With the bookmakers' top three of Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson - two Americans and a South African - the prospect of an end to that astonishing run of 31 major championships without a European win looks bleak as the action finally gets under way today in the 136th Open Championship.

Yet Nick Faldo, who won the Open three times in the golden era of the Fab Five comprising himself, Seve Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam and Bernhard Langer, said yesterday the same floodgates could open if only one of the current crop could just do the business.

In the week that Ballesteros announced his retirement, it would be timely if it was to happen here at Carnoustie, for it was he who made the last similar breakthrough by winning the Open at Lytham in 1979, then the Masters the following year.

On his 50th birthday yesterday, Faldo conceded: "Seve broke the mould for us and now, in this era, you have an awful lot of players stacked up behind Tiger. I believe he has at least five or 10 years more, but somewhere along the line those guys have to look at themselves and say I'm now in position to win a major - it's me against these other guys'. It's who's got the whatever, the X factor, the 15th club, to go and do that."

At a time of European domination of the Ryder Cup, there are a host of worthy European possibles, for example Padraig Harrington, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, David Howell, Luke Donald and Henrik Stenson.

Faldo, however, identified a Ryder Cup player-yet-to-be in Justin Rose as the name he has marked his X against. "He's been playing well, has been in contention. He's gained the experience, so he's the most obvious one for me," Faldo said.

Rose, 26, the South Africa-born Englishman, was fifth in this year's Masters and 10th in the US Open, and is sixth-favourite with the bookies despite this being his first Open campaign for four years.

"Hopefully I'll be a contender," said Rose, who has been practising with Faldo. "I certainly take a lot of confidence in what happened at Augusta and the US Open. For two good experiences to be so close together, should a third come around, it might be easier."

Faldo denied reports he had blamed European "chumminess" as blunting the edge of major championship hopefuls, pointing out it was a remark he made four years ago after three of the four leaders of an American tournament had lunch together.

"I was sitting with Seve at a press conference the Monday after and we both agreed that's not what it was like in our day," said Faldo, who ploughed a lone furrow when he was at his peak.

Harrington, at fourth-favourite, is top European among those who put their money where their mouths are. "Hopefully they're right," said the Bob Torrance-coached Dubliner.

"I would like to think I'm that high up, but not having won a major before it's going to be difficult. I'm capable of doing it, but actually doing it is another question."

He, too, said it would be easier if there had been a Seve-type example to follow. That would bring on a lot of players and if I don't win this week, I'll be rooting for another player I'm familiar with. It would be easier to visualise when somebody you know wins one."

Over a 7421-yard course that is playing soft and holding for a links, and far from the fearsome firm and fast conditions that were desired by the R&A, it is hard to foresee anyone beating Woods, who is bidding for his third Open title in a row, on ability alone.

Woods, however, mindful of the squalid tempest that passed over Muirfield in the Open's third round in 2002 and derailed his chances of a grand slam that year, knows only too well the role luck can play in the only one of the four majors to be played outside of the US, where consistent conditions throughout any one day are the norm.

In that respect, he could be on the wrong end of the draw tomorrow when the forecast is mild weather in the morning and a stronger wind and cooler temperatures later. If so, it is a draw that will favour Harrington among others.

As for the eight-strong Scottish contingent, Colin Montgomerie is making his usual pre-tournament positive noises and, having won the European Open at the K Club in Ireland and followed that by missing the cut last week in the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, he is capable of anything.

The remainder of Paul Lawrie, Sandy Lyle, Alastair Forsyth, Scott Drummond, Richie Ramsay, Ross Bain and Doug McGuigan will all do well on current form to make the cut.