It was a bit like braving a sharp north-easterly at the top of Howth Head - and Florida isn't supposed to be like that, even in March. Either way, windcheaters and woollies became appropriate apparel as competitors completed preparations for the $6 million Players' Championship which starts here on the Stadium Course this morning.

But the weather is supposed to improve, which means we should not have the storms of last year when the climax had to be held over until Monday morning. That was when Hal Sutton won a memorable battle with Tiger Woods by a one-stroke margin.

"To be able to beat him head-to-head, I cannot paint the dream any prettier," was Sutton's postround comment in his familiar, Louisiana drawl. Now, 12 months on, the notoriously tough southerner had sympathy in his heart, as he contemplated another tilt with the Tiger.

"I watched him last weekend (at Bay Hill)," said Sutton. "I was curious to know what would happen, just like you were. And when he hit the ball in the water on the 16th on Saturday, I saw frustration in his face. It was like, `Dadgummit, it's slipping away from me a little bit'.

"Well, that's not the way Tiger did the things that he did. He didn't used to panic over things. When you panic like that (at Bay Hill), it's because you're worried about the pressure everybody else is putting on you."

Interestingly, it didn't seem to matter to Sutton that Woods actually went on to win last Sunday, when a glorious six-iron approach set up a birdie on the last. There was far greater appeal in the notion of vulnerability.

Meanwhile, the Irish are doing very well for themselves. Sessions with Butch Harmon and sports psychologist Dr Bob Rotella have totally transformed Darren Clarke from concerned struggler into confident challenger. And he has been helping Padraig Harrington with crucial information about playing the course.

"When I played the front nine with Darren, he pointed out all the pin positions," said Harrington. "He also warned me about the ones I shouldn't dare attack. In view of the way my plans were messed up by the weather last weekend, it was very helpful."

The Dubliner, who completed the back nine on Tuesday with Sutton, Corey Pavin and Jim Furyk, played another 18 yesterday with Paul Lawrie.

So he has now got in 45 holes before his debut challenge, with a total of seven shots hit to the infamous short 17th. "It really excites me to be here, simply because of what this tournament represents," he said.

Though Harrington is clearly short on experience, Clarke, now on his fourth visit here, can set his sights somewhat higher.

Having talked dejectedly on Tuesday about his poor iron play, he struck the ball beautifully on a lone trip around the back nine early yesterday. Harmon had clearly worked his magic.

Of course, Clarke's problems had very little to do with mechanics and very much to do with a notoriously fragile temperament.

That's where Rotella became invaluable. "I am greatly encouraged," said the Tyroneman guardedly, after completing yesterday's practice. "I've got my head together again."

When questioned about his design of the TPC Stadium Course, Pete Dye seemed to take a sadistic delight in declaring that the only way to throw a scare into tournament professionals, was with wind and water. Both elements are very much to the fore this week, with high winds heightening the everpresent threat of a watery grave.

The torrential rain of last weekend has ensured that the fairways will remain relatively soft, so lengthening the course appreciably. But the greens were already drying out in yesterday's winds and are certain to present a forbidding test of skill and nerve by the weekend.

Meanwhile, there is no doubting the overall quality of a field which includes a particularly interesting challenger in Joe Durant, who has won two tournaments already this year, including a record-breaking triumph in the Bob Hope Classic.

Though he has twice missed the cut and finished 76th (1999) in three previous appearances in the Players', he possesses one of the key ingredients for success here. "My whole life in golf has been an exercise in patience," said the 36-year-old leader of the US money list. "I adopted the philosophy that if I just stayed patient and kept working on the right things, that I would reach the goals I set."

And his next goal? To win an event such as this, naturally. But the opposition is formidable, not least for the fact that Woods has regained the winning touch.

Since the tournament was launched in 1974, it has been won by all of the leading players of their time, with the possible exception of Johnny Miller.

Which means that Woods and Phil Mickelson seem destined to win it too. Time is the only imponderable.