British Open 2012 Tee Times: Pairings and Predictions for Thursday

The oldest major championship is upon us—it's time for the British Open, folks.

From the crazy English weather to players like Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald desperate to win a major, storylines are aplenty at this year's tournament.

But it all starts on Thursday (and you can watch the action unfold, with ESPN covering the event from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET). Below, you'll find some notable tee times and pairings, along with a few random predictions I have for Thursday's play.

Fore!

Notable Tee Times and Pairings (All Times Eastern)

2:25 a.m.: John Daly, Chad Campbell, Michael Hoey

3:42 a.m.: Adam Scott, Alan Dunbar (A), Matt Kuchar

4:09 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Ernie Els, Zach Johnson

4:20 a.m.: Lee Westwood, Yoshinori Fujimoto, Bubba Watson

4:31 a.m.: Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Hiroyuki Fujita

4:42 a.m.: Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia

4:53 a.m.: Ryo Ishikawa, Martin Kaymer, Tom Watson

5:15 a.m.: Jason Dufner, Martin Laird, Kevin Na

8:59 a.m.: Nicolas Colsaerts, Hunter Mahan, John Senden

9:21 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Louis Oosthuizen, Keegan Bradley

9:32 a.m.: Rickie Fowler, Padraig Harrington, Manuel Trappel (A)

9:43 a.m.: Luke Donald, Phil Mickelson, Geoff Ogilvy

9:54 a.m.: Steve Stricker, Toru Taniguchi, Anders Hansen

For a full list of every Thursday and Friday pairing and tee time, check out the list over at ESPN.

Thursday Predictions

Here is a listing of several random predictions I have for Thursday's play:

• Tiger Woods will start strong. Thursdays haven't been a problem for him at the major championships this year, but weekends have given him trouble. Expect Tiger to get everyone excited with a solid first day.
• Rory McIlroy will shoot well enough to fend off any scares about missing the cut (he's missed four of his last six), but he won't shoot well enough to silence the inevitable "What happened to Rory this year?" talk during the television coverage.
• Padraig Harrington will sit near the top of the leaderboard after Thursday, sparking debate as to whether he'll be able to win a third Open Championship.
• A virtual unknown will lead after Thursday.
• The weather will be discussed—a lot.
• Phil Mickelson will labor for much of the day, seem destined to hand in a poor score, make a few spectacular shots in the last few holes and finish with a score keeping him in contention after the first day. In other words, just another day at the office for Lefty.