Exclusive Photos: : Tiger With UFOs

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger.

His is the only name on everyone’s lips as the 126th Open counts down with mounting excitement and drama to today’s big tee-off here at Royal Troon in Aireshire, Scotland.

Tom Lehman may be the defending champion, Nick Faldo may be back in the UK, and Colin Montgomerie may be on his home course, but there is only one (super) man British fans want to see: Eldrick T. Woods.

The buildup on this side of the Atlantic to the world’s greatest championship has centered on him entirely, with every golf magazine featuring him and that dazzling smile of his on their front covers.

In less than a year as a professional, and with only two Open outings, at St. Andrews and last year at Royal Lytham, where he tied for 22nd, the U.S. Master has already found his way into the hearts of fans, who reserve a special place above heroes for legends.

Like a Pele or an Ali, he transcends jingoistic national loyalties, so fans here will root for him just as much as they would for a Faldo, although to be truthful, Nick, for all his six majors, has never been Mr. Popular.

Certainly, Tiger will have his own soccer-style Tartan Army of supporters, made up of many under-18s, who are being admitted free, so guaranteeing him the biggest galleries of the week. He will also have the biggest expectations resting on his young shoulders.

Can he handle it? The answer must be yes after the way he turned America’s fabled field of dreams, Augusta National, into a pitch-and-putt course with an occasional seaside bump-and-run thrown in for good measure.

Modern sport is all about preparation, and no camp pays more attention to the smallest details than Team Tiger. Before this year’s U.S. Masters, I conducted a telephone interview with his coach, Butch Harmon, in Texas.

Even then, back in mid-March, Harmon told me Tiger was studying videos of Royal Troon and researching the course further in talks with another of his clients, Mark Calcavecchia, winner of The Open the last time it was staged on the dramatic links course in 1989.

And recently, Tiger’s wise, loving father, Earl, told me his son had played Winged Foot the day after last month’s Buick Classic at Westchester in readiness for the U.S. PGA Championship.

So, can he do it?

It will be tough, for sure. Lehman will be strong, Faldo determined, and Monty desperate to succeed at a club where his father, James--infamously known for rudely slamming phones down on journalists (me included--he did not even allow me to finish my opening sentence)--is the retiring secretary. Don’t forget Ernie Els either--he is David Leadbetter’s tip.

Certainly, history is on Tiger’s side, as the last four winners at Royal Troon have been American. Before Calcavecchia, Tom Watson, Tom Weiskopf and Arnold Palmer all held aloft the Auld Claret Jug.

If Tiger did succeed, one man would not be best pleased. Tiger took Sevvy Ballesteros’ record as the youngest winner of the U.S. Masters in April, and he would take his Open record as the youngest winner this century.

Not even Tiger, though, can match the original Boy Wonder, Young Tom Morris, who at 17 years 5 months 8 days won the championship in 1868.

To answer the question: Yes. Yes. Yes.