For the two of them, the links at Royal Portrush acted as a creative breeding ground. It's where they learnt the craft of punching low shots into the wind, where Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell - separated in age by 12 years, but now peers and competing on the same world stage - discovered the nuances of links golf.

Now, here they are at the Old Course, and each has an eye on that claret jug which has proven so elusive to Europeans in recent times.

"It's a pretty amazing statistic, considering the number of good players we have and the amount of talent that's there," observed McDowell, of the fact that Paul Lawrie at Carnoustie in 1999 was the last European to lift the trophy.

"We don't have enough majors to show for ourselves, but I think with the crop of talent we have now, it's only a matter of time before we start winning more often. You'll probably see one guy do it and then a bunch of guys will do it. I think this week is as good a chance of any."

In terms of preparation for this third major of the year, the pair couldn't have been more different.

Clarke finished runner-up in the Barclays Scottish Open, but returned home to Surrey to spend time with his family before arriving here yesterday; McDowell, in contrast, missed out on Loch Lomond to return to his roots. He spent a couple of days playing Portrush - "it's in the best condition I've seen it for a long time, great preparation," said McDowell - before coming over to the Old Course to play practice rounds.

In some ways, McDowell replicated what he did prior to the US Open at Pinehurst, opting to play practice rounds in relative peace and quiet away from the madding crowd. "To be honest, I'm still at an experimentation stage. I'm just trying different ways to prepare. I found at Augusta, for example, that it was very difficult to get everything done that you needed to get done on the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday."

So it is that McDowell has done his serious work away from the prying eyes of those massed outside of the ropes.

For Clarke, circumstances are different. His wife Heather's ongoing fight with cancer has understandably dictated his itinerary over the past month and half. On Sunday evening he returned home, left the reconnaissance work on Monday to his caddie Billy Foster who spent eight hours on the course, and then arrived here yesterday morning. All going well, Clarke hopes that Heather can even pay a visit to St Andrews over the weekend.

Of all of the Irish players in recent years, Clarke has been the one to contend most often in the British Open. He still adheres to the belief this is the championship that offers him the best prospect of a major win. But where he was laden with the burden of his own expectations in previous years, the illness to Heather has brought a new perspective. The desire to win is still there; but it is not the be all nor the end all of things.

"I've always felt the Open represented my best opportunity. I'll go and play. I've had no expectations since I came back playing at The K Club, none at all. I'd like to give myself a chance. I still get a little bit annoyed when I hit a very poor shot on the golf course, but not as annoyed as I used to . . . I'm a little easier on myself than I have been. It's slightly different out there," he said.

Clarke has been in contention for the claret jug before, finishing second at Troon in 1997 and third at Birkdale in 2001. He's more than served his apprenticeship. "I hope that if I get myself into a position to challenge for it that I would be very capable of doing it," said Clarke, who admitted he "hit the ball fantastic" in his final round at Loch Lomond on Sunday.

"Most of the people you see that win an Open have been there before. They've served their apprenticeship. I know things have changed a bit of late (Ben Curtis winning in his maiden major in 2003, Todd Hamilton in his fourth last year), but the majority of people who have won have been there before," added Clarke.

McDowell, for one, would rather that the recent trend continued. In his debut appearance in the British Open at Troon, he recalled yesterday he was "like a child in a candy store" walking around wide-eyed.

"There was so much distractions at Troon it was incredible. I feel my preparation is better (this time). I feel I have the game. I know what to expect," said the 25-year-old, who knows that he can play this course (he shot a 62 in the Dunhill Links last November, albeit in totally different condtions).

Can a 62 be replicated?

"Nobody's ever really destroyed St Andrews in a British Open. I mean Tiger came close to it I guess in 2000. It's tough to say.The greens are rolling well enough where you could hole a lot of putts . . . but this is the British Open. The course is a lot firmer, there's a lot of rough out there, some new tee boxes. I don't think 62 will be touched this week but, if it doesn't get windy, there'll be some low scoring.

"I am on my game right now and I know I can play well around here so it's just a matter of going out there and letting it happen, really," added McDowell.

"I don't want to put any numbers on it, but I just want to play four rounds of golf that satisfy me and I exercise my game plans well and I focus well. I just want to play good golf for four rounds this week. I'm expecting to do well this week. These last two majors, my expectation levels have risen."