone at all. These are the kids that grew up watching him and wanting to be him.''

Kuchar said it can be intimidating to play alongside, although Patrick Reed sure wasn't flustered having Woods in the group ahead of him at Doral, and Spieth didn't looked rattled when he shot 63 at Torrey Pines (the North Course) with Woods in his group.


''You're saying a different intimidation for the guys who are now just coming up and just watched it on TV as opposed to my generation that were actually losing by 10 to it?'' Kuchar said with a laugh. ''I'm not sure. If I was to go shoot baskets with Michael Jordan right now, I would be pretty intimidated. So it's probably similar. The guys that played against him and got scored 40 on probably have a similar feeling to me in the awe that surrounds a guy like that.''

It all unfolds on Thursday, where the only mystery greater than Woods in the English weather. The final day of practice featured sunshine and rain. Hoylake when it's green is there to be attacked - it's the only course on the Open rotation with four par 5s. The greens are not severe. The fairways are relatively flat, which makes them more fair.

All eyes will be on Woods, and there's nothing unusual about that. The difference is that no one is sure what they will see.

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