If Perthshire’s Bradley Neil wants to pick up tips on how to make the transition from outstanding amateur to successful pro, he couldn’t have hoped for a better draw in this year’s Open Championship.
The 18-year-old British Amateur champion will play for the first two days with Matteo Manassero, who won the same title as Neil just five years ago.
The pair will tee off at 8.04am on Thursday with Finland’s Mikko Illonen, who is also a previous British Amateur winner.
In the long term, the Blairgowrie Golf Club member would love to have as successful a career at Manassero has already enjoyed in the paid ranks, but his short-term goal will be emulating the Italian’s achievement as the reigning Amateur champion.
At 16 Manassero made the Turnberry cut in 2009, and won the Silver Medal for leading amateur and tied for 13th place in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods will not have to wait too long to make his competitive return to Hoylake.
Woods, who claimed his third Claret Jug the last time the Open was staged at Hoylake in 2006, will start his first round at 9.04am alongside Argentina’s Angel Cabrera and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson.
After missing the first two majors of the year following back surgery, Woods returned to action in the Quicken Loans National at the end of last month, although he missed the halfway cut at Congressional.
The 14-time major winner has not played competitively since, but completed 12 holes in practice on Saturday and a full round on Sunday and was in buoyant mood.
“I can do whatever I want. I’m at that point now,” the 38-year-old said of his recovery from surgery on March 31.
“We didn’t think we’d get to that point until this tournament or the week after.
“Before I had the procedure, I was at the point I couldn’t do anything. This is how I used to feel. I had been playing with (the back injury) for a while and I had my good weeks and bad weeks. Now they are all good.”
Double Open champion Padraig Harrington is in the group after Woods along with 2011 Masters winner Charl Schwartzel and Korea’s KJ Choi.
Former world number one Rory McIlroy is next out with American Jordan Spieth and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama.
Phil Mickelson gets the defence of his title under way at 2.05pm in the company of 2012 winner Ernie Els and current Masters champion Bubba Watson.
Scottish Open winner Justin Rose is out two groups later in the company of world number one Adam Scott and former US PGA champion Jason Dufner.
US Open champion Martin Kaymer begins his bid for a second major of the year at 1.38pm alongside Australian Jason Day and former Masters champion Zach Johnson.
England’s David Howell has the honour of hitting the opening tee shot at 6.25am, with 2001 champion David Duval and Sweden’s Robert Karlsson making up the first group.
For a man who endured a career slump which threatened his future in the game, it will be an honour to cherish.
Injury and loss of form sent his career on a downward spiral which was only really arrested with last year’s Dunhill Links victory which effectively earned him a place back at The Open for the first time since 2009.
The 39-year-old will enjoy the moment as he knows he could easily have been commentating rather than playing had he not turned things around.
“I love golf, I love my life on the tour and all the things which come with it. But the prerequisite is you have to be playing at least reasonably well for it to be enjoyable.
“I just wanted to get back, initially just back being able to enjoy golf. It wasn’t about getting out there and winning again.
“It was a step-by-step thing but I didn’t want my career to just ebb away and suddenly just be in the studio or teaching.
“All I’ve ever done as an adult was be a professional golfer, and my desire was to make that continue.
“I am proud of the way I’ve turned things around in the last couple of years.
“There is a lot of work still to do to get things back to where they were, but I am on the right path.”
Howell faces a 4.25am alarm call, but even that does not bother him.
“I’ve got seven-month-old twins so it will probably be a lie-in,” he added.
“It doesn’t feel that long (not playing an Open) to me but obviously it is.
“It is a great championship and not that easy to get into; you’ve got to be playing great golf somewhere along the line, and I am delighted to be back. It will be a little thrill for a couple of minutes in its own right.”
The final group does not tee off until 4.06pm, and that include’s Scotland’s Scott Jamieson, who qualified via the Scottish Open.