体坛英语资讯：Will Tiger Woods return to golf glory?

Can Tiger Woods return to golf glory by winning his third consecutive British Open title at St. Andrews?

The storyline and others have begun playing out and will conclude Sunday evening when the British Open finishes at St. Andrews, the home of golf in Fife, Scotland.

Attention is also being paid to other storylines: Is Ian Poulter poised to earn his first major title? What about Lee Westwood or Ernie Els earning the crown of the sport's oldest major championship? Will Tom Watson or Nick Faldo come from yesterday for one more hurrah?

 Tiger Woods of the U.S. gestures to the crowd after sinking a birdie putt on the fifth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship in Pebble Beach, California, June 19, 2010.

The par 73, 6638 yard Old Course draws all the world's best for a shot at golf immortality. This will be the 28th Open Championship held at the Old Course at St. Andrews, the most by any venue for any major (except the Masters) and while the range of opinions about the course vary, what is commonly shared is the view that winning the Open at St. Andrews is just about the biggest honor one can score playing the game at the highest level. This sentiment has been expressed by Jack Nicklaus who has achieved just about every honor the sport can offer.

Woods has garnered two 4th place results in this year's first two majors, but he has now gone winless in six straight majors, the third-longest stretch in his pro career. That could very well end here as it would be unsurprising that he lifts the Claret Jug Sunday with yet another St. Andrews Open victory.

But who are the other leading, and not so leading contenders that will fight Woods for the coveted Jug?

Playing the first two rounds of the British Open with Woods will be Justin Rose of England, one of the hottest players in golf with two PGA Tour victories in his last three starts. Despite has never played the Open at St. Andrews, the 16th ranked Rose is hoping to be the first Brit since Nick Faldo in 1992 to win this event.

Phil Mickelson, who along with Tiger Woods, are the only two players with Top 10 finishes in each of the season's first two majors. However Lefty has not fared as well overseas with only one top-10 finish in 15 appearances as a professional at the Open Championship, and he missed last year's Open to tend to his ailing wife.

Graeme McDowell, the winner in last month's U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, will be taking aim at his second consecutive major tournament victory. The odds are not good but there is a precedent involving Pebble Beach and St. Andrews.

Since 1960, only three men have won both the U.S. Open and Open Championship in the same season: Tiger Woods, Tom Watson and Lee Trevino. Two of them -- Woods and Watson -- won their U.S. Open at Pebble Beach with Tiger pulling off the Pebble Beach/St. Andrews double.

McDowell tied for 5th when the Open was last held at St. Andrews in 2005. McDowell, who also won the Wales Open, is in the same group with two other U. S. Open champions, Geoff Ogilvy and Jim Furyk.

Both Ogilvy and Furyk have the game and patience to do well on this course and could very well be in the mix among the leaders on Sunday afternoon as the crunch time on the back nine comes into play.

Defending British Open champion Stewart Cink will be paired with Ian Poulter and former champion Ernie Els so this year's winner could come from this group. Els finished second to Woods at the 2000 championship at St. Andrews and has a dozen Top 10 British Open finishes. The colorful Poulter came in second at the 2008 British Open to Padraig Harrington at Royal Birkdale.

Harrington, a two-time British Open champion, enters this event with five Top 10 finishes this year.

The highest ranked European in the event, Lee Westwood at number three in the world, is also a player to watch out for as the tournament winds down.

Though the Englishman did tie for third last year, Westwood blew a golden opportunity when he bogeyed the 72nd hole to finish one stroke outside the playoff. Still, a strong motivation and having all the tools make him a good pick to be in the winner's circle.

Retief Goosen, a two-time U.S. Open champion, has seven top 10s in the British Open, including a T-5 at St. Andrews in 2005. His distance off the tee will serve him well at the Old Course.

Combining that driving distance and accuracy with his talent as one of the world's best mid-range pressure putters, which is something that will certainly be an advantage on the massive greens that average nearly 18,000 square feet, the South African has the game to win it all.

A long-shot at age 60, but likely a sentimental favorite is five-time British Open champion Tom Watson from Kansas. The American stunned a few last year with a second place result at Turnberry before losing to fellow American Stewart Cink. The tough competitor is looking for another shot at Father Time.

An improbable, but no doubt very popular victory by Watson would be "one for the ages" as the British Open celebrates its 150th Anniversary.