Tiger Woods: First taste of Turnberry Ailsa Course

Tiger Woods is busy warming up for the 2009 Open Championship when he'll play his first competitive rounds on the Turnberry Ailsa Course.

Woods arrived in a typically focused mood looking to secure Open title number four, but found time to sign autographs as he was mobbed by fans heading out onto the course for practice.

He is not the only player about to tackle the famed Ayrshire links; Padraig Harrington too will be making his first competitive trip there following May's Turnberry meeting with Golf Monthly's Jezz Ellwood.

Last week we revealed how practice round tickets for the Open were in high demand - especially considering the likes of Woods and Harrington getting in some serious playing time - and the crowds were certainly out in force as some of the world's biggest stars headed out to sharpen up their links touch.

The excitement of the 2009 Open Championship also cranked up a notch when the draw revealed Lee Westwood in the same threeball as Woods - and Harrington getting grouped with former US Open champions Jim Furyk and Geoff Ogilvy.