British Open 2013: Tee Times, Date and TV Schedule

The 2013 British Open begins on Thursday at Gullane, Scotland's unique Muirfield Golf Links—a venue that boasts remarkable history and an impressive Hall of Fame list of champions.

Ernie Els was the last to win the Open Championship at Muirfield, when he emerged from a four-man playoff to raise his first claret jug in 2002. The Big Easy added his second Open title last year at Royal Lytham and St. Annes.

As is customary at any tournament he tees it up in, Tiger Woods is currently listed as the 8-1 favorite by Bovada.

The top-ranked player in the world and 14-time major winner will have his work cut out for him, though, as he is coming off of an elbow strain and hasn't competed since the U.S. Open.

Those are just some of the many storylines entering this week. Several of the world's top golfers are playing wonderfully entering the year's third major, while others are trying to recover their form at the last moment to push for contention.

Below is an overview of what to know about the Open, followed by a more detailed analysis of the developments to watch for as the action unfolds.

Note: Statistics are courtesy of PGATour.com and EuropeanTour.com. British Open information was obtained from the official website. Tournament history can be located at the Official World Golf Ranking.

When: Thursday, July 18, to Sunday, July 21

Where: Muirfield Golf Links in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland

Tee Times: First group is off at 6:32 a.m. BST. For a complete list of tee times for the first two rounds, visit TheOpen.com.

Par: 71

Yards: 7,192

Purse: $8 million (£5.25 million)

FedEx Cup Points: 600

TV Schedule

Thursday: ESPN, 4 a.m. - 3 p.m. ET

Friday: ESPN, 4 a.m. - 3 p.m. ET

Saturday: ESPN, 7 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET

Sunday: ESPN, 6 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. ET

*Live stream coverage available at Watch ESPN and TheOpen.com.

Top Storylines

Major Revival for Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy

The central focus will inevitably be on the Nike stablemates, who are still the world's top-ranked golfers despite varying degrees of trouble.

Woods reasserted himself as the clear-cut No. 1 by winning four times early in 2013, but an elbow injury has stunted that momentum. Still, the 37-year-old Woods enters as the prohibitive man to beat, and as long as he's near full health, it's hard to make a case against him.

Scrutiny surrounding McIlroy has been intense in the U.S., and it's likely going to be magnified across the pond.

Despite his world of talent, McIlroy has yet to win in 2013 after crushing the field by eight strokes in last year's PGA Championship and winning both major tour money lists in his ascent to golf's summit.

Those days seem long gone, but McIlroy knows how to get himself back on track and blow viewers away with sensational golf. He's the only golfer of his generation who has resembled Woods on his A-game.

McIlroy grew up playing in difficult conditions in Northern Ireland, but he has a tendency to launch the ball high in the air, which won't work well at Muirfield. It remains to be seen if the work he's put in will pay off, but if anyone can turn it around, it's McIlroy.

Woods hasn't won a major since the U.S. Open in 2008. Since then, McIlroy and Padraig Harrington are the only players to win more than one major.

Every Open Championship winner at Muirfield since Walter Hagen in 1929 has won multiple majors and made the Hall of Fame. That fact should be a rallying point for these two.

Will Recent Victors Keep Up the Momentum?

Many of the top players to keep an eye on are either coming off victories in their last respective starts or have won very recently.

Els backed up a stellar tied-for-fourth finish at the U.S. Open by winning the European Tour's BMW International Open, but he did take time off and missed the cut at the Scottish Open last week. However, the veteran has indicated he's striking it well, and he should be a big factor at Muirfield.

Speaking of that U.S. Open, Justin Rose won it for his maiden major. He had committed to play the Travelers Championship the next week, and he honored his commitment and finished tied for 13th.

The fact that Rose was able to hold it together that well is remarkable, and it bodes well for his chances at the Open Championship. He's been an enviable talent ever since he turned pro at 17. Now that he's translated it to a major breakthrough, far more trophies could be on the horizon.

Speaking of prodigies, how about 19-year-old Jordan Spieth?

Living on special invitations and sponsors' exemptions, Spieth has taken full advantage. By winning the John Deere Classic, not only did he qualify for Muirfield, but he's also eligible for the FedEx Cup playoffs—and he's 11th in the point standings.

Links golf isn't something Spieth is terribly familiar with, but his shot to get into a playoff with major winner Zach Johnson on the 72nd hole was nothing short of remarkable.

That type of short game can go a long way in helping Spieth navigate Muirfield successfully.

And we haven't even gotten to Phil Mickelson or Graeme McDowell, two of the biggest Open favorites on paper.

Mickelson won the Scottish Open in Inverness. Before missing the cut at the Greenbrier Classic, he had a heartbreaking runner-up finish at the U.S. Open, and he was also tied for second in the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

To say Mickelson is on his game is an understatement. His phenomenal touch around the greens and current ball-striking prowess should translate well to the Open despite his scarce history of strong results.

McDowell ran away with the Alstom Open de France by four strokes on the European Tour two weeks ago and has since been preparing for the British Open. Given his wonderful play off the tee, natural feel for links golf and uncanny ability to hole tough putts, look for him to be a big factor.

Also noteworthy is that McDowell played in the final pairing with Adam Scott at Royal Lytham in 2012 but settled for a joint-fifth finish. Between that and missing the first two major cuts this season, the Northern Irishman has some unfinished business to tend to.

Top Young Guns Look to Cement Superstar Status

The golfer with the brightest future right now seems to be Spieth, but some other 20-somethings should fare well.

Spieth's victory total has already matched that of Rickie Fowler, who was congratulatory upon hearing of the University of Texas star's first of what will likely be many tournament wins.

But Fowler does have tangible British Open experience to draw on in the form of a tie for fifth at Royal St. George's in 2011. The weather was absolutely brutal until the 18th hole of his third round, but somehow Fowler was able to card a two-under 68.

With how well Fowler is rolling his rock (18th on tour in total putting), it seems only a matter of time before he starts winning with more regularity. Capturing the claret jug would certainly answer a lot of questions his critics have.

Matteo Manassero won the Sir Henry Cotton Award for European Tour Rookie of the Year in 2010. The year before that, he was low amateur at Turnberry in the British Open and finished tied for 13th.

The 20-year-old Italian has won in each of his first four seasons as a pro—most recently at the BMW PGA Championship, his tour's flagship event.

Major success has eluded Manassero thus far, but now that he's No. 25 in the world, he'll be teeing it up in these tournaments for years to come. The strength of his game isn't distance. His strengths are accuracy and putting, which are needed to win an Open.

Manassero and Fowler will play alongside each other for the first two days, and perhaps they can inspire each other to do well.

Jason Day has won once but already boasts three runner-up finishes in majors, including at the recent U.S. Open, and he finished third at the Masters in April. Day's upside is incredible, though the British Open is the only major he hasn't had a top 10 in.

The man who lost to Mickelson at the Scottish Open playoff was Branden Grace, who won four times in 2012 alone on the European Tour.

Grace has serious potential and could be the next South African star to capture a major, joining recent winners Louis Oosthuizen (British Open, 2010), Charl Schwartzel (the Masters, 2011) and Els in consecutive years.