On a course once perceived as a hooker's paradise, one of the game's most enduring myths will be finally laid to rest this weekend when the 63rd US Masters is captured by a player who fades the ball. David Duval and Tiger Woods are strongly favoured to succeed where Nick Faldo triumphed on three occasions - and there could hardly be three, more distinctively left-to-right strikers.

While an unusually large field of 96 set off from the first tee in three-balls here today, Jack Nicklaus will be flying to the Bahamas on a fishing holiday. "Twenty years ago, they'd be happy to see me go," he said with a quiet smile. Indeed it is only 13 years since he won this coveted title for a record-extending sixth time.

Things won't seem quite the same without him. Before departing the scene, however, the Bear spoke both of a venue dear to his heart, and of the priceless value of the so-called intimidation factor.

"A lot of guys thought, `I can't beat him'," said Nicklaus of a time when his very presence transfixed his rivals with the fear of God. "When you get on the tour and you really start winning, it runs right through the field. And if somebody forgets about it, someone will remind him."

He went on: "You know a great intimidation factor has come from Tiger, and it's now coming from David (Duval), too. Certainly he's a pretty special player, and instead of worrying about their own game, guys are going to be worrying about him. And if they do, then for sure they're going to lose. It happens."

All this, and the challenge of coping with a notoriously demanding course, which has been toughened significantly this year. "I think it is probably a stroke tougher," was the Bear's assessment of the addition of short rough, along with refinements to the second, 11th, 15th and 17th holes.

The rough is especially interesting in that it's only 13/8-inches high, as opposed to four inches in regular tour events and five inches in the US Open. It is certain to produce "fliers", which seriously affect judgment of distance. But players should still be able to impart spin, given that the thickness of the grass won't permit the ball to sit down, as would happen in wispy, links conditions.

Meanwhile, the notion of Augusta favouring hookers was promoted largely by Lee Trevino, who never finished in the top-five on 20 appearances from 1968 to 1991. A slight hook off the tee might have been a slight advantage 20 years ago, but it has become irrelevant in the context of 300-yard drives, the like of which Woods produced on his record-breaking expedition here in 1997.

In the process, Woods joined a distinguished line of faders to win here, including Ben Hogan, Nicklaus, Faldo and Fred Couples. They had the skill to hit high fades which landed softly on extremely difficult greens, so enhancing the prospect of realistic birdie putts.

As it happens, Ireland's Darren Clarke, who is determined to improve on a splendid eighth-finish on his debut last year, is another fader of the ball. And he was performing quite nicely in his last practice effort early yesterday morning, when he played the back nine on his own, as he had done on Monday.

His armoury included a change from last year in the addition of a five-wood instead of a two-iron. "The idea is that it will allow me hit higher and softer approach shots into the par fives," he explained. It seemed to work rather well at the 13th yesterday when a five-wood second shot set up an eagle three.

"I'm more relaxed now than at any stage during last year's Masters," he said. "People may smile when we talk about the magic of this place, but it seems to work, certainly when you compare the way I've been feeling this week with my recent tournament form."

Clarke is scheduled to tee off at 17:28 Irish time today, in the company of Bernhard Langer and Mark Calcavecchia.

In his Masters appearances so far, Duval has been tied 18th, missed the cut and was tied second behind O'Meara over the last three years. And it's typical of his calm, self-assurance that he's prepared to bypass the Masters as a prime target for a major breakthrough.

"I would like to think my game is best suited to the US Open or the British Open," he said. "I think the US Open is the greatest championship of them all." Then, in a highly revealing comment, he added: "The greatest thing is all the complaints you hear during the week; how it's too hard. That's what makes it special."

He is treated with some suspicion by the American media, because of his insistence on keeping his private life private. But it is clear he was profoundly affected by the death in 1981 of his older brother Brent, who, despite bone-marrow transplants from David, succumbed to the blood disease a-plastic anaemia.

Then there was the divorce of his parents in 1993, which created considerable tension between father and son. But he refuses to let emotions interfere with his game. "I try not to allow outside things decide whether I'm in a good mood or not on the golf course," he said. "I just think entirely about David Duval and playing golf."

Though he came within a shot of winning last year and would have been in a play-off but for a bogey on the short 16th in his final round, Duval still has much to prove at this level. My feeling is that, despite a cool exterior, the incredible hype generated by his four victories so far this season may take its toll in the heat of battle this week.

All of which leads me to believe it will be a very open Masters, in which Woods, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh may emerge as the leading challengers.

Bobby Jones once observed: "Golf courses are not unlike whimsical old ladies. They must be studied to be understood and understood to be studied." Of that quartet, Woods is the only student to have passed the rather special test of Augusta National. And it is well within his compass to do so again.