The Open Championship returns to the Lancashire Course at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club from Thursday 17th to Sunday 20th July 2008, this will be the ninth time Royal Birkdale has hosted the Championship. Royal Birkdale has been voted the No 1 course in Britain, and is among the best in the world. The course is located at the southern edge of Southport, Merseyside.

Current Open Champion Padraig Harrington will be looking to successfully defend his title after winning in dramatic form at Carnoustie last year, following a four-hole play-off with Sergio Garcia. It will be no easy task however, with in-form players Darren Clark, Justin Rose and Ian Poulter (to name a few) all looking to claim the title for the first time. As always, the USA will have a strong set of players participating in the Championship and it's hard to look further than the favourite and world number one Tiger Woods when predicting a winner.

You will have to consider a number of factors that could affect the outcome of the tournament, research into the venue and form of the players will be important in making a decision on who to back. Ask questions such as - What kind of layout do the holes take? Does the course suit players who have a better short game or players who play long, powerful drives? What are the greens like? You may also want to look at the players' previous records at the venue or at similar venues, have they won any tournaments there before? Have they played there often before?