Rule Britannia? English leading charge

SANDWICH, England -- Royal St. George's is the hub of English golf, a course that's hosted more British Opens that any outside of Scotland. The home team is poised to shine in the latest version of golf's oldest major championship.

Luke Donald is No. 1 in the world rankings. Lee Westwood is right on his heels at No. 2. Paul Casey and Ian Poulter are both in the top 20. Four other Englishmen from the top 100 qualified for the Open.

"English golf is very strong right now," Donald said. "With myself and Lee heading that list. We've both been having good years so far, and there's a bunch of other English guys that probably haven't played as well as us but certainly have the potential to win."

The numbers look a lot more promising than they did eight years ago, the last time an Open was held here. There were no English players in the top 10 and only two (Casey and Justin Rose) in the top 50. Donald was No. 117. Westwood wasn't even in the top 200.

Stanley wins a spot

Kyle Stanley is feeling better. He might have been denied his first PGA Tour victory, but he got quite a consolation prize. Stanley arrived at Royal St. George's eager to play in his first major championship as a professional. He earned the British Open spot with a runner-up finish Sunday in the John Deere Championship, making up for the disappointment of squandering a two-stroke lead over the final two holes. "I thought I had to win," Stanley said. "But it's a nice consolation."

Curtis: A big surprise

Ben Curtis won the first of his three tour events at the Open at Royal St. George's as a rookie in 2003. He only got into the Open two weeks before with a tie for 13th in the Western Open. He was No. 396 in the world ranking. -- AP