TIGER Woods may not be present at this year's British Open after undergoing season-ending knee surgery, but old friend Mark O'Meara is sure he will be tuning in to TV coverage.

Asked if Woods would be keeping an eye on events at Royal Birkdale, O'Meara, who won the last time the tournament was held here in 1998 said: "Oh, yeah, he loves golf. He's dying. He wanted to be here so bad.

"I remember winning the Open in '98 and flying back with him on his plane and the first thing he said as the plane was taking off headed towards the States, he wanted to see the Claret Jug.

"He wanted to get his hands on it because he was one shot out of the playoff and now he's won it three times.

"I knew he'd win it three times ... and his name is going to be on there many more times to come."
The 51-year-old American who tied for 60th at Carnoustie last year said the main difference to the course compared to when he won a decade ago was that the fairways are narrower and the rough is thicker from all the rain that has fallen recently.

"I would say the course is a couple of shots harder than it was in '98 -- that's for sure."

The other thing that has changed for him, he added is that there is no Woods, but that he said would have been much the same even if the world No1 had been playing. -- AFP