By Stephen Joyce

Hazeltine holds a special place in British golfing history.

After decades of American dominance, Scunthorpe's Tony Jacklin left an indelible mark on the sport by winning the 1969 Open Championship and following up 11 months later in the US Open on this very course.

Jacklin, as sweet a hitter as anyone in his generation, turned that Hazeltine 'major' into a procession.

And despite Jacklin's success inspiring a new wave of British stars such as Faldo, Lyle and Woosnam, the USPGA remains the one 'major' to have eluded the United Kingdom challenge.

But what's more disappointing is that the situation is unlikely to change in the near future.

With the prospect of the Ryder Cup on the horizon, the whole European challenge is under something of a cloud.

One man not tarnished by this gloom is Padraig Harrington, whose record in 'majors' over the last 12 months is second only to Tiger Woods.

With his jaunty gait and fierce determination, the Dubliner is the perfect combination of steel and style.

With three top 10 finishes in the majors already, maybe Harrington is the man this week to rectify that unwelcome record.

His Ryder Cup colleagues cannot hold such high expectations.

Colin Montgomerie is worried about his inconsistent form and his back and the two may well be interconnected.

Darren Clarke, despite a creditable record in the US, has yet to make the leap from talented performer on his day to superstar.

And his big pal Lee Westwood took some time off the Christmas before last to rest and enjoy his new child.

He put his 'A' game away in a cupboard and when it was time to go back on the Tour, he couldn't find it again.

Justin Rose makes his debut in an American 'major' and is progressing nicely as is another former Walker Cup star Luke Donald, who is getting his golfing education on the US Tour but it's asking a lot of these youngsters to be at the top of the tree at this stage.

European hopes are no higher with Ryder Cup team-mates Pierre Fulke and Niclas Fasth hardly posing a threat while Thomas Bjorn does have the luxury of raising his game for the big events.

The rest of the challenge rests on the unproven Scandinavians, Anders and Soren Hansen and Carl Petterson.

That just leaves Sergio Garcia, surely Woods' biggest rival for the next few years.

The Spaniard has made the top 10 in each 'major' this season but just failed to come through each time when the chips were down.

But he stormed the golfing world with his second place to the Tiger in the 1999 USPGA at Medinah which included the breathtaking shot around the tree at the 17th.

If he gets inspired again, he could be the winner and it would help if he could pass some of that inspiration on to his European colleagues.