Sawgrass is set to test Tiger

The entrance to the TPC at Sawgrass is long and has the rather grandiose title of PGA Tour Boulevard.

If not quite as grand as the shorter Magnolia Lane at Augusta National, the lampposts that line this roadway - with poster images of past champions stretching back three decades - nevertheless remind competitors as they drive towards the course in their Buick courtesy cars that this is a route to a kind of golfing heaven, potentially part of their destiny.

We know it's not a major, but, in truth, it is the next best thing. As Padraig Harrington observed, "the winner is effectively going to be paid $1,000 for every minute's work." Indeed, a financial prize of $1.08 million to the winner, along with a beautifully crafted Waterford Crystal trophy, is a worthy incentive - but it is the title itself that would mean more to whoever manages to conquer a course that, according to Darren Clarke, is playing "brutally tough."

Technically speaking, two high-profile withdrawals have weakened the field, even if Scott Hoch insisted: "That's only two guys, it is still a great field in a great tournament."

Ernie Els, the world's number two, is nursing a sore wrist (he hopes to be ready for the Masters in two weeks time), while Phil Mickelson, the number three player in the world, has taken time-out to be with his wife after the birth of their third child.

So, shouldn't that simply make things easier for the world's number one? Maybe, or then, maybe not. Tiger Woods has been quite unbelievable since returning to tournament play after a winter hiatus that included knee surgery.

Since his comeback, he has played four times and won on three occasions. But he doesn't dominate here the way he does at, say, Bay Hill, or even Augusta. In six previous appearances in the Players' Championship, he has won once - in 2001 - and had two other top-10 finishes. The intimidation factor just isn't as strong here for some reason, or so it seems.

"The golf course here, the way it is set up, I think anybody could do well here," claimed David Toms. "You have a lot of variety. You have some short holes, some long holes, and it doesn't play into any particular player's hands. I don't know that we'd want to play this every week, it's pretty stressful. There are a lot of shots out there where you can get a bad bounce when you hit a good shot. But the whole field has a chance."

Intriguingly, there is a bit more bullish talk from the European invaders, who have endured a particularly miserable time in this championship. In its 29 previous stagings, Sandy Lyle is the only one who has discovered the winning formula. "I don't know why it should be, maybe because the Americans outnumber us five-to-one?" remarked Harrington, adding: "But that means we should be winning one-in-six, and we're not doing that, are we?"

Harrington, though, is happy with the work he has done with coach Bob Torrance - "it took him just two minutes to work out what I was doing wrong," he remarked - and has also worked with psychologist Bob Rotella this week.

Likewise, Clarke has spent time with Rotella in recent days - as well as a seven-hour in Fort Myers a little over a week ago - and is clearly benefiting from the relationship. "I'm fine, swinging it well, and just doing everything well. Mentally, I'm in good shape and, to be honest, I just want to get going," insisted Clarke.

In many ways, Clarke has been given a prime draw, commencing his first round at 7.50 a.m. (12.50 p.m. Irish time), in the company of David Duval.

Clarke is hitting it long and straight, which is vitally important on this course. After his final practice round, Clarke inveigled coach Butch Harmon to spend some extra time on the range - "all I need is 10 minutes," he requested - as he sought to fine-tuned things.

Neither Clarke nor Harrington have set this course alight in previous visits. In his five previous appearances, Clarke has actually missed the cut three times and his best finish was tied-26th in 2001.

Harrington, meanwhile, successfully survived into the weekend on each of his two previous visits, securing a best-placed finish of tied-22nd last year.

Yet, they only have to look at what Craig Perks did a year ago - pitching in twice on two of the last three holes to win - to know that anything is possible on a course that has arguably the toughest finishing stretch in tournament golf.

"In some ways, it is easier for one of the lesser lights rather than a star name to beat Woods," said Harrington, aware that the world number one is very much the man that - again - has to be beaten.

As Colin Montgomerie observed, "Tiger's by far the best player that we've ever played against and by far the best player in my view that's ever played the game. We're very fortunate to have the best athlete in the world play golf."

And, as ever, on current form, Woods is the man to beat. He has spent a record-breaking 188 straight weeks as number one on the world rankings and that's not going to change for a long, long time. But he knows that he has to master the course to win.

"This is the toughest course we play all year, especially if the wind blows. That's the hard part, because it swirls with all the water around here and just starts doing weird things . . . and there are also some pretty intense holes coming down the stretch. Anything can happen, and no lead is big enough going into the last few holes."