Darren Clarke tees off today in pursuit of something only Tiger Woods has achieved and something which every other golfer can currently only dream of - a full set of World Golf Championship individual titles.
Four days after watching stablemate Lee Westwood continue his remarkable return to form with victory in the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland, Clarke hopes to turn the spotlight back on himself at the American Express championship in Atlanta.
The 35-year-old Ulsterman wants to add the trophy to the Andersen Consulting matchplay he won in California in 2000 - by memorably beating Woods in the final - and the NEC Invitational he dominated in Ohio this August.
Clarke believes that such has been his good form since the NEC he has a good chance of victory this week.
Has he finally therefore conquered the temper he was famous for when things didn't go his way?
"Conquered is a very big word, especially for me. I think I've got a little better at dealing with it and if I can get better again hopefully I will have better results."
No other European has been able to win a single World Championship event since their introduction to the golfing calendar four years ago, but 20 of them are in this week's 72-strong field at the 7,189-yard, par 70 Capital City Club Crabapple course.
Woods is the defending champion, as he is a lot of the time when it comes to the World Championships. Including the two-man World Cup he has won seven of the 14 he has played in, earning just short of $9 million.
The world number one, who abandoned his Nike driver after the British Open because he could not make it work, to the huge embarrasment of his major sponsor, has gone back to the same manufacturer, albeit with a different, prototype, club, which he will use this week in Atlanta.
Clarke would take his own personal fortune from the series through the $4 million mark by winning, but it looks like being a tough week ahead with some fierce rough and greens that are rock hard and lightning fast.
Now over £535,000 behind Ernie Els at the top of the European Order of Merit - Els was second on Sunday whereas he slipped to fourth - Clarke is also thinking about the American money list as the official season enters its last few weeks.
He is in a great position to qualify for their Tour Championship in Houston in November - only the top 30 leading earners make it - and if he does so he will pull out of the Britain and Ireland side for the Seve Trophy match against the Continent of Europe at El Saler in Spain. That is the same week.
The other Irish man in the elite Atlanta field, Padraig Harrington, was in a quandary as he prepared himself for today's first round. There were no fewer than four drivers leaning on his golf bag early yesterday morning on the range and he had yet to make up his mind which one would be in his bag when he tees off.
"I'm just having a look at them all. I've got a new Wilson driver that is definitely the longest but every time I change drivers going into a tournament I don't seem to quite get it right so I'm loathe to change.
"I'm thinking of using the one I used at the Dunhill last week even though it's not quite as long. This is a tight golf course and I want to go out there with something familiar rather than change," said Harrington.
"It's not that I'm not hitting it straight it's just I'd rather use it in a smaller event than try and test it in a big event like this. I'd rather play with it a while and get comfortable with it rather than just take it out there cold."
He is happy with the course.
"It's very tough with very firm and fast greens. Straight is definitely a premium off the tee here, as the rough is tough, not overly long but lush. Length is great but you can hit short shots into the greens which are very firm and fast, but being straight is going to be crucial this week."
Today'sTeeTimes
(USA unless stated, all times Irish)
13:30 - JL Lewis, T Teshima (Jpn)
13:40 - L Roberts, Brian Davis (Bri) 13:50 - C Riley, P Price (Bri)
14:00 - S Appleby (Aus), L Mattiace
14:10 - KJ Choi (S Kor), P Mickelson
14:20 - B Estes, M Weir (Can)
14:30 - J Randhawa (Ind), K Perry
14:40 - S Flesch, A Cejka (Ger)
14:50 - T Izawa (Jpn), S Hoch
15:00 - T Immelman (Rsa), T Woods
15:10 - B Faxon, I Garrido (Spa)
15:20 - T Hamilton, C Montgomerie (Bri)
15:30 - E Els (Rsa), F Couples
15:40 - D Toms, N Price (Zim)
15:50 - C DiMarco, A Atwal (Ind)
16:00 - S Verplank, F Jacobson (Swe)
16:10 - A Forsyth (Bri), T Herron
16:20 - R Mediate, N Fasth (Swe)
16:30 - V Singh (Fij), M Campbell (Nzl)
16:40 - P Harrington (Ire), R Beem
16:50 - S Kjeldsen (Den), S Micheel
17:00 - I Poulter (Bri), J Furyk
17:10 - S Garcia (Spa), R Goosen (Rsa)
17:20 - T Bjorn (Den), F Funk
17:30 - E Romero (Arg), P O'Malley (Aus)
17:40 - J Kelly, R Allenby (Aus)
17:50 - J Kaye, D Clarke (N Ire)
18:00 - B Curtis, J Rose (Bri)
18:10 - R Jacquelin (Fra), C Howell
18:20 - A Scott (Aus), D Love
18:30 - H Otto (Rsa), T Jaidee (Thai)
18:40 - J Haas, D Howell (Bri)
18:50 - K Triplett, L Westwood (Bri)
19:00 - P Lonard (Aus), P Casey (Bri)
19:10 - B Tway, M Foster (Bri)
19:20 - C Parry (Aus), C Campbell
