GULLANE, Scotland - The British Open is how we commonly know what is recognized overseas as The Open Championship, or simply The Open. It is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf and its 142nd edition starts this Thursday.

Unpredictability is one of the many synonyms that appear when you enter Open Championships in your favorite thesaurus. Look no further than last year; no one could see coming how Adam Scott would lose with a four=shot lead with four holes to play.

But Ernie Els played steady down the final holes while Scott suffered a ‘major’ collapse, handing ‘The Big Easy’ his second Claret Jug, and fourth overall major. That win came at the Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club where The Open was played last year.

This year the tournament returns to Muirfield where The Open has been held 15 times. The first was in 1892 and the last time in 2002, when Els got his first Open win overcoming a four-man playoff with Stuart Appleby, Steve Elkington and Thomas Levet. This must give Els a sense of rare confidence that he could find the magic again and try to become just the eight player in the post-World War II era to have repeated as the champion of The Open.

That same feeling could be felt by six-time major winner, Sir Nick Faldo, who returns to the scene of two of his three Open Championship wins (‘87, ‘92). But for the Welwyn Garden City native, who turns 56 on Thursday, it will be more of a case of turning back the clock than finding magic on his clubs.

Faldo has not made a competitive appearance since missing the cut at the 2010 Open Championship at the Old Course, St Andrews. If his past experiences in Muirfield don’t help, he can put back the jacket of lead golf analyst he’s used since he began his broadcasting career in 2006 and find the best shot possible.

Many other past champions will join Els and Faldo in the quest to hold the Claret Jug one more time. Five-time winner Tom Watson is always a delight to watch playing The Open and he will be playing along with three-time champion Tiger Woods, two-time champion Padrig Harrington and one-time winners Darren Clarke, Louis Oosthuizen, Stewart Cink, Todd Hamilton, Ben Curtis, David Duval, Paul Lawrie, Mark O'Meara, Justin Leonard, Tom Lehman, Mark Calcavecchia and Sandy Lyle.

Another thing you look forward to is the ever-present and unpredictable British weather. The famous British weather can often disrupt golf tournaments, and the Open Championship has seen plenty affected by sudden changes in conditions that have dramatically and adversely affected play.

Woods can testify on that behalf. The last time The Open was played here at Muirfield, heavy rain and biting winds resulted in Tiger Woods shooting 81, the worst round of his professional career. He must feel relieved that this year however, that might not prove the case, for summer has remembered its annual stop in the UK.

All week the Muirfield course is expected to be bathed in sunshine, meaning that the event is set to play out rather differently from. Woods said in an interview with ESPN that the course is playing very fast and he likes it.

Despite his recent deviation from the top form the World’s No. 1 has shown the past year, Woods is still the man to beat every time he tees it off. He is a three-time winner of the event, and while St, Andrews might be his venue, when he is on top of his game, there is no course he cannot dominate.

While he is the favorite to win, we cannot overlook the chances of recent major winners Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy. Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Graeme McDowell will also hope to come close to claiming the championship, with consistency the key across all days of the tournament.

Muirfield plays to the advantage of the ball strikers and there are plenty that can relish the chance to win The Open. Those players who display command over the golf ball in general and are equally adept with a driver or a short iron in his hand. Those golfers who can work the ball both ways, vary trajectories, take a little something off a shot or execute a creative shot as necessary.

That brings into the picture players like Boo Weekley, Brandt Snedeker, Steve Stricker, Zach Johnson, Thomas Bjorn, Jason Dufner, Alexander Noren and Billy Horschel among others. This is the course where they can display their abilities and feast on it.

Youngster on the rise such as Jordan Spieth, who just won the John Deere Classic, becoming of the youngest winner on the PGA Tour in 82 years, and Russel Henley, who won the Sony Open in Hawaii earlier this year are two young guns to watch for this weekend.

The Open Championship is a unique major, and with the unique setting of direction of the holes at Muirfield, it provides the recipe for an unforgettable tournament. One where greatness is achieved and is often required to win.

For more information on the 142nd edition of this major tournament, including tee times, entry list and more you can click here.