Tale of the tape: England vs. South Africa vs. Australia

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Will Justin Rose or another Englishman finally keep the Claret Jug at home? Or will the trophy that goes to this week's British Open winner once again leave its shores, as it has done every year since Nick Faldo's win in 1992?

While it's easy to get caught up in the 43 Americans in the field (even without Tiger Woods), the glory is any country's for the taking this year. Let's look at the next three biggest countries represented at Royal Birkdale --England, Australia and South Africa, each one with a rich golfing heritage -- and see how they match up in a Tale of the Tape.

MORE: Five Englishmen to watch | Is it Rose's time? | England's seaside city

Tale of the Tape

Category SOUTH AFRICA ENGLAND AUSTRALIA PLAYERS IN THIS WEEK'S FIELD 12 27 18 BRITISH OPEN WINS 8 28 9 LAST OPEN WIN 2002 (Ernie Els) 1992 (Nick Faldo) 1993 (Greg Norman) MOST INDIVIDUAL OPEN WINS Bobby Locke had four: 1949, '50, '52, '57 Harry Vardon had six: 1896, '98, '99, 1903, '11, '14 Peter Thomson had five: 1954, '55, '56, '58, '65 BEST PLAYER EVER The Black Knight, Gary Player, is undoubtedly his nation's best ever with 24 TOUR wins, nine of them majors. Ryder Cup captain for 2008, Nick Faldo, leads Old Blighty with nine TOUR wins, six of them majors (and 27 European Tour wins). The Great White Shark, Greg Norman, racked up 20 TOUR wins, two of them majors (alas, it could've been more). BEST MODERN PLAYER BY OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING As of July 14, Big Easy Ernie Els is ranked fifth in the world. As of July 14, Justin Rose is ranked ninth in the world. As of July 14, Geoff Ogilvy is ranked third in the world. BEST MODERN PLAYER BY FEDEXCUP RANKINGS Masters winner Trevor Immelman leads his country in 13th place in the FedExCup race. The highest Brit on the list, Luke Donald is 31st in FedExCup standings. Geoff Ogilvy leads the land Down Under in eighth place, just ahead of Robert Allenby. FASHION SENSE Rory Sabbatini's belt buckles always cause a stir on TOUR. Fans can count on Ian Poulter to brighten things up on the course. The straw hat became Greg Norman's signature look. HAIR STYLES Trevor Immelman's floppy, highlighted locks lend a boyish charm to his look. Like his fashion sense, Poulter's spiky hairstyle is in a league all its own. Stuart Appleby's long, platinum-blond hair has always set him apart from others. CAPITAL CITY South Africa has three: Cape Town (legislative), Pretoria (administrative) and Bloemfontein (judicial) One of the most popular cities in the world, grand old London is England's capital -- as if you didn't know that. Many people presume that the Australian capital is Sydney, but it's not. It's actually its neighbor, Canberra. APPROXIMATE DISTANCE FROM ROYAL BIRKDALE Royal Birkdale is about 7,246 miles from Pretoria. Just down the coastline, London is 190 miles away from the course. Across the globe, Canberra is 10,602 miles from Royal Birkdale. MAJOR WINS 19 38 14 MOST INDIVIDUAL MAJORS Gary Player has nine: 1961, '74, '78 Masters; 1965 U.S. Open; 1959, '68, '74 British Opens; 1962, '72 PGAs. Harry Vardon had six major championships: 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, 1914 British Opens; 1900 U.S. Open Nothing to turn your nose up at, Peter Thomson has five majors: 1954, '55, '56, '58, '65 British Opens MODERN-DAY HEARTTHROB Trevor Immelman's sparkling blue eyes make him a hit with the female fans. Paul Casey's boyish grin and dark hair make him stand out on the course. Adam Scott might as well be crowned king of the good-looking golfers right now. SWINGIN' '60s HEARTTHROB: The man in black who introduced the fit physique to golf, Gary Player, had quite the line of admirers in his day. Tony Jacklin fit the description of "tall, dark and handsome." (Well, maybe not tall, but taller than his South African counterpart.) Peter Thomson had a number of major titles to his name, but his smile made him equally as popular.