I’m back from a couple weeks of vacation, and I’ve got to tell you, it felt GREAT doing nothing!

So I’m going to stay on vacation, not by doing nothing, but taking a ‘blog’ trip over to the UK.

First off, you can check out my column on why Manchester United should sell Cristiano Ronaldo by clicking the link below.

click here

I can’t actually believe the new soccer season’s right around the corner! But until them, all eyes will be on the British Open this weekend.

Can we expect the magic at British Open to compare with that of Wimbledon a couple weeks back?

Probably not – not many events in the history of sport can compare to what went down between Federer and Nadal.

In saying that, there’s always something magic about the Open Championship. I just love that feeling; waking up early in the morning and watching the world’s best golfers compete against the course, the conditions and the competition. And forget about the fact you-know who’s not playing this year’s Open. The tournament’s the spectacle itself.

So no Tiger this time around, then who should be watching?

With the tournament back at Royal Birkdale, the name Justin Rose has to be the first to come to mind.

After making an extraordinary run as an amateur teenager finishing T-4 at Birkdale 10 years ago, Rose returns with much more lofty expectations. After struggling early in his career, Rose has become among the world’s elite. Currently ranked 9th in the world, wouldn’t it be a great story if I it all came together back where hit all started to give Rose his first Major Championship? Not out of the realm of possibility. In the other Majors this year, Rose came out on fire but failed to maintain as the weekend hit. But back in the UK, expect him to have what it takes to make a serious run at the title.

I’m also a big fan of the other Brits heading into the weekend. Namely the up-and-coming talents who are a Major tournament win away from becoming household names. Guys like Luke Donald, Ian Poulter, and Paul Casey have had varying amounts of success in North America and Europe, but have games that compete with the best on any given week. Of the aforementioned names, Poulter sticks out this week. The man who quasi-said he was ready to been seen as competition to Tiger. The dude’s who’s known for his style above anything else has the skill set to be a legit contender. Although his results this season say otherwise, look for him to build on his T-25 at last week’s Scottish Open to compete this week.

Among the other guys to look out for - Lee Westwood, Geoff Ogilvy, Adam Scott and Aaron Baddeley.

Enjoy the golf.
gw

gareth.wheeler@suntv.canoe.ca

You want to respond to this article? Access the Canoe Passport and leave us your comments..