The Open 2013: Players prepare for the Muirfield major
- Published
The first shot of the 142nd Open Championship will be struck at 06:32 BST on Thursday - expect no interruptions in play with the weather set fair for all four days
On the first practice day, defending champion Ernie Els can be seen striding the fairways - the "Big Easy", 43, won the Claret Jug in 2012 and with it claimed his fourth major and his second Open win, a decade after his first
Aficionados of idiosyncratic style - golf fans flock to East Lothian sporting suitably colourful attire. Muirfield, a privately-owned links course which is the home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, first hosted the Open in 1892
Potential Open champions of the future chase autographs - this young signature-hunter has last year's runner-up Adam Scott and 2003 US Open winner Jim Furyk on his hit-list
One autograph which may become a rarity in the future is that of three-time Open champion Sir Nick Faldo - the 55-year-old, seen practising his bunker play, admitted on Thursday: "It might be the last chance I get to walk with fellow champions."
Taking a breather from supporting her partner and world number one Tiger Woods, United States skier Lindsey Vonn minds his bag - the Olympic gold medallist is currently recovering from a serious knee injury sustained in Austria, earlier this year
Woods himself is targeting a fourth Open win and a 15th major overall. As a 24-year-old, the United States golfer claimed his first Open victory at St Andrews in 2000, finishing on 19 under, eight shots clear of nearest rivals Thomas Bjorn and Ernie Els.
A key rival for Woods could be world number two Rory McIlroy, who carries a furry mascot with his clubs - the Northern Irishman's best Open performance to date is a tied third in 2010, the year he faded from leading the field on the first day.
Temperatures are around 21 degrees out on the links on Tuesday, enough to prompt some players into taking on board light refreshment, with Spanish professional Alvaro Quiros nibbling an ice cream - Quiros won the Dubai Desert Classic in 2011.
Fellow Spaniard, the veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez, takes a rather more unconventional approach. Jimenez, vice-captain of Europe during the last Ryder Cup, has never won a major but managed to tie for third in the Open of 2001.
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