It was a gift from God, according to Bobby Clampett. The former tour player turned television commentator was referring, not to the papal visit which brought record crowds to this area in September 1987, but to his own, improbable qualification for the 100th US Open Championship at Pebble Beach, starting on Thursday.

On a peninsula named after the Count de Monte Rey, there is a special feel about Pebble Beach, when it stages the blue riband of American golf, which explains the obvious delight among competitors at simply being here. But Padraig Harrington had other reasons yesterday for satisfaction at his own well-being.

"I lost three kilos in weight in the aftermath of The Belfry, but I've since put it back on," said the Dubliner, for whom the trauma of disqualification for failing to sign his scorecard, was far greater than many of us imagined. "That's what stress does to you," he added simply.

Harrington went on: "The experience was obviously eating into me and I didn't know it. And it wasn't as if I was shedding superfluous weight: it was muscle loss. But I now feel really good again and am thrilled with the prospect of competing here."

The therapy had to do with a four-day break which he and his wife Caroline took with friends in San Francisco last week before getting here on Saturday evening, almost 24 hours prior to the arrival of Irish colleague, Darren Clarke. Harrington then played nine holes on Sunday - the first five and the last four - and played the full 18 yesterday.

"It's visually breathtaking, better than anything I had imagined," he said. "And I really like the course, even the firmness of the fairways and the greens which, added to the wind, give it a links feeling. In fact it is going to demand some very creative shot-making, hitting the ball high downwind and keeping it low into the wind."

In this context, it is interesting to note that Colin Montgomerie, who finished third here in the 1992 US Open, has changed irons from V-grooves to square grooves, which are certain to give him more backspin into notoriously tight targets.

As to some of the outstanding holes on the course, Harrington said: "The fifth (which has been relocated to a design by Jack Nicklaus) is a lovely par three. The 17th is another great par three where it's obviously very important to hit the correct part of the green. In fact I haven't seen a bad hole on the course."

Clampett is best remembered in Europe for squandering a glorious chance of winning the 1982 British Open at Royal Troon. "It's my last chance to play the US Open at Pebble," said Clampett yesterday. "The next time I'll be 50 (2010)."

He came through local qualifying with a 73 at Prentonwood CC, close to his home in North Carolina on May 18th and then survived sectional qualifying after rounds of 68 and 67 at Woodmont CC, Maryland on June 5th.

But why all the fuss? Well, Clampett just happens to have been born on the Monterey Peninsula on April 22nd 1960, which means he is coming home for what is clearly a rather special staging of the championship.

Local resident Clint Eastwood is also more visible than usual this week, which is understandable, given that he became part-owner of Pebble Beach last summer.

Meanwhile, this is also a very poignant week, because of the absence of the defending champion for the first time since 1949. On that occasion, Ben Hogan clung to life after an horrific car crash in the February prior to the championship.

But sadly, the hero of Pinehurst, Payne Stewart, is no longer with us having lost his life in a freak air crash last October.

A special tribute is being paid to him in a ceremony on the 18th tee tomorrow at 3.0 p.m. (Irish time). Many of those present will have celebrated the past champions' dinner at the Beach Club tonight, in his absence.

Tonight's gathering will include 21 champions, from Byron Nelson, the oldest at 88, to Ernie Els, the youngest at 30.

"All of us know each other and some of us have been friends for many years," said the 1976 champion, Jerry Pate.

"This being the 100th US Open, we thought this would be a great opportunity to get all the past champions together at Pebble Beach." Except one, that is.