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For the first time in 12 years, Tiger Woods will not be competing in one of golf's four annual major championships. That means the No. 1 question at this year's British Open is who will make fans forget about Tiger, writes NBCSports.com contributor Bryan Burwell.

By the time those playoffs reach St. Louis in the first week of September with the BMW Championships at Bellerive Country Club, please let there be someone who becomes that gripping personality that makes holding a ticket to the event the hottest ticket in town.

Right now, the closest thing we have to a compelling personality won’t even be at the British Open. 47-year-old Kenny Perry, who has won three of his last five tour events, is surprisingly the hottest player tour. Perry’s victory on Sunday at the Deere Classic qualified him for the Open, but he declined because he hates most of the major championships. With Woods out of action, Perry is the top active player on the FedEx Cup standings. But Perry turned down a chance to go to Royal Birkdale, instead deciding to honor a commitment to play in the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee this week.

While Woods lives for the majors, Perry hates them. He’ll go to the PGA Championships in August, but his big career goal is making the Ryder Cup team.

“I don’t want to live in a fishbowl,” Perry said after winning the three-way playoff for the Deere Classic on Sunday. “I don’t want Tiger status.”

Great. I’m looking for a Tiger body double and instead I get the anti-Tiger. Let’s face it, without Woods, golf doesn’t have that certain someone or that engrossing moment. Right now, the PGA tour is a bunch of colorful shirts and colorless personalities. Right now, Life Without Tiger has plenty of work to do to build up the sort of riveting theatre that I think we’re all craving.

Wouldn’t it be something if the men’s golf tour benefited as much from its trip to the British shores as the men’s tennis tour did? Imagine what sort of popularity boost golf could get if somehow an epic duel unfolded on the misty links of Birkdale this week that would elevate the British Open to the same breathless heights of last week’s Wimbledon finals.

I’m not counting on it. Instead, I’m counting the days until Woods returns, and checking to see when Charles Barkley’s showing up at the next celebrity golf tournament.

Sir Charles’ swing may not be a thing of beauty, but at least he’s colorful.