If they don't - and, quite simply, can't - possess the sense of history that the majors have, the world golf championships, much like the new kids on the block, nevertheless have a sort of magnetic appeal.

Of course, it might have something to do with the truckloads of prize money on offer, or that fields are limited to the elite of the elite, but they transcend international boundaries, have added a new dimension to tournament golf and have real pulling power.

The proof of their appeal is that 49 of the top 50 players have gathered here at Mount Juliet for the $5.5 million American Express Championship which starts today, and, of the 65 players in the field, all of this season's major winners are included.

For that trio - Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Rich Beem - this event provides the chance to put the icing on the cake; for the other 62 it's an opportunity to taste something which may not be as honey-sweet as a major, but which is not far behind.

These world championship titles, despite their youth, are as hard to win as majors. Only two players have won an AmEx: Tiger Woods in 1999, and Mike Weir in 2000, both at Valderrama. Last year's tournament in St Louis was cancelled because of the terrorist attacks in the US and, as a result, the security measures at the Kilkenny estate are extremely tight.

For Weir, it's a strange feeling defending a crown two years later. "I almost don't feel like the defending champion, it has been so long," said Weir.

On one point, virtually all of the players are agreed: Mount Juliet's conditioning is superb. All 18 greens have been reconstructed in a programme that started two years ago, and the smooth-as-silk, Penn A4 creeping bentgrass surfaces have been cut to one-tenth of an inch, giving a Stimpmetre reading of 11½. That's fast, but not so fast that the tricky pin placements behind bunkers and close to water hazards can't be used.

Woods, for one, reckons the greens are so true that players, if they give themselves birdie opportunities, will take them.

"I don't think this is as difficult as a lot of the courses which Jack Nicklaus designs," he insisted. "The bunkers are not quite as severe and deep as we're accustomed to at most Nicklaus courses, especially at Muirfield Village, where the faces are vertical and they're right up to the greens. Here, they are not quite as deep.

"But it is going to be an interesting test I think this week because the greens are so pure. I think the guys are going to shoot some really low numbers."

As usual, the shadow of Woods hangs over the field, but especially over Padraig Harrington, who has been given the draw from hell in having to play alongside the world number one in today's first round.

If, however, he has learned from previous outings alongside Woods - at the US Open in Tulsa last year, and in the US Open at Bethpage this year - then Harrington should be well able to cope.

Indeed, apart from the inevitable Woods factor, the close proximity of this championship to next week's Ryder Cup at The Belfry has also led to a somewhat muted build-up among many of the players. All will tell you, however, that their minds are very much on winning here.

Ten of the American Ryder Cup team are playing, and seven of the European team are here - which means there are 48 players competing who won't have any direct input into what happens at that particular encounter in a week.

Among them are Kevin Sutherland and Craig Parry, the winners of the two previous world championship events held this season.

Sutherland took his first tour win when claiming the matchplay - "it's one of those things where in matchplay anything can happen," claimed Woods - while Parry won his first title in America when he captured the recent NEC - "Parry played great, (it shows) anything can happen when you get the best players assembled," said Woods. But their wins, like that of Beem at the US PGA, prove that Woods can be beaten.

How to do it, however, is the key. Beem, one of the first players to check in earlier this week, is enthusiastic about the course.

"You can be aggressive off the tees and challenge it, or you can lay back. There's a couple of different ways of playing it. There is a little bit of risk versus reward."

And some players are bringing some really good form into the championship, not least Robert Allenby, who has finished second-third-second in his last tournaments. For good measure, the Australian has shown his game is suited to Mount Juliet: he was third in the Irish Open here in 1994, and fourth the following year. Keep an eye on him.

Yet, it is hard to look beyond Woods. Although these world championships are a relatively recent innovation, Woods has won five of them. He is a global player, and likes to win on his travels. This week, he will use Nike forged irons for the first time.

Make no doubt about it, Woods is here to win; and not because he endorses the plastic card of the championship's sponsors. Does the course suit him?

"Any course is a course I like to play. If I'm in the field that week, then the golf course definitely suits my game . . . and having the field the way it is definitely gets your juices flowing. You're playing against the best, the same guys you play against in a major championship."