Pinehurst No 2 reopens for business today at a green fee of $225, having wrought significant changes in the lives of a select group of competitors from the 99th US Open. Clearly, newly-crowned champion Payne Stewart heads the list, but Sunday's events will also have a profound impact on the future of Darren Clarke.

Then, there is the concern over John Daly and whether he is setting himself up for another major brush with authority. "I stood up for the guys; I'll pay my fines," he said defiantly before departing the scene after a final round of 83 which included a farcical 11 at the par-four eighth.

His current well-being is obviously of some concern to the organisers of the Murphy's Irish Open, who have invested a handsome appearance fee in getting him to Druids Glen next week. After the sponsors put a ban on appearance fees we were informed that Daly's money was being paid by the host club, for publicity purposes in the US. The fact remains that he's being paid.

Under a five-year exemption as the British Open champion of 1995, Daly is automatically into the field for the centenary US Open at Pebble Beach next year. He claims he has no intention of being there, but it is to be hoped that after his current inner turmoil subsides he will experience a change of heart.

Meanwhile, securing a Ryder Cup place at Brookline seemed to be almost as important to Stewart as capturing a third major title, to go with his USPGA Championship triumph of 1989 and a previous US Open in 1991. "I think I'll be a major asset to the team," he said. "I really believe that. They're going to need somebody with a little fire in them."

Stewart went on to suggest that the US team had lost its way since his last appearance at The Belfry in 1993, when he gained a crucial singles win over Mark James. And it was also pointed out over here at the weekend that he earned two and a half points at Kiawah Island two years previously.

What American observers neglected to mention, however, was that as the reigning US Open champion, he lost his singles match by 2 and 1 to David Feherty, who produced the best golf of the tournament. Either way, Stewart has amassed 917 points which makes him an automatic choice for a Ryder comeback in September.

The top 10 in the US Ryder Cup standings after the US Open are: 1 David Duval; 2 Tiger Woods; 3 Payne Stewart; 4 Davis Love; 5 Mark O'Meara; 6 Jim Furyk; 7 Phil Mickelson; 8 Hal Sutton; 9 Jeff Maggert; 10 John Huston. It is a formidable line-up which includes only two potential newcomers, Duval and Huston. And the first of these "rookies" is the world number one.

Stewart's enthusiasm for the biennial showpiece can be gauged from the fact that in 1997 he was one of only a handful of US players who accompanied skipper Tom Kite to Valderrama, prior to the British Open. The Americans hoped to familiarise themselves with the course - but in the end Kite overlooked Stewart when naming his wild-card selections.

Whatever about the Ryder Cup, Stewart certainly appears to have found the key to playing US Open courses. In 16 appearances since his debut in 1984, he has two wins (1991 and 1999), two seconds (1993 and 1998) and three top 10s (1985, 1986 and 1988). As Nick Price observed: "There's definitely a recipe for playing those courses, and he's got it."

Indeed, Mark O'Meara's observation seemed particularly perceptive: "Payne's a great (US) Open player because he has tremendous feel around the greens," he said. "He has this incredible short game that people don't know about. And he also hits his shots on a high trajectory, like Tiger Woods and Davis Love."

Jack Nicklaus once observed that the severely sloping greens at Augusta National are a test both of nerve and skill. And as we have seen so often in the US Open, skill is not enough. The other, crucial ingredient here, however, is patience. And in his own inimitable way, Daly proved the point at the fateful eighth.

"The pin placements were hard because the crowned greens are naturally difficult," said Tom Meeks, director of rules and competitions for the USGA. "They're difficult because of the way they're built. The only way to have an easy hole location was to put the pin in the centre of the green. But the players knew we weren't going to do that."

Clarke was among a relatively small group of players who accepted this from the outset. For a player who only a few years ago would mock his own impatience and low boiling point, it was a significant breakthrough. And the transformation had its roots in a meeting with the leading American sports psychologist, Dr Bob Rotella during the 1998 US Masters.

Since then, Clarke has gradually been working his way towards what many admirers believe to be his true potential: a serious contender for major championships. Effectively, he was mentally prepared for the worst that the USGA and Pinehurst No 2 could throw at him and though stress was evident after a third-round 74 on Saturday, he coped admirably throughout the four rounds.

Clarke's next assignment is the Compaq European Grand Prix at Slaley Hall this week. But before he left here, one sensed that his sights were more clearly focused on a challenge a few weeks further on - the British Open at Carnoustie. And then the USPGA at Medinah. As the leading European at Pinehurst, this has now become the level of his ambition.

Meanwhile, after missing the halfway cut in the St Jude Classic in Memphis, Stewart travelled to Pinehurst on the Saturday before the US Open. There, he met his coach, Chuck Cook.

"I took a putter and a wedge and just walked the golf course, hitting different types of shots, to get a feel of the place," he said. "But even when I was leading after three rounds, I still didn't think I was quite ready."

It prompted him to go the practice ground last Saturday evening. "Tracey (Stewart's wife) told me I was moving my head on putts, so I practised putting with my eyes closed," he said. Twenty-four hours and 24 putts later, he was US Open champion for a second time.

As for Pinehurst: David Fay, executive director of the USGA, said before leaving: "You'd be hard pressed to find any reason not to believe that the US Open will return to No 2. It has been an unqualified success. We'd have to be out of our minds not to consider another Open here."

Pending a final decision, that will do fine, as far as the locals are concerned.