British Open TV Schedule 2013: Definitive Guide to Opening-Round Action

When a major championship is on the line, golf fans drop everything to catch the action. The third major of the 2013 season will be held in Scotland, and will feature a large field of past champions and those looking to capture their first Claret Jug. 

The 142nd Open Championship (British Open) is scheduled to commence on Thursday. The first grouping of Peter Senior, Lloyd Saltman and Oliver Fisher will be on the tee box at 6:32 a.m. local time. The last grouping (Stephen Dartnall, Darryn Lloyd, Daisuke Maruyama) won't begin the round until nearly five hours later. 

Both major championship winners will be in the field. 2013 Masters winner Adam Scott and 2013 U.S. Open winner Justin Rose are eager to capture what would be their second major of both the season and their careers at Muirfield Golf Links. 

As the focus shifts to Scotland on Thursday, we've got you covered with all the information you'll need to follow along with Round 1. Check out the sections below for scheduling information, tee times and some storylines to watch on the first day of action. 

*For the latest look all things British Open, check out TheOpen.com. 

2013 British Open Round 1 Information

When: Thursday, July 18 

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

Watch: ESPN; 4 a.m. - 3 p.m. ET (9 a.m. - 8 p.m. BST)

Live Stream: WatchESPN 

Online Coverage: TheOpen.com

Real-Time Leaderboard Updates: The Open 

2013 British Open Round 1 Pairings, Tee Times

Players	Tee Time (ET)	Tee Time (BST)
Peter Senior, Lloyd Saltman, Oliver Fisher	1:32 a.m.	6:32 a.m.
Robert Karlsson, Todd Hamilton, Ben Stow	1:43 a.m.	6:43 a.m.
Thomas Aiken, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Bud Cauley	1:54 a.m.	6:54 a.m.
Mikko Ilonen, Brooks Koepka, Ashun Wu	2:05 a.m.	7:05 a.m.
David Duval, Bernd Wiesberger, Chris Wood	2:16 a.m.	7:16 a.m.
Scott Stallings, Stewart Cink, Richard McEvoy	2:27 a.m.	7:27 a.m.
K.J. Choi, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jimmy Walker	2:38 a.m.	7:38 a.m.
Ben Curtis, Shane Lowry, Rafael Cabrera-Bello	2:49 a.m.	7:49 a.m.
Jonas Blixt, Brian Davis, Graham Delaet	3 a.m.	8 a.m.
Robert Garrigus, John Senden, Marc Warren	3:11 a.m.	8:11 a.m.
Martin Kaymer, Garrick Porteous, Jason Day	3:22 a.m.	8:22 a.m.
Carl Pettersson, Jason Dufner, David Lynn	3:33 a.m.	8:33 a.m.
Bubba Watson, Nicolas Colsaerts, Dustin Johnson	3:44 a.m.	8:44 a.m.
Nick Faldo, Tom Watson, Fred Couples	4 a.m.	9 a.m.
Justin Rose, Ernie Els, Brandt Snedeker	4:11 a.m.	9:11 a.m.
Ian Poulter, Keegan Bradley, Billy Horschel	4:22 a.m.	9:22 a.m.
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Richard Sterne, Nick Watney	4:33 a.m.	9:33 a.m.
Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Phil Mickelson	4:44 a.m.	9:44 a.m.
Scott Piercy, Tim Clark, Kevin Streelman	4:55 a.m.	9:55 a.m.
Zach Johnson, Shingo Katayama, Thomas Bjorn	5:06 a.m.	10:06 a.m.
Angel Cabrera, Camilo Villegas, Tano Goya	5:17 a.m.	10:17 a.m.
George Coetzee, Ken Duke, Mark Calcavecchia	5:28 a.m.	10:28 a.m.
John Huh, Brendan Jones, Hyung-Sung Kim	5:39 a.m.	10:39 a.m.
Josh Teater, Steven Tiley, Jimmy Mullen	5:50 a.m.	10:50 a.m.
K.T. Kim, Steven Jeffress, Luke Guthrie	6:01 a.m.	11:01 a.m.
John Wade, Gareth Wright, Makoto Inoue	6:12 a.m.	11:12 a.m.
Danny Willett, Y.E. Yang, Johnson Wagner	6:33 a.m.	11:33 a.m.
Thaworn Wiratchant, Lucas Glover, Oscar Floren	6:44 a.m.	11:44 a.m.
Boo Weekley, Sandy Lyle, Niclas Fasth	6:55 a.m.	11:55 a.m.
Marcus Fraser, Grant Forrest, Mark O'Meara	7:06 a.m.	12:06 p.m.
Tom Lehman, Thongchai Jaidee, Fredrik Jacobson	7:17 a.m.	12:17 p.m.
Justin Leonard, Rhys Pugh, Marc Leishman	7:28 a.m.	12:28 p.m.
Alvaro Quiros, Kyle Stanley, Alexander Noren	7:39 a.m.	12:39 p.m.
Russell Henley, Jordan Spieth, Matthew Fitzpatrick	7:50 a.m.	12:50 p.m.
Padraig Harrington, Michael Thompson, Richie Ramsay	8:01 a.m.	1:01 p.m.
Vijay Singh, Darren Clarke, Martin Laird	8:12 a.m.	1:12 p.m.
Ryan Moore, Henrik Stenson, Steven Fox	8:23 a.m.	1:23 p.m.
Thorbjorn Olesen, Jim Furyk, Paul Lawrie	8:34 a.m.	1:34 p.m.
Geoff Ogilvy, Harris English, Stephen Gallacher	8:45 a.m.	1:45 p.m.
Lee Westwood, Charl Schwartzel, Sergio Garcia	9:01 a.m.	2:01 p.m.
Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar, Luke Donald	9:12 a.m.	2:12 p.m.
Rickie Fowler, Matteo Manassero, Hunter Mahan	9:23 a.m.	2:23 p.m.
Peter Hanson, Hiroyuki Fujita, Bill Haas	9:34 a.m.	2:34 p.m.
Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen	9:45 a.m.	2:45 p.m.
Webb Simpson, Branden Grace, Jamie Donaldson	9:56 a.m.	2:56 p.m.
Francesco Molinari, Toru Taniguchi, Bo Van Pelt	10:07 a.m.	3:07 p.m.
D.A. Points, Brett Rumford, Marcel Siem	10:18 a.m.	3:18 p.m.
George Murray, Mark Brown, Justin Harding	10:29 a.m.	3:29 p.m.
Gregory Bourdy, Scott Jamieson, Shiv Kapur	10:40 a.m.	3:40 p.m.
Scott Brown, Satoshi Kodaira, Gareth Maybin	10:51 a.m.	3:51 p.m.
Tyrrell Hatton, Eduardo de la Riva, Kenichi Kuboya	11:02 a.m.	4:02 p.m.
Stephen Dartnall, Darryn Lloyd, Daisuke Maruyama	11:13 a.m.	4:13 p.m.

*All pairings and tee times courtesy of TheOpen.com. 

Round 1 Storylines

Just Do It

Judging by the World Golf Rankings, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are the best two golfers in the world. It should come as no surprise that the pair are both Nike golfers, and that the brand gets a huge boost when either star does well at a major championship. 

Woods and McIlroy don't need to finish first and second to keep their contracts by any stretch of the imagination, but Nike has to be secretly hoping that one of their two marketing whiz kids finishes in the top 10 in Scotland. 

McIlroy has been one of the biggest disappointments on the PGA Tour this year. 

His struggles started at the 2013 Masters (T25), and went well through the 2013 U.S. Open (T41). Additionally, he has not made the cut at any of his three 2013 European Tour starts. Inconsistent is the buzz word surrounding McIlroy's game, and in all honest, it's a mantra that is deserved.  

Woods hasn't won a major since 2008. The controversial drop shot that plagued his time at Augusta earlier this year didn't stop him from finishing in the top five, but it did eventually play a role in another major coming and going without a Woods win. 

He then finished tied for 32nd at the U.S. Open last month. 

Both stars expect to contend. Anything less is a disappointment, and you can check out the results from Merion earlier this year to confirm that idea. 

Muirfield at its Finest

Muirfield will host the British Open for the fifth time since 1980 this year. Three men have won the past four championships at the Scottish links, and all three will be in the tournament field on Thursday. 

Tom Watson (1980), Nick Faldo (1987, 1992) and Ernie Els (2002) are the last three Open champions who would win their Claret Jug at Muirfield. Coincidentally, Els is also the defending champion from last year's tournament at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. 

Watson and Faldo are more than long shots to win this major. That being said, they are playing in the same pairing with Fred Couples, so you won't want to miss what could be the last time we see two of the best British Open champions ever on the links. 

Els is in a star-studded group with Brandt Snedeker and Justin Rose. 

Muirfield is a course that is one of the most challenging in Europe. The circular layout makes the wind direction different on nearly every hole; the bunkers and deep rough also pose a threat to golfers before they ever reach the green. 

The experience of playing at Muirfield will be huge for those who were fortunate enough to play on the Tour the last time the Open was in town. If the weather stays manageable and the golfers figure out the nuances of the course early on, we could see the winner post a score 10 strokes or lower than the course par. 

Then again, only twice has the champion ever finished at 10-under or better at Muirfield. It should be intriguing to see how the characteristics of the course aid—or limit—the games of certain golfers in the field. 

Sleepers to Watch

Favorites dominate the field each year, and for good reason.

We've seen a shift in golf's biggest names over the past few years, but Woods is clearly still at the top of the heap. Behind him, McIlroy, Rose, Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson are the top five golfers in the world and garner the most attention.

That being said, none of those golfers has won the British Open since 2006 (Woods). In fact, only Tiger has ever won the third major of golf's Grand Slam.

With that in mind, understand that a sleeper will likely jump into contention early on in Scotland.

The biggest sleeper that no one is talking about is Jason Day. The Aussie finished in the top three at both The Masters and the U.S. Open, and yet no one seems to remember that he always seems to play his best golf on the biggest stage. 

Day is a gamer, and he'll be ready to contend right away at the Open. 

Elsewhere, a couple of high-odds golfers figure to factor into the conversation at some point this weekend. According to Bovada's site on Wednesday, Hunter Mahan and Padraig Harrington had 66-1 odds to win the tournament outright. Both are worth a second look. 

Harrington is a two-time champion of the Open. He hasn't had a consistent season in terms of top-10 finishes, but playing at the British Open might just be the jump-start he needs to turn things around. 

Mahan, on the other hand, played well at Merion and finished tied for fourth. He's on the doorstep in terms of finding a way to contend every week, and the British Open could be a tournament that favors his steady tournament game. 

Another deep sleeper to watch would be Jim Furyk, who leads the PGA Tour in driving accuracy. On the links, hitting strong, accurate shots with wind swirling and bunkers lurking can't be overlooked.

He missed the cut at the U.S. Open and faded at The Masters, but Furyk still has plenty left in the tank to contend under the right circumstances. 

Thursday's action likely won't decide the winner (only five British Open first-round leaders have held the lead all four days), but it will be worth watching. In the U.S., you're going to have to set your alarm for the wee hours of the morning if you want to watch the early golfers on the course. 

If you love golf, it will likely be worth it. 

Follow B/R's Ethan Grant (@DowntownEG) on Twitter.