British Open: Hot and not

HOT
GRAEME McDOWELL
The 28-year-old won the Scottish Open on Sunday and was third and 13th in the previous two weeks on the European Tour. Has plenty of experience of playing links golf in and around his birthplace Portrush, and also led after the first round in 200 at nearby Hoylake. Feels he is a much better player now and will be in a relaxed frame of mind after Sunday's win all-but guaranteed him a place in the Ryder Cup in September.

LEE WESTWOOD
The former European No.1 has been in superb form this season with seven top-10 finishes - the most significant being third at the US Open at Torrey Pines, just one shot outside the play-off contested by Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate. That is the 35-year-old's best result to date in a major championship, surpassing his fourth place in the Open at Troon in 2004. Slipped to 19th in the Scottish Open on Sunday with a poor final round but is full of self-belief and likes the 'fairness' of Birkdale's relatively flat fairways in comparison to other links courses.

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ
Jimenez is the current European No.1 on the back of his victories in Hong Kong and the BMW Championship at Wentworth this season, and was third at Loch Lomond on Sunday with rounds of 68, 69, 68 and 69. The Spaniard has an unorthodox swing and his Open record is not spectacular, but he is a fierce competitor and was third behind David Duval at Lytham back in 2001 and 12th at Carnoustie last year.

NOT
DAVID DUVAL
Duval knocked Tiger Woods off the world No.1 spot in 1999, winning four times before the US Masters in April and becoming only the third player to shoot a round of 59 on the PGA Tour. Won the Open at Lytham in 2001 but suffered an amazing slump in form and in 2005 made just one cut in 20 tournaments. Has also suffered with numerous injuries and has made just one cut in 12 events so far in 2008. Currently ranked 1,044th in the world.

MICHAEL CAMPBELL
Campbell is another major winner whose game has veered from the sublime to the ridiculous - often within a very short space of time. Winner of the US Open three years ago - he pushed Tiger Woods into second place at Pinehurst - Campbell would appear to be at another crisis point in his fluctuating career after missing his last six cuts and nine of the last 10. "It's like water off a duck's back to me," said the 39-year-old. "Ever since I was a schoolboy I've gone through big ups and downs." Finished fifth at St Andrews only a month after his US Open victory but his best Open remains 1995, also at St Andrews, when he led by two with a round to go and missed out on the play-off between John Daly and Costantino Rocca by just a single stroke.

JOHN DALY
Finished 15th in the Open at St Andrews in 2005, his best finish in a major since winning at the same venue a decade before. Without a US Tour card Daly is forced to rely on invitations to get into tournaments, and played in Spain, Italy and Germany on the European Tour without any noticeable success. Famous for a turbulent personal life - he penned the song "All my exes wear Rolexes" about his ex-wives - the 'Wild Thing' has made just three cuts in 12 events on the US Tour in 2008 with a best finish of 66th and is ranked 635th in the world.