It's not a major, but it feels like one. Even to Darren Clarke. "We've probably got the strongest field in golf right here," said the Irishman, one of the first players to hit the course yesterday at Sawgrass in preparation for the 30th staging of the Players' Championship.

And, all around, there is a perception that the time is fast approaching when the tournament is upgraded to major status.

Not surprisingly, the loudest advocate is Tim Finchem, the US Tour commissioner. While traditionalists might murmur their discontent at the boldness of the nouveau riche reshuffling the order of things, Finchem argued, "there isn't anything stopping us" from recognising five major championships by adding the Players to the rotation.

"The day may come when we do that," he insisted. "The Players' Championship is now the same age as the Masters was in 1964 when Arnold Palmer won for the fourth time in eight years," said Finchem. "I think we would all agree that the Masters was considered a major by that point. The Players has matured, it's got some significant history, and in the past five or six years has made its most significant move in overall stature."

A number of players insist the tournament - the field of 148 features the best depth of any in terms of the world rankings - deserves to be upgraded.

"Field-wise, course-wise, it's a major. It's there now," claimed Fred Funk, while Brad Faxon argued: "It's been getting more and more like a major, and the day will come when you can put that label on it. I think it already has time, tradition and history on its side. Is there some kind of rule that there has to be only four majors? Not really. I can see it coming."

Yet, not everyone is ready to change the order of things. Ernie Els called the Players the "best run golf tournament of the year, (but) it is not a major . . . (and) never will be".

Clarke agreed there "is a lot of argument for making it a major. It probably has the strongest field in golf. But the other ones have all the tradition and, in golf, history means so much."

Clarke made tracks straight for the putting green when he arrived yesterday. In Sunday's rain-hampered final round of the Bay Hill Invitational, Clarke finished with three bogeys that dropped him down to tied-38th. Yesterday, he was bathed in glorious sunshine - and so glad to be back at one of his favourite tournament venues.

"I was delighted to leave Bay Hill. I don't know what it is, it's a fantastic course and it should suit me, but I just can't get around it. Bay Hill is about the only course I go to that I can't play. Why go there? Because it fits in with my schedule. But every time I go there, it is like taking two steps forward - hitting a lot of good putts, getting birdies and eagles - and then taking three steps back, hitting one ball into the water and following up by hitting another one in," said Clarke.

For all the bad vibes of Bay Hill, Clarke was actually in good form yesterday and looking ahead to one of his favourite weeks on tour.

"This is an awesome golf course. The whole set-up is fantastic and I am just so looking forward to it. If I hadn't finished bogey-bogey-bogey in Bay Hill, I'd have still got another top-10 finish and I'm looking forward to bringing the game I've had all year in to this week," said Clarke, whose previous two events in America - the LA Open and the World Matchplay - resulted in top-10 finishes.

Clarke did some work with coach Butch Harmon - "just working on the same things, keeping things ticking over", he said - and plans to do some more of the same this week. Prior to Bay Hill, he also had a day-and-a-half session with sports psychologist Bob Rotella and has made arrangements for a shorter session this week.

Ireland's other player in the field, Padraig Harrington, also plans to spend some time with Rotella this week, but his plans yesterday were disrupted when his caddie, Dave McNeilly, encountered flight problems and failed to arrive at the course on time. Harrington, who flew out on Sunday, having taken a week off from tournament play to work with coach Bob Torrance in Scotland, contented himself with work on his short game and on the driving range. But, like Clarke, he seems very much at home at a venue which Mark O'Meara described as being "as good as it gets."

On that point, at least, there were no objectors.