At first glance, it would appear the British Open has a lot going against it: Tiger Woods is not playing, it comes on really early in the morning, Tiger Woods is not playing, it's played on one of those really alien-looking links courses, Tiger Woods is not playing, it's always windy and cold and rainy — oh, and did I mention, Tiger Woods is not playing?

Yes, Woods' knee surgery does mean we won't see him at this weekend's British Open at Royal Birkdale (by the way, it's not just any old Birkdale; it's Royal Birkdale). Scads of material has been written, broadcast and researched about the "Tiger Factor." Having Woods playing in a tournament — especially in a major — has a sizable effect on TV ratings. And obviously, when he's not in a tournament, the effect is sizable as well.

With the British Open (or as the TV networks are obliged to call it, the Open Championship) starting well before dawn on the West Coast and finishing before noon, it won't be easy to draw a lot of eyeballs to the TV screens.

But ABC's Mike Tirico insists there is drama is waiting to unfold.

"The Tiger factor is real," admitted Tirico. "When Tiger is around, there's a different energy to a tournament, to a championship. There's no denying that; there's stats to prove it and I think we might see some of that this week. However, the other side of that is there are majors that come to mind since this Tigermania has set in, back in April of '97, that have been very good on that list of memorable moments in major championships that have had nothing to do with Tiger.

"(Jean) Van de Velde at the British Open comes to mind. A couple of years ago at the U.S. Open, the great finish you had with Geoff Ogilvy and (Phil) Mickelson at Wingfoot hitting it left on 18, and remember Colin Montgomerie, Jim Furyk all had opportunities right on the putter to be part of the win there. That was a memorable major. And Shaun Micheel in the PGA Championship with the unbelievable shot that he hit on the 72nd hole to beat Chad Campbell.

"Just because Tiger's not here doesn't mean there won't be drama. There may be just as much drama or memorable moments; we just don't know."

TNT continues coverage of today's second round going from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. PDT. On Saturday, TNT goes from 4 to 6 a.m., followed by ABC's telecast from 6 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday's final begins with TNT at the ungodly West Coast hours of 3-5 a.m., followed by ABC from 5 to 10:30 a.m.

The tournament is also available on XM Satellite Radio Channel 146. Video and audio are also available at http://www.pgatour.com and http://www.opengolf.com.

— Jim Carlisle is a staff writer for The Star. E-mail address: jcarlisle@VenturaCountyStar.com.