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Harrington opens title defence with Leonard

14/07/2008

Defending Open champion Padraig Harrington will begin his title defence alongside former winner Justin Leonard in one of the early groups to tee-off on Thursday.

The two players, whose Open victories came exactly a decade apart - Leonard's at Royal Troon in 1997 and Harrington's at Carnoustie last year - will join South Africa's Retief Goosen in the three-man group going off at 07:58 BST in the first two rounds.

The first ball of the 137th Open will be struck by Australia's Craig Parry, who is part of the first group teeing off at 06:30 with Lucas Glover of the United States and England's Simon Dyson.

Home hope Justin Rose will aim to recapture the form he enjoyed as a 17-year-old amateur in the last Open to be played at Royal Birkdale when he finished fourth in 1998.

He is grouped with former winner Tom Watson, who won the last of his five titles at the same course in 1983, and Australian Aaron Baddeley - teeing off at 07:36.

Englishman Lee Westwood goes off at 08:58 alongside big-name Korean KJ Choi and 2003 Open winner Ben Curtis.

And the last British winner of the Open, 1999 champion Paul Lawrie, will tee-off in a group with Argentinean Angel Cabrera and Rocco Mediate of the USA.

The American will be looking to bounce back after his disappointment in the last major, when he lost a playoff in the US Open to Tiger Woods last month.