As excited as...

A small schoolboy who has been extra diligent and good for the whole of the past year and has woken up on christmas morning to see a crisp white blanket of snow outside, a bulging stocking full of presents tied to his bed and been roused from his slumber by an excitable puppy licking his face, with the aforementioned hound being the gift that he had incessantly lobbied for over the past year.

Why? I feel like a rejuvenated born again golfer and most importantly the Open has arrived. Golf on terrestrial telly for us poor folk without nowt left over for Sky subscription once the taxman, mortgage provider and utility suppliers have had their finger in the monthly payday cookie jar. I wasn't really a fan of golf on telly before this year's Masters but I've got the bug and am looking forward to coverage driven by Auntie Beeb.

The only time I've got excited about golf before was in 1998 when a fresh faced amateur Justin Rose almost won it at Southport. If memory serves me well he missed out by two shots, Mark O'Meara won it some other random bloke came second and Tiger 3rd. So given my enthusiasm for watching my first ever Open properly as an actual bona fide golfer (with clubs and everything) I'm going to have a little wager. As I know diddly squat about current form I'm going to go with the two golfers that featured when I was last swept up in the Open, with an each way on Tiger and a top ten for a slightly less youthful Rose. In my heart of hearts I want Westwood to win it, but time will tell if I've had a mare!!!