During the Beeb's hit and miss coverage on Thursday all the top players were asked by a bubbly Hazel Irvine what had they learned from the great one's master class down the coast in Hoylake. All were dutifully impressed but none overawed . . . because these women do not see themselves as canary yellow alsorans but as potential Tigers or Tigresses in their own right. But how many of the field of 156 who took to the Royal track have any right, short of forgivable Walter Mitty daydreaming, to be considered the Tiger of the Distaff Tours?

Pre-tournament hype would suggest one.

Possibly two. Clear rational thought, hard facts and irrefutable achievements would suggest one. And only one. Michelle Wie is . . .

if legend and her coach David Leadbetter are to be believed . . . so big she straddles two tours, sells zillions of Nike, Omega and Sony products.

It is generally agreed . . . even by sceptics, female snipers and male begrudgers . . . that Ms Wie (now a willowy six-foot plus 16-year old-veteran of umpteen tours) has got game.

And length. And looks. And endorsements.

And rather awkward ear-rings. The Big Weasie has also got the ability to rip/nuke/zing a ball. Since she was 13 she could spank the balata three 300 yards no problem. She also had short game. And could boss the moss. The Hawaiian phenom didn't exactly shoot the lights out on Thursday.

She began with three bogeys, was outdriven constantly by a minuscule Japanese lady and seemed intent on familiarising her ball with every sand-trap on the bunker-ridden course. A normal person would have felt that the chassis as well as the wheels were coming off and sought comfort in the mockTudor clubhouse. Not Ms Wie. She steadied the ship, putted masterfully and hit two wonderful blows including a glorious five iron to the 18th for a classy birdie. And thus ended up just two over par. Remind you of anyone.

The other wannabe Tiger also plays with indecent composure and hides any anxiety or anger behind her fetching shades. She too has a girlish air about her, pony tail and ear rings. She too is pretty but in a more subtle way. However there are some differences.

For one she's married or rather divorced.

She's almost 36 not 16 and she wears Callaway symbols. She has in Peter Alliss's words 'a brisk swing and she looks like she's enjoying the game'. And the acclaim. Oh and there is the small matter that, unlike Ms Wie, Ms Annika Sorenstam has won something. Well quite a lot. Actually she's nearly won as many tournaments as Laura Davis has putters.

And Laura Davis has 180 putters and still accumulating. .

In fact Ms Sorenstam has only won 81 tournaments and is currently in a slump because she hasn't won a tournament for three whole weeks. You can see why she was annoyed with herself at the 17th on Thursday.

She has also managed to win 10 majors.

That's one less than her texting buddy and regular practice partner - one Tiger Woods.

He made some "smart ass comment" after Hoylake she revealed to Hazel. You can see why she wants to win at Lytham so badly.

Especially Lytham where she won her first British Open in 2003 after a brilliant display of course management. Remind you of anyone? She took all the bunkers out by deliberate choice of clubs and precise placement of drives. Indeed she played the course so well she alluded to this championship with untypical immodesty in her 2004 instructional book Golf Annika's Way.

In particular she mentioned her strategy on the 17th hole and how she didn't even look at that Bobby Jones one with the plaque.

And was under par for that hole for all four days. Which is why she was mad with herself on Thursday and even bogeyed the 18th.

Like her much-hyped rival Ms Wie, Ms Sorenstam has in recent years made a foray into the men's tour. Her presence at the Colonial in 2003 got more coverage than the concurrent Iraq war. (The sex war always wins out over real war). She hit a splendiferous fairway-splitting four wood on the first tee and played steady for two rounds but failed to make the cut. Her parting words were "this is way over me" and she took herself back with enhanced reputation to the women's tour. Last year she won 11 tournaments out of 21 startings, including two majors. No wonder the buzz word was Sorenslam.

By contrast Ms Wie and her team (who include a Nike stylist though you could dress her in charity frump and she'd still outTrump the current Ms Trump) are caught between two worlds, foraging between two genders. And winning nothing. Though in fairness there have been a number of close seconds . . . one last week at the prestigious Evian Classic. But a near victory is not the stuff of champions and when it comes to champions there are few to match Ms Sorenstam. Few . . . maybe only one. And he only by one championship. And in fairness to the Swedish phenom, who debuted on tour in '92 but was initially overshadowed by Karrie Web, she has had to earn each and every title.

Unlike the men's tour where since 1999 most of the men seem, to quote Freddie Couples, to be playing for second place the ladies are a deadlier species entirely. Annika has had to contend with a succession of serious rival . . . ambitious young ones, dogged veterans, Koreans, Japanese, British, Swedish. Serious players like Se Ri Pak, Cash and Karrie Webb, big-hitting Sophie Gustaffson, Mexican prodigy Lorena Ochoa and current Asian phenoms Ai Miyazato and Yuri Fudoh. Not to forget formidable Yankee veterans like Juli Inkster (currently battling for a much cherished first British Open) and fearless kids on the rock like Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis, Morgan Pressel and Brits like fairway holer-outer Karen Stupples and rejuvenated Laura Davies.

Which all goes to show what a mega- achiever Ms Sorenstam is.

As for Ms Wie she seems unfazed by her rival's achievements as she is unmoved by the criticisms of fellow women players including veterans like Dottie Pepper and Nancy Lopez for her failure to commit to the women's tour. She also seems to be unconcerned about the stern competition she faces in the eye-candy department from the likes of Creamer and Gulbis. It must be said that Adidas never looked better than on Ms Creamer on Thursday. You can see where those Golf Punk lads are coming from. Or to.

"But back to the golf, " as Peter Alliss said sighfully more than once. And great golf it is.

Played by some of the neatest swingers and finest fairway-threaders in the game. These Girls Rock, to employ the surprisingly racy slogan of the LPGA. Wie has certainly shown flashes of the very nearly precocious genius that she is. Annika is not firing on all cylinders. Inkster is proving a doughty fighter.

Others are lurking in the richly talented field.

But only one to date has any right to receive that text from the Tiger. And come tonight she could be sending him her own smart ass reply. Eleven all, enjoy Medinah!

Yes, the Tigress is 35 going on 36, comes from Sweden and is one of the greatest players . . . male or female . . . the game has ever seen.

Way to go Annika. Long way to go Michelle.