He may be the world No 1, but Tiger Woods won't get everything his own way at Muirfield this week.

The robust, fast-running East Lothian links will certainly dish out punishments for the wayward during the 142nd Open Championship, which begins on Thursday, but Woods made his first false move early yesterday as he continued his preparation for an assault on the Claret Jug.

The 37-year-old, who makes a habit of practising at the crack of dawn, arrived at the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers early and had planned to begin his round from the 10th tee at 6.40am. However, the course is not open for play until 7am and Woods, in the company of his girlfriend, the skier Lindsay Vonn, was told by a security guard that he could not proceed as planned. There are signs on the course informing players of the timings. Tiger, with his tail well and truly between his legs, beat a retreat to the practice putting green until the clock chimed seven. Woods, who is a three-time winner of the Open, returned at the allotted time and played from the first tee with Rory McIlroy.

"The practice tee opens at 7am and that was communicated to the players," said a spokesperson for the Royal & Ancient, the championship organisers. "This is to help spectators see as much play as possible and to give the greenkeepers sufficient time to prepare the course to the highest standard each morning."

It is not the first time Woods's plans have been obstructed by officialdom at Muirfield. The 14-time major winner was denied entrance to the practice range during the 2002 event, the last time the championship was held at the East Lothian venue, after a security guard did not recognise him.

Woods, who recorded the worst score of his professional career, an 81, during the third round of the 2002 Open at Muirfield as his hopes of a golfing grand slam disintegrated, will begin his challenge this week at 2.45pm in a three-ball that also includes the 2010 Open champion, Louis Oosthuizen, and Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell, fresh from his victory in the recent French Open.

Justin Rose, the newly-crowned US Open champion, will be aiming to follow in the footsteps of his countryman Nick Faldo by winning at Muirfield and the Englishman will launch his crusade for back-to-back majors with the current holder of the Claret Jug, Ernie Els. American Brandt Snedeker, who shared third place in last year's Open at Lytham, makes up a trio which tees-off at 9.11.

Phil Mickelson, buoyed by his first victory on these shores in the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart on Sunday, will compete in the company of Rory McIlroy, the world No 2, and the rising Japanese star, Hideki Matsuyama, who shared 10th place in last month's US Open at Merion. Adam Scott, who let the Claret Jug slip from his grasp at Lytham last year with four closing bogeys but bounced back to win the Masters in April, marches out at 2.12 with Matt Kuchar and Luke Donald. The honour of getting the 142nd championship underway will fall to Australian veteran Peter Senior, who will clatter the first drive away at 6.32. Scotsman Lloyd Saltman, the silver medal winner as the leading amateur in the 2005 Open at St Andrews, is also in that dawn patrol.

Saltman's fellow Scot, Stephen Gallacher, meanwhile, expressed his delight at a draw that has paired him with the former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy and Harris English of the United States.

"That's amazing," said Gallacher, when he read the draw. "I've played with Ogilvy five times and four years in a row in a major. It's a great draw for me, and the timings are certainly perfect, 1.45 on the first day and 8.44 on the second day."

Gallacher, who was originally a reserve for the third major of the season but entered the field after former champion John Daly withdrew due to an injury, missed the cut in the Scottish Open at the weekend but is relishing the prospect of the rigorous Muirfield challenge.

"Nobody can complain about the course this week, it's absolutely perfect," he added. "The rough looks absolutely horrendous, but when you get there it's not too thick. You can get the ball out."

Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open winner, is off in the match immediately before Gallacher with Thorbjorn Olesen - whom he was paired with at Castle Stuart for the first two days - and Jim Furyk.

Martin Laird, who has arrived in purposeful mood after a share of fifth in the Scottish Open, begins his fifth Open appearance in the company of Vijay Singh and the 2011 champion Darren Clarke at 1.12. Grant Forrest, the Scottish Amateur champion, will get the chance to tap into the experience of Mark O'Meara, the 1998 Open winner, when he begins his championship debut at 12.06.