For a player with the readiest smile on tour, it is sad to see Nick Dougherty endeavouring to come to terms with the death of his mother, Ennis, from a heart attack soon after she had watched him make his debut in the Masters at Augusta in April.

Dougherty admits that he has since struggled to concentrate on the game, missing three halfway cuts in his past four events, but is hoping to get things back on track in the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale this week.

The 26-year-old Liverpudlian has been drawn to play alongside Jim Furyk, of the United States, and Camilo Villegas, of Colombia, when play gets under way on Thursday and will hope that local knowledge can work in his favour. He is not, he says, properly focused but he could be swept along on a tide of emotion.

It has happened before in golf - witness Darren Clarke's magnificent performance in the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K Club six weeks after the death of his wife, Heather - and Dougherty said: “It's going to be lovely to have the support this week, but it's hard as part of me, the real me, is not really here,” Dougherty said. “Hopefully, the Open will give me some inspiration.”

Dougherty missed the cut at the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond last week but, apart from his putting, saw glimmers of improvement. “I was really bad at the European Open,” he said. “If your head is bad, your golf will be bad. I couldn't wait to get off the course. I'm not used to feeling like that, but I went up to my mum's grave and decided to change a few things. If I thought I couldn't make the Ryder Cup [he lies twelfth in the standings], I wouldn't be playing at the moment.”

Paul Casey, who has slid down the world rankings to No48, will aim for a good start in the company of Phil Mickelson, the world No2, and Hideto Tanihara, of Japan. At the start of the year, Casey was regarded as a certainty for the Ryder Cup, but his form has deserted him of late.

Justin Rose, who made such an impact at Birkdale when he finished joint-fourth as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998, is one of the earliest starters. The Englishman begins his challenge at 7.36am with Tom Watson - winner of five Open Championships - and Aaron Baddeley, of Australia.

Padraig Harrington, the champion, makes up a trio of major winners, alongside Justin Leonard (1997 Open) and Retief Goosen (US Open winner in 2001 and 2004).

Nick Faldo practically ruled out Luke Donald from the Europe team to face the United States in the Ryder Cup in September. Donald is suffering from an injured left wrist and is not expected to play for at least four weeks. “I feel sorry for him,” Faldo said. “But he sounds rather negative about it and I think the chances of him making it to Kentucky are slim.”

First and second-round tee-off times

Great Britain and Ireland unless stated

*denotes amateur

6.30am and 11.41: L Glover (US), C Parry (Aus), S Dyson

6.41, 11.52: J-B Gonnet (Fr), P Perez (US), P Fowler (Aus)

6.52, 12.03pm: S Kjeldsen (Den), B Jones (Aus), M Kuchar (US)

7.03, 12.14: J Kelly (US), D Fichardt (SA), D McGrane

7.14, 12.25: G Storm, S Strange (Aus), A Lyle

7.25, 12.36: R Green (Aus), M Calcavecchia (US), A Hansen (Den)

7.36, 12.47: T Watson (US), J Rose, A Baddeley (Aus)

7.47, 12.58: G Ogilvy (Aus), O Wilson, D Love III (US)

7.58, 13.09: R Goosen (SA), P Harrington, J Leonard (US)

8.09, 13.20: R Sterne (SA), H Stenson (Swe), J Quinney (US)

8.20, 13.31: H Mahan (US), V Singh (Fiji), *R Saxton (Neth)

8.31, 13.42: M Kaymer (Ger), S Verplank (US), E Els (SA)

8.42, 13.53: D Howell, A Romero (Arg), JB Holmes (US)

8.58, 14.09: L Westwood, KJ Choi (S Kor), B Curtis (US)

9.09, 14.20: N O'Hern (Aus), I Poulter, P Goydos (US)

9.20, 14.31: P Mickelson (US), H Tanihara (Japan), P Casey

9.31, 14.42: B Weekley (US), C Montgomerie, M Weir (Can)

9.42, 14.53: T Taniguchi (Japan), R Finch, J Daly (US)

9.53, 15.04: D Duval (US), S Khan, D Frost (SA)

10.04, 15.15: R Beem (US), P Edberg (Swe), *T Sherreard

10.15, 15.26: M Matsumura (Japan), T Gillis (US), B Hume

10.26, 15.37: S Kai (Japan), T Petrovic (US), D Horsey

10.37, 15.48: A Cañeté (Arg), C Barlow (US), P Archer

10.48, 15.59: J Elson, *R Blizard (Aus), J Bevan

10.59, 16.10: A Blyth (Aus), J Howarth, J Cunliffe (SA)

11.10, 16.21: T Aiken (SA), G Boyd, B Lamb (Aus)

11.41, 6.30am: J Van de Velde (Fr), S Webster, A Tampion (Aus)

11.52, 6.41: P Walton, D Smail (NZ), M Letzig (US)

12.03pm, 6.52: P Waring, H Otto (SA), K Stadler (US)

12.14, 7.03: Paul Lawrie, R Mediate (US), Á Cabrera (Arg)

12.25, 7.14: N Fasth (Swe), M O'Meara (US), M Campbell (NZ)

12.36, 7.25: G McDowell, R Sabbatini (SA), T Hamilton (US)

12.47, 7.36: J Furyk (US), N Dougherty, C Villegas (Col)

12.58, 7.47: R Karlsson (Swe), G Norman (Aus), W Austin (US)

13.09, 7.58: R Allenby (Aus), S Stricker (US), *B Hebert (Fr)

13.20, 8.09: A Scott (Aus), Z Johnson (US), P Larrazábal (Sp)

13.31, 8.20: G Havret (Fr), T Clark (SA), S Cink (US)

13.42, 8.31: Liang Wenchong (China), F Jacobson (Swe), J Overton (US)

13.53, 8.42: T Immelman (SA), S Hansen (Den), A Kim (US)

14.09, 8.58: MÁ Jiménez (Sp), S Ames (Can), C Howell III (US)

14.20, 9.09: P Hanson (Swe), Bart Bryant (US), R Pampling (Aus)

14.31, 9.20: R Imada (Japan), S García (Sp), S O'Hair (US)

14.42, 9.31: S Appleby (Aus), B Snedeker (US), R Fisher

14.53, 9.42: A Yano (Japan), J Edfors (Swe), T Lehman (US)

15.04, 9.53: S Wakefield, J Williamson (US), J Kingston (SA)

15.15, 10.04: G Bourdy (Fr), D Chia (Malaysia), J Rollins (US)

15.26, 10.15: P Marksaeng (Thai), *C Wood, S McCarron (US)

15.37, 10.26: A Wall, A Noren (Swe), E Porter (Aus)

15.48, 10.37: P Baker, H Iwata (Japan), A Cejka (Ger)

15.59, 10.48: D Labelle (US), Lam Chihbing (Sing), J-F Lima (Por)

16.10, 10.59: M Wiegele (Austria), A Que (Phil), D McGuigan

16.21, 11.10: J Lomas, Y Tsukada (Japan), P Appleyard