Bright and early tomorrow morning the dulcet tones of Ivor Robson will kick off the Open Championship, which returns to Hoylake at Royal Liverpool in 2014. Golf, in its purest of forms, will be on display for the World to see, in an increasingly international market. Trying to handicap the field for Major Championship golf has become incredibly arduous with so much talent oozing from all corners of the globe. Here is a glance of who and what to look for this week at The Open.

The Americans Are Coming-

Phil Mickelson returns to the Open as the defending champion. “Lefty” has always been a magician around the greens so it’s actually not that big of a surprise that his creativity is suited to links golf. Mickelson’s combination of length off the tee, paired with his soft touch make him a legitimate threat to defend his title. The difficulty for Phil this week at Hoylake will be to avoid making any big numbers. When Phil struggles, it is often when he gets into trouble off the tee. The mighty winds at Royal Liverpool could prove troublesome for Mickelson.

Tiger Woods makes his 2014 Major Championship debut this week as well. Woods won the Open the last time it was contested at Hoylake in 2006. Tiger struggled at Congressional in his first appearance since coming off back surgery. Woods was reportedly swinging pain-free, which he took as a positive. His short game simply was not sharp enough to contend. It would be tough to expect Tiger to make a run at his 15th Major this week, considering how quickly he returned from injury, and his lengthy inactivity. For now, Woods just needs to focus on making it to the weekend.

Perhaps the brightest chance for American success this week lies with Rickie Fowler, literally. The enigmatic Fowler has always been known for his flashy attire but he has been lighting it up in the Majors recently as well. Top five finishes at the Masters and the U.S. Open have shown that this young man could be the United States next shining star. Fowler has the wherewithal to stay cool under pressure, and the focus to stay in the moment, which can be challenging with links golf. Fowler’s accuracy off the tee will keep him in contention this week.

The Usual Suspects-

Any time the Open Championship is being held on English soil, you can bet all eyes will be on Justin Rose, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald. The truth is there are several other great players from England in this week’s field but this trio remains the Big Three.

Rose comes into this week in top form fresh off victories in his last two starts including last week’s tune-up, the Scottish Open. Oddly enough though, the Open has not been kind to Rose. In fact, since his 4th place finish in his debut in 1998, Rose does not even have a single top 10 at the Open. The 2013 U.S. Open champion will look to change that this week. It will be interesting to see if the pressure of playing with the home course advantage plays a factor.

Westwood has come perilously close to capturing the Open four times in the last decade, including three top 5 finishes in the last five years. He continues to carry the stigma of possibly being the best player in the World to never win a major. Consistency clearly has not been the issue. It just seems that Westwood cannot the close the deal when presented the opportunity. His game is suited to links golf, especially at Hoylake. Westwood has the ability to keep the ball low, which could be a key to his success if harsh winds play a factor.

Donald sports a pair of fifth place finishes at the Open in the last five years. Other than that though, the Majors have proved to be an epic struggle for the Englishman. The biggest hindrance for Donald at the Majors has been length off the tee. His game is built around his tremendous iron play, which should help him at Hoylake. The course measures 7,312 yards, which is actually relatively small by today’s standards. The par-72 course should suit Donald’s short game nicely, perhaps helping him to finally get over the hump.

Who Are These Lads? -

As always, come Sunday, there will undoubtedly be a few names on the Leaderboard, that will leave even the most die-hard golf fans scratching their heads. With that in mind, here are a few guys to keep an eye on this week.

Victor Dubuisson probably does not qualify as a sleeper pick anymore! The Frenchman has gained prominence internationally with his strong play in 2014. Dubuisson burst onto the scene with some incredible escape shots in the closing holes of his runner-up finish at the Match-Play championships in February. Naturally, this type of scrambling ability makes Dubuisson an interesting character to keep an eye on at Royal Liverpool.

Mikko Illonen has certainly taken the long and winding road but his game is rounding into form nicely in 2014. Illonen won the Amateur Championship when it was contested at Hoylake. Granted, that was in 2000, but all positive experiences carry longevity in this game. Illonen followed that up with a 9th place finish at the Open the following year. Much more recently, Illonen captured the Irish Open just last month, and is also coming off a respectable T-16 in last week’s Scottish Open. Look for this Finn to turn some heads this week.

Tommy Fleetwood checks in as the relatively unknown English contender this week. As mentioned, all eyes will be on the Big Three from England. But, chances are that they could struggle, while another local steps in to steal the show. Quite frankly, Fleetwood has struggled immensely as of late. Fleetwood got off to a strong start on the European Tour in 2014 with a runner up finish in China and followed it up with another top-ten the following week. However, since then he has missed four cuts in his last six starts. The good news for Fleetwood, is that none of the finishes matter once they tee it up tomorrow morning.

Summary-

Literally every player in the field has a legitimate shot at Royal Liverpool. That is the beauty of today’s Major Championships. The days of Tiger versus the field are behind us. It’s sure to be an incredibly entertaining week of golf. Don’t forget to set your alarms!