Howell - inauspicious last appearance (Getty Images)

David Howell literally drove his band of followers to drink on his one previous appearance in the US Open championship.

"My entourage of friends decided to have a beer every time I made a bogey," recalls the 29-year-old from Swindon.

"By the end of the second round they were very drunk."

The year was 2002 and the course was the fearsome Bethpage Black on New York's Long Island, where there is even a sign by the first tee warning golfers that this is no place for hackers. Or even professionals struggling with their game.

Howell had rounds of 78 and 81 for a 19 over par total and finished joint 144th out of the 155 starters. It was almost a blessed relief when the halfway cut was made and he could get out.

"I've never played any course like it. It was unbelievable, just so difficult - too difficult the way I was playing.

"But in my defence it was only my second tournament back from breaking my arm (he tripped over while out jogging) and if it hadn't been something as big as the US Open I wouldn't have been playing."

At Pinehurst this week Howell hopes things will be very different. And there is every reason for thinking that way.

Even without winning so far this season - indeed even without winning since the 1999 Dubai Desert Classic - Howell has become one of Europe's top performers.

A string of top 10 finishes last year earned him a Ryder Cup debut and while he may have played only a small part in the record-breaking triumph it was an important part and it was an important part too in his own development.

Howell teamed up with Paul Casey for a vital fourball win on the second morning just when the Americans were threatening a comeback. One down with two to play, Howell birdied the short 17th after a six-iron to six feet later voted the tour's 'Shot of the Year' and then Casey was the only one of the quartet - Jim Furyk and Chad Campbell were the opponents - able to par the last.

Finishing a best-ever 10th on the Order of Merit guaranteed the former British boy champion a second chance at the US Open and his climb into the world's top 50 brought him a debut at the Masters.

Again there were family and friends to watch him play Augusta, but even if they had decided on the same deal - a beer for every bogey - they would have remained sober this time.

Howell had the thrill of leading the event on the rain-interrupted second day after a sparkling back nine of 31 and he also had the thrill of partnering Tiger Woods when he went on his amazing third round run of seven successive birdies.

His own 76 was clearly not what he wanted, but by coming back with a closing 69 he took 11th place and so will be back next April.

"It sounds obvious, but what I learnt most from watching Tiger that day is that he is very good - just blooming good. Not always the straightest, of course, but he's long and he's the best putter in the world. Ridiculously good.

"He was clearly in the zone once he got going and I knew I was witnessing something special. But we'll never know how different it would have been if the hooter hadn't gone when his ball had a massive amount of mud on it down the 10th."

Woods, who had birdied the previous three holes, was able to clean the ball for the restart the following morning and continued the charge that set up his victory later in the day.

On his next two starts in Europe Howell was in play-offs for the British Masters and Irish Open. Thomas Bjorn and Stephen Dodd beat him and after giving himself a chance to make it third time lucky in the BMW Championship at Wentworth he had to settle for fourth spot.

A win is what he craves most, naturally, but now he is in the world's top 30 and he heads for America with his tail up.

Howell admitted recently: "As a kid I never dreamt I'd be good enough, but I kept on managing to surprise myself. I was always going to become a professional, but assumed it would be selling Mars bars in the club shop."

The surprise this season has been when he hasn't played well and when he says of the US Open "I'll be very disappointed if I play as poorly as I did at Bethpage" he knows there ought to be little chance of that happening.