By Norman Dabell

HOYLAKE, England, July 19 (Reuters) Peter Hedblom will hit the first shot at the British Open and that means, with a 6.30am tee-off, he will have to rise at 3.30am tomorrow.

''I need to get up three hours before my tee-time to get my body up and running,'' the 36-year-old Swede Hedblom said on Wednesday.

''By 6.30 the machine should be running nicely.

''I suppose it's creating a bit of history by hitting the first drive but I hope I can hit the last putt this week as well.

''That would really be creating history. I don't think that's been done before.'' Hedblom, who plans to jog for 20 minutes, exercise for 20 minutes and spend an hour hitting balls on the practice range before breakfast on Thursday, has already planned his strategy for the 454-yard par-four first at Hoylake.

''There are three bunkers on the left and one on the right, so, hopefully, if I hit a two-iron, I can't reach any of them.

Then I'll leave myself a five-iron to the green.'' Hedblom's partners are the 1995 US PGA champion Steve Elkington of Australia, joint runner-up in the 2002 British Open, and American Jerry Kelly. This is Hedblom's seventh British Open. His best result was tied seventh in 1996.

REUTERS DH HT1815