Cabrera's the man to go the distance with Tiger

TIGER WOODS faces a duel of the big hitters when he begins the defence of his Open title at Royal Lytham and St Annes on Thursday.

In the draw for the first and second rounds Woods found himself up against Angel Cabrera, the Argentine who leads the driving averages on the European Tour.

Woods is one of the longest drivers on the US PGA Tour, although he has to give best at the top of the yardage rankings to John Daly of "grip it and rip it" fame.

The third member of the Woods group, which tees off at 9.01am on Thursday, is Frenchman Thomas Levet, who was a surprise winner of the Victor Chandler British Masters at Woburn last month.

European No 1 Lee West-wood, struggling with his form as he bids for a maiden major, goes out with Nick Price, the veteran Zimbabwe golfer who won The Open at Turnberry seven years ago and has collected two US PGA titles.

Colin Montgomerie, who fancies his chances on a links course where accuracy off the tee is essential, plays in the company of former Ryder Cup rival Fred Couples and Stuart Appleby, of Australia.

Former Open winners Greg Norman and Mark O'Meara are paired together, while three-times Open champion Nick Faldo faces Phil Mickel-son, the American left-hander who many observers believe is a good bet to beat Woods.

Retief Goosen, the Surrey-based South African, receives a poor reward for his victories in the US Open and Sunday's Scottish Open.

A group completed by Frank Lickliter II, of the United States, and England's Barry Lane is hardly the high-profile one that Goosen might have expected.

SELECTED TEE-OFF TIMES: 8.17am & 1.03pm: Ernie Els (SA), Ian Woosnam (GB), Dudley Hart (U.S.); 8.39am & 1.25pm: Greg Norman (Aus), Mark O'Meara (US), Paul McGinley (Ire); 9.01am & 1.35pm: Angel Cabrera (Arg), Tiger Woods (US), Thomas Levet (Fra); 9.23am & 2.09pm: David Duval (US), Jose Maria Olazabal (Spn), Steve Elkington (Aus); 9.34am & 2.20pm: Stewart Appleby (Aus), Fred Couples (US), Colin Mont- gomerie (GB); 9.45am & 2.31pm: Jim Furyk (US), Darren Clarke (N Ire), Peter O'Malley (Aus); 9.56am & 2.42pm: Paul Lawrie (GB), David Toms (US), Gary Player (SA); 12.19pm & 7.33am: Nick Price (SA), Lee Westwood (GB), Jeff Quinney (Aus); 12.30pm & 7.44am: John Daly (US), Taichi Teshima (Jpn), Eduardo Romero (Arg); 12.41pm & 7.55am: Phil Mickelson (US), Robert Allenby (Aus), Nick Faldo (GB); 1.03pm & 8.17am: Retief Goosen (SA), Frank Lickliter II (US), Barry Lane (GB); 1.25pm & 8.39am: Vijay Singh (Fiji), Tom Watson (US), Adam Scott (Aus); 1.36pm & 8.50am: Jose Coceres (Arg), Tom Lehman (US), Robert Karlsson (Swe); 1.58pm & 9.12am: Sergio Garcia (Spn), Bob May (US), John Bickerton (GB).

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