LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Next week's British Open will enter unusual territory when a major championship is held without Tiger Woods for the first time in more than a decade.

The American world number one has been sidelined for the rest of this year while he recovers from reconstructive knee surgery, opening the door for players such as Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia.

Woods has triumphed six times in the last 14 majors, a remarkable record in a game renowned for its fickle nature, and his absence from any tournament clearly opens up the field.

Midway through last month, bookmakers William Hill listed him as favourite to win the Open at 5/2. After Woods ended his playing schedule for the year, Els and Garcia were automatically installed as joint favourites at 12/1.

A three-times champion at the Open, Woods will be sorely missed at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, north-west England but Mickelson and his rivals plan to take full advantage.

"It's going to have a negative effect .... on television ratings, on fan interest and so forth," world number two Mickelson said of Woods's absence from the oldest major championship.

"But I think it also opens an opportunity for a number of players to come through and maybe win tournaments that they might not have won.

"If you look at (Jack) Nicklaus's 18 majors or (Tom) Watson's eight, I don't look back at the field they played. I just look back at the tournaments they have won.

MEANINGFUL WIN

"I haven't won a major in a couple years and it would mean a lot to me to win an Open championship, as well as the PGA (Championship)," added the American left-hander, who clinched the most recent of his three major titles at the 2006 Masters.

Els, British Open champion at Muirfield in 2002, accepts that any player winning a major without Woods in the field is likely to have his victory accompanied by an asterisk.

"If the best player of this generation is not there, whoever wins next week is going to have to answer questions," the South African said.

"'Do you think you would have beaten Tiger if he was here?' It's just one of those things.

"Although we will miss him, and especially the media will miss him, the game of golf is there and the Open championship will be played whether Tiger is there or not."

Garcia, beaten by Irishman Padraig Harrington in a playoff for last year's Open at Carnoustie, held a differing view over Woods's first no-show at a major since the 1996 PGA Championship.

"I don't think it will affect it at all," the 28-year-old Spaniard said. "I don't think there's going to be less people there. The British crowds love golf and before Tiger was playing, the Open was still great.

"Obviously there's going to be something missing but the Open is still the Open and it's bigger than anybody else."

CLARET JUG

Of all next week's contenders for the cherished Claret Jug, links course expert Garcia appears to be among the most likely to triumph after regaining putting confidence this year.

Although he is yet to win a major championship, he has come desperately close, especially at the British Open where he has posted six top-10 finishes in his last seven starts.

"It's my favourite event," said the Spaniard, who won the biggest title of his career at the prestigious Players Championship in May after a week of superb ball-striking.

"I've been close to winning the Open and I just love the tournament so much, everything about it."

While Garcia, Els and Mickelson head the list of Birkdale challengers, Americans Jim Furyk and Stewart Cink, Australians Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy and British duo Lee Westwood and Justin Rose are also potential contenders.

Birkdale, which will host the Open for a ninth time, is widely regarded as one of the fairest courses on the championship rota. The par-70 layout threads its way through valleys in between sand dunes, resulting in fairways that generally offer flat lies.

"It's a course where, if you play properly, you're going to score, simple as that," said world number six Els. "There are no tricks there and, when the wind comes up, it will be a fair challenge.

"I really like it and I think it will suit both the longer hitter and the shorter hitter."

The 137th British Open starts on Thursday.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)