Carnoustie hosts the 136th Open Championship eight years after Europe's last major winner, Paul Lawrie, triumphed there

Luke Donald is among those looking to end Europe's drought at the course dubbed Car-nasty after 1999's Championship

World number one Tiger Woods is looking to become only the fifth golfer to win three consecutive Claret Jugs

Victory will see Woods join Walter Hagen, Bobby Locke, Old and Young Tom Morris and Wille Park as a four-time winner

Three-time Open champion Nick Faldo is also out in the inclement weather on the east coast of Scotland links course

Jim Furyk, who tied for fourth last year at Hoylake, but missed the cut in his five Opens prior to that, is also out early

Big hitting John Daly will be hoping to recapture the form that saw him win his only Claret Jug at St Andrews in 1995

Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez takes time out to digest the course yardage book before venturing out onto the course

Meanwhile, compatriot and three-time Open winner Seve Ballesteros, who is not playing, announces his retirement

The course itself is almost ready with final adjustments being made to the speed of the greens by Royal & Ancient officials

And the famous yellow scoreboard is in place on the grandstand by the 18th green ready for Thursday's start