SOUTHPORT, England — In one of those charming English villages near Royal Birkdale Golf Club, the lamp posts are adorned with alternating pictures of Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington.

One is home.

The other is hurting.

The British Open began this morning in soaking rain and a whipping wind off the Irish Sea, conditions that figured to make golfing's oldest major a stern test even without Woods, a three-time champion, staring down the rest of the field. He was stuck on a couch back in the States, recovering from season-ending knee surgery that kept him out of a major for the first time since 1996.

Harrington, who won a year ago at Carnoustie in a memorable finish with Sergio Garcia, was hardly in good shape to defend his title. The Irishman injured his wrist last weekend and was only able to get in a half-round of practice. He put his odds of making it through 18 holes at only 50 percent.

"I'll be apprehensive hitting any shot," said Harrington, who hit his opening tee shot in the rough and was 2 over through six holes. "The pain itself is not a problem, but the anticipation of flinching for the pain, that could be a problem. I've got to somehow manage that."

A familiar name briefly claimed the top spot on the leaderboard. Fifty-eight-year-old Tom Watson, a five-time Open champion, sent a roar through the shivering gallery with a birdie at No. 1.

But red numbers were hard to come by in the brutal conditions. Phil Mickelson, who never has been much of a factor on this side of the Atlantic, bogeyed the first hole. Justin Rose took a double-bogey at No. 6 after hitting onto a mound. Another Englishman, Simon Dyson, had a 9 at the par-4 10th and was 11 over through 14 holes.

Some 3 1/2 hours into the opening round, no one was under par.

Harrington cut short his practice round on the eve of the tournament, managing only three full swings before his wrist started throbbing again. He walked the rest of the course, limiting himself to chipping and putting, the only things he felt comfortable enough to risk.

Woods won his 14th career major on one leg at the U.S. Open, then shut it down for the rest of the year to have major knee surgery.

With the world's No. 1 player on the sideline, there's certainly a better chance for everyone else in the field to get in on the fun, including:

— Garcia, who missed a 10-foot putt to win last year's Open, then lost a four-hole playoff with Harrington. The Spaniard is generally recognized as the best player without a major championship, and he usually plays well on these bumpy coastal courses.

— Ernie Els, who won the title in 2002 and lost in a playoff in '04. The Big Easy is a perennial contender, with three runner-up finishes and a couple of third-place showings at the Open.

— Phil Mickelson, who's never fared very well on this side of the Atlantic but is sure overdue. He hasn't been a serious contender in the majors since his meltdown on the 72nd hole of the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

Of course, there are those who will put an asterisk on this tournament, no matter who's holding the claret jug on Sunday, because Woods isn't in the field.

Garcia scoffed at that suggestion.

"With all due respect, the Open is bigger than any us, even Tiger Woods," he said. "And if I happen to never play golf again or Tiger happens to never play golf again, the Open will still be played."

But, whether they admit it or not, most players will be relieved to pass on their usual routine of looking for Woods' name on the scoreboard. The closest thing this week is Chris Wood, a 20-year-old English amateur who prompted a few double-takes but doesn't figure to be of concern, even at a tournament that has produced such unlikely winners as Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton.

Els summed it up best when it comes to Woods (Tiger, that is): "I'm not overly disappointed that he's not here."

Harrington sprained his wrist last weekend while hitting into an impact bag, golf's version of the punching bag. He took a couple of days off, then hit the course Tuesday. He managed to get in nine holes before his wrist started feeling "tingly," forcing him to cut out any full swings on the back side.

Harrington returned early Wednesday, headed to the practice range and didn't have any problems.

"I thought it was fine," he said. "I was hitting all sorts of shots and felt quite confident. I was hitting drivers with no problem. I was hitting divots with no problem."

Then he headed to the course. Three swings later, he was done.

Harrington teed off at No. 10 and didn't like the way his wrist felt. He tried another swing from the fairway. More pain. He gave it one more drive at the 11th tee before pulling the plug. For the second day in a row, caddie Ronan Flood ditched the bag and simply walked with his boss carrying a few wedges and a putter.

Even with Woods out and Harrington in limbo, the R&A said there's still plenty of interest in the most venerable of majors.

"We're very confident there will be 200,000 people here during the week," said David Hill, the R&A's director of championships. "It's disappointing Tiger is not here, but the fans think this is a special week and they've made their minds up to come."

The weather will play a crucial role, as always. The wind howled off the Irish Sea on Wednesday, and forecasters said there was a chance of showers for the opening round. Then again, accurately predicting the weather in these parts is like trying to pick a winner in a non-Tiger field.

"It's an interesting championship," Els said. "For once, I think everybody is very excited."