Defending champion Stewart Cink and three-time champion Tiger
Woods among 10 Nike Golf athletes at the Open Championship

Cink heads to St. Andrews for the 150th anniversary of the championship as the current holder of the Claret Jug, along with three top 10s on the PGA Tour this year. The lanky six-time PGA Tour winner is strong in major championships with nine top 10s.

The 10-man Nike Golf contingent at St. Andrews also includes Trevor Immelman, Justin Leonard, David Duval, Paul Casey and Lucas Glover, along with European Tour stars Charl Schwartzel, Francesco Molinari and Simon Dyson.

For the first time in his career, Woods will have 14 Nike clubs in his bag. Woods has replaced his older putter with Nike`s METHOD putter (model 001 Classic Blade). Cink and Glover used METHOD putters to win their major championships in 2009. The METHOD was used in a total of 12 global wins last year.

"It rolls the ball better and rolls it faster so I've had to make very little adjustment in how hard I'm hitting it compared to if I had my older putter," Woods told a news conference. "I've always experimented with other putters throughout the years, but I've never put one in play until now."

Old Course is Woods' 'favourite'  

Woods lifted the Claret Jug in 2000 and 2005 with winning margins of eight and five strokes respectively at the Old Course, which he calls his "favourite." He also won the championship at Royal Liverpool in 2006. He has finished fourth in both the Masters and U.S. Open this year.

Nike Golf athletes are buoyed by five victories globally in 2010: Schwartzel won twice early on the European Tour, Pablo Martin captured the Alfred Dunhill Championship on the European Tour, James Morrison notched a victory at the Madiera Islands Open BPI, and Anthony Kim won the PGA Tour's Houston Open. (Kim is sidelined this week by his continuing thumb injury.)

Schwartzel finished T3 in Houston and second in the PGA Tour's WGC-CA Championship. Earlier this season, the South African won back-to- back events on the European Tour. His strong play in 2010 has boosted him into the Top 25 in the world rankings.

Casey also had a great start in 2010, enjoying four top 10s in four events. He was second in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, T4 at the Honda, T6 at the WGC-CA Championship, and T10 at SBS Championship. Casey won three times in 2009. His best finish in the Open Championship was T7 in 2008.

Glover, winner of the 2009 U.S. Open, enjoyed his best finish (third) in 2010 at the Players Championship, and he finished T9 in the Farmers Insurance Open.  

Duval looking for second Open win

Duval would dearly love to win another Open Championship, which he captured as his only major, which he won at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 2001. The former world No. 1 continues to make a solid comeback this year with a second-place finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Immelman is continuing his comeback from a wrist injury. The 2008 Masters champion's best finish this season is a T14 at Augusta.

Immelman plays the VR STR8-FIT Tour driver; he was the first player to win a major championship with an adjustable driver in 2008.

Leonard is always a threat at the majors, especially with the increase in distance and playability he's enjoying with his SQ MACHSPEED STR8-FIT driver. Leonard has won 12 PGA Tour events, including the 1997 Open Championship and the 1998 PLAYERS Championship. He finished T8 at Turnberry last year and T14 at the U.S. Open last month.

Italy's Molinari made the cut in the three majors he played in 2009 (the U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship, where he finished 10th). He teamed with his brother Edoardo to win the 2009 World Cup. He's playing in his third Open Championship-his first as a professional.

Dyson of England notched a pair of victories on the European Tour in 2009, including the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews. His best finish in 2010 is a T10 at the Madrid Masters.