Different course, similar strategy for Tiger

Be aggressive off the tee?

Lay back off the tee to avoid bunkers and take your chances with a tougher shot to the green?

One more piece of this puzzle is the bowl shape of about half the greens, allowing the ball to feed toward the hole.

"There will be birdies made this week from the fairway, assuming you've got a reasonable shot in there," Harrington said. "The penalty will be missing the fairways. The guy who drives it well this week has a big advantage, much more this week than on any links golf course I've seen in a long time."

He had his share of misses last year at Royal Birkdale, although Harrington was practically flawless when it mattered. He shot 32 on the back nine to pull away from Greg Norman and Ian Poulter.

That final hour is about the only part of the British Open that Woods watched last year. He was three weeks removed from reconstructive surgery, limited to hobbling from the bed to the couch and back again.

Woods remains without a major since his return — the first time since 2004 he doesn't have one in his possession — yet is pleased with how far he has come in the five months he has been back. His victory two weeks ago at his AT&T National was his third this year, more than anyone else on the PGA Tour, as many as anyone in the world this year.

"I remember looking at the year just trying to get back playing," he said. "Hopefully, I can play. And hopefully, I can play at a high level. And to sit here and say I was going to have three wins halfway through the year ... if anyone would have looked at my situation, they would have said, 'You probably might be reaching a little bit.'

"Granted, I haven't won a major," he added. "But I've come close. I've put myself in position to win the first few. I just haven't done it."