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GULLANE, Scotland — When you turn on your televisions to watch the British Open, which begins with today’s opening round at Muirfield, do not expect to see a beauty contest.
You will see lot of browned-out grass and little lush greenery. You will see the world’s best players struggling to machete their way out of knee-high fescue. You will see a lot of high scores.
And, at the end of the week, you are likely to see one of the world’s top players hoisting the Claret Jug to the Scottish sky on the 18th green announced as the “champion golfer of the year.’’
Of the 15 Open champions crowned at Muirfield, dating back to 1892, the course has had a propensity for delivering world-class players as its champion.
The list of Open champions at Muirfield includes Hall of Famers Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo and, most recently, Ernie Els, from the last time it was played here, in 2002.
“I think it’s the quality of the golf course,’’ Tiger Woods said. “You have to hit the ball well here. You have to be able to shape your shots. I think it’s very similar to looking at the list of winners at our last major, U.S. Open, at Merion. Again, all wonderful ball strikers [won there]. I think this is the same here.
“I mean, look at the list of past champions, the number of Hall of Famers that there are who have won here. I think it just goes to show you, you really have to hit the ball well. You have to be able to shape it both ways. You can’t just hit one way. You have to shape it both ways and really control the shots.
“You’re not playing, like you are at St. Andrews out and back or Troon. You’re playing almost in kind of a circle, in a sense, because you’ve got so many different angles and so many different winds, you have to be able to maneuver the ball both ways.’’
The conditions at Muirfield, where the weather has been hot and dry lately, will be fiery, with the turf hard and the bounces unpredictable.
Woods said he doesn’t expect to hit his driver a lot, which means he’ll take a similar tact to the way he dissected Hoylake in 2006, when he won the most recent of his three British Opens. This will be the first British Open since with conditions as hard, dry and fast.
“It’s playing really fast out there,’’ Woods said.
Woods said Muirfield “is playing similar to’’ Hoylake, where he hit only one driver the entire tournament.
“I’ve played a couple of days now, three days, and I’ve only hit a couple of drivers here,’’ he said. “Some of the holes, 4-iron was going 280 and 3-iron is going a little over 300 yards. So it’s quick.’’
Phil Mickelson, who’s seeking his first British Open title and believes Muirfield represents his best shot, is not even carrying a driver in his bag this week — a strategy he employed at the U.S. Open at Merion last month.
“I just don’t see how a driver is going to help me in any areas,’’ Mickelson said. “I’m able to hit that 3-wood on this firm ground every bit as close enough in distance on the holes. And distance on any tee shot is not even in my mind. It’s avoiding bunkers, avoiding rough, getting the ball in the fairway.’’
Mickelson said he has a secret to dealing with the treacherous rough.
“Yeah, I think the key to the rough is staying out of it,’’ he joked. “I feel like the fairways are a fair width. I feel like it’s a very fair setup. The rough is difficult, but there are times where you can advance it. There are also times where you’ll have a hard time finding it. I feel, though, that the setup is extremely fair.’’
A fair golf course traditionally leads to identifying the best player — a world-class player, rather than an “accidental tourist’’ who comes from deep down in the world rankings to win.
There are many from which to choose in the field. If you are expecting reigning Masters champion Adam Scott or last month’s U.S. Open winner Justin Rose to win, though, that might not be a great bet. Only two of the last 20 major championship winners have been repeat winners. The last 20 major championships have produced 18 different winners.
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com