I reckon Poulter is the man to beat

With all the excitement generated by Andy Murray, the British & Irish Lions, and the Ashes, I can’t wait for the Open Championship to join the fun.

Our British and Irish players should have been inspired as they head to Muirfield. Golf started it all off this summer, too, with Justin Rose’s fabulous victory at Merion in last month’s US Open.

His win should give Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter a spring in their step.

Westwood and Donald have been in contention before in Majors. The secret is to get in the thick of the action on Sunday and hope their luck changes.

Poulter is best friends with Rose, and he’ll have been inspired and annoyed in equal measure by Justin’s success.

Ian will believe that if Justin can win a Major, so can he.

Poulter’s been quiet so far in 2013 after his Ryder Cup heroics, but if he starts well and feeds off the galleries, it could be a springboard to a very special week.

Ian just needs to get into contention. He showed he could handle the pressure at the 2008 Open at Royal Birkdale, and only the brilliant golf of Padraig Harrington beat him.

No-one will feel in more confident mood, though, than Graeme McDowell.

The Irishman’s missed a few cuts recently, but three wins make up for that, and last week’s French Open success was perfect preparation.

Graeme was brought up at Royal Portrush and won the US Open at Pebble Beach, so he loves it by the sea.

His swing can let him down at times, but he has a fabulous golfing brain and would relish a tough four days.

The pressure on Tiger Woods to win another Major has become almost unbearable.

It’s five years since Major No. 14, and the desire to catch Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 is weighing heavily on him.

That reflected in his poor play at both the Memorial Tournament and then Merion, and he hasn’t played since due to injury.

His poor short game surprised me and I don’t see him being a threat on a testing course like Muirfield. It’s a good length at 7,192 yards and there’ll be wind off the Firth of Forth.

The previous Open winners speak volumes for it Nicklaus, Trevino (left), Watson, Sir Nick Faldo twice and Ernie Els.

You need to be a straight hitter and really plot your way around, as Muirfield is not your typical links.

That’s where Faldo came into his own.

There’s no real signature hole, but the 18th is probably the toughest. It’s a long par-four uphill, and any player needing a four to win will do well to get it.

I have fond memories of Muirfield myself. Back in 1967, I won the inaugural Scottish Strokeplay Championship there as an amateur, aged 18, and it was the catalyst to me turning pro.

However, my two Open appearances were short and sweet. I missed the cut on both occasions!

Let’s hope my nephew, Stephen, can fare better, having got in at the eleventh hour when former Champion John Daly pulled out. Living down the road in Linlithgow, Stephen would have been so disappointed if he hadn’t made it.

He’s one of 10 Scots currently in the field, which is a good improvement on recent years. And hopefully they’ll produce plenty of good golf for home fans to cheer.

But I just have a gut feeling it will be Englishman Poulter who’ll be celebrating next Sunday.