LYTHAM ST ANNES, England —Emerging from a spell in the doldrums caused by personal problems and injuries to win three tournaments this year, Woods could return to the top of the world rankings by taming the treacherous Lytham links. "Tiger hasn’t finished in the top 10 at the British Open since last winning in 2006, but he’s won three PGA events this year and goes in as the man to beat," Haydn Lane of sportsbet.com.au said. Bookmaker William Hill is offering odds of 9-1 on Woods lifting the Claret Jug on Sunday, with England’s Lee Westwood and Luke Donald 14-1 and 20-1, respectively, to win the title on home soil. Donald, the No. 1-ranked player in the world, believes Woods’ loss of form has been the main reason for the number of different major winners. "Obviously, I think Tiger would admit that his form hasn’t been as good over the last few years," Donald said. "He hasn’t been as dominant in the majors as he was." Donald and Westwood are bidding to become the first Englishman to win the Open on home soil since Tony Jacklin did so at Lytham in 1969. "This is the biggest championship in the world for me," Westwood said. "It would obviously mean a lot, not just because Tony was the last Englishman to win the Open championship, but because it’s the championship."
