Darren Clarke was involved in an extraordinary build-up to the $5 million American Express Championship here yesterday. He looked open-mouthed as his practice partner Tiger Woods holed three successive shots with a sandwedge.

It happened at the 564-yard fourth, the signature hole on the course designed by Robert Trent Jones.

After laying up with a five-iron second shot towards the treacherous green guarded on right by water, Woods proceeded to holeout a sandwedge third.

Then, on reaching the green at this spectacular par-five, he asked his caddie Steve Williams to throw a ball into the bunker on the left.

As Clarke and his caddie Billy Foster looked on, Woods holed the bunker shot. He then holed another one to complete the most astonishing exhibition of shot-making ever seen on the course.

And further on in a round which was completed in a brisk three and a half hours, Clarke received the bonus of some putting advice from the world number one.

All of which, combined with an enduring affection for the course, was guaranteed to leave the Order of Merit leader in a suitably upbeat mood facing one of the most important challenges of his career, in what promises to be breezy but pleasant conditions.

When Clarke made his debut at Valderrama in 1992, he earned u6,610 ££6,610 for a share of 27th place behind Sandy Lyle in the Volvo Masters.

Eight years on, having climbed to ninth in the world rankings, he will be aiming for 100 times that amount when setting off this morning in quest of a top prize of u £660,000.

It didn't take the Tyroneman long to make a significant impact on the European Tour. And more than most venues, Valderrama provided a telling reflection of that progress.

Indeed, by 1993, he was walking up the 18th here in the final pairing with Colin Montgomerie.

"I knew what I had to do," recalled Montgomerie yesterday. "I knew if I was to win the Order of Merit, I would have to win the tournament. I was the first person ever to get to 10 under par on this golf course.

"It was wet; there was placing, and Darren, who was two behind playing the last, birdied the hole. I had two putts to win from the back edge and I lagged it down there and the ball stopped just short of the hole. I had a tap-in from two inches."

In most sporting circumstances, such precise recall would be quite staggering. But not in Montgomerie's case.

Those were the shots which captured the Order of Merit for what would prove to be the first of seven successive occasions - the dominant achievement of his professional career. And Clarke is set to end it all.

But the battle for the Order of Merit involves a total of six players - Clarke, Lee Westwood, Ernie Els, Thomas Bjorn, Michael Campbell and Montgomerie.

Indeed, a decidedly quirky aspect of the current situation in world golf is the elevated position of Els who has played only three tournaments this year in Europe.

These were the Loch Lomond Invitational which he won, the British Open in which he was runner-up to Woods and the BMW Invitational in which he was tied fifth.

The other events which boosted his "European" tournament earnings to u £1,150,600 this year, were the Johnnie Walker Classic in Taiwan last November, the Heineken Classic in Australia in January, the Andersen Consulting in San Diego, the US Masters, the US Open and the NEC Invitational.

All of which amounts to a decidedly curious and forbidding schedule, even by private aircraft.

Westwood, however, is unquestionably Clarke's most feared challenger, not least for the pain he inflicted on the Tyroneman by coming from seven strokes back to beat him for the Smurfit European Open title last year.

Then there was the Englishman's remarkable resilience last weekend when, after carding a seemingly ruinous first round 76 in the Volvo Masters at Montecastillo, he proceeded to shoot 69, 65, 65 over the next three days for a share of third.

Given their friendship, had be spoken to Clarke about the impending battle?

"Not really," he replied. "It's just one of those things. I never really give it much thought to be honest."

Did he believe Montgomerie could still win from so far back? "Obviously playing for so much money in the last tournament of the European season opens it up to more people. You can form your own opinion as to whether it's fair or not, but it certainly makes for an exciting climax."

Meanwhile, Ireland's challenge is completed by Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley. Harrington is reaping a dividend from the intensive work on his driving he has done here with coach Bob Torrance.

"My record at Valderrama is not great and it's fairly obvious you need to drive the ball straight around here," said the Dubliner, who opened with a 76 on the way to a share of 30th place here last year.

"We'll see how things go over the next four days. Let's just say that I'm a lot more optimistic now than I was when I arrived here on Monday morning."

Harrington would have a better grasp than most, as to the various permutations which would deliver the Order of Merit to each member of the top six.

But with swing problems on his mind, it hardly seemed fair to ask. Suffice to say that whatever about the money list, Woods is clearly the man to beat for the title.