Then the order changed.

Not with a flash or anything like that, more like an image in a developing tray. Enter David Howell, a modest, amiable son of Middle England as far removed from Faldo as possible in terms of temperament, but with similar designs on major success.

Not that Howell had been invisible, it's just that his transformation from likely European Tour journeyman into one of the world's best players has taken place in such a quiet, unassuming manner, that golf-watchers on both sides of the Atlantic are still wondering if there's a misprint in the rankings.

Currently at number 10 in the world, he trails Sergio Garcia by three places, however, there is now little doubt that Howell is not just the leading player in Britain and Ireland, but the leading player in Europe as well.

Sitting on top of the European Tour order of merit, as well as both Ryder Cup points lists, the 30-year-old from Swindon seems slightly bemused by the attention.

"Slowly but surely I have to start thinking of myself as a world player, " he says. "The rankings don't lie, so I'd better start believing in them, but I'm not trying to be famous for anything other than playing good golf."

Howell had been a sleeper for several years, good enough to scrape into the 2004 Ryder Cup team at Oakland Hills, yet never good enough to make the remotest impression at major championships. Then last season, his fortunes changed. After second-place finishes at the British Masters and the Irish Open, he won the BMW International in Munich before going head-to-head with none other than Tiger Woods in the final round of the HSBC Champions Tournament in Shanghai and winning again.

More recently, his impressive victory at the prestigious BMW Championship at Wentworth, where he shot four rounds in the 60s, was a further affirmation of his progress. He mentioned, without a hint of arrogance, that the way he was playing, he was going to be a hard man to catch at the weekend.

"It wasn't that I was sure I was going to win, but I know now that in general when I get in a good situation, I rarely play badly. I blew it in China earlier this year when I'd been leading the TCL Classic and then shot 75 in the final round on an easy golf course, but it's not often I have a bad last day.

"As the week went by at Wentworth, I felt better all the time, so I knew with a three-shot lead on the Sunday, it was going to take something special to beat me. I wasn't blase, but I have a great sense of confidence at the moment."

Not surprisingly, that confidence was intact when he set out on tour as a raw 20year-old. He won in Australia, running away from the field in difficult, windy conditions, and followed that with another victory in Dubai in 1999, but from then until nearly the end of 2005 the trophy cabinet remained firmly shut.

"In my first season, I won just over £130,000 which wasn't bad, things were going better than I expected, and really the wins didn't surprise me that much. Then everything seemed to stall for a few years. While it looked like I was making progress, I knew in myself that I wasn't improving as a player, and I think the fact that I won quite early delayed the process of me realising that to become a really good player, I had to make some pretty drastic changes."

The penny didn't drop until 2002 when he fell like a stone in the order of merit. He parted company with his coach, Pete Cowen, returned to his original teacher, Clive Tucker, and hired a personal trainer. "I had to reassess, and the prospect of being a mediocre European Tour player suddenly wasn't as fulfilling as I thought it might have been."

In those fallow years, he would frequently take Mondays off, play some pool with his mates, maybe have a couple of beers and talk about the previous week's tournament.

Now Mondays are nearly always spent in the gym or working with Tucker. "It's just a bit more sacrifice really, " he says. "Doing the right things to play golf, rather than doing the wrong things, or not even bothering to do anything."

A broken arm contributed to his slump in that pivotal 2002 season, and since then he has had to sit out several tournaments with a torn stomach muscle and, more recently, a bad back, but injuries don't appear to have affected his progress in any way.

"At the start of my career, I have to admit that I never dreamed I'd get to 10th in the world, all that seemed a million miles away, but when I set off on this new path, my goal was to play in the majors and all the other big events, and it has surprised me how well it's gone.

"A lot of people reckoned that I lacked self-belief, but it's more that I've been honest with myself about my game.

I see the bad in my game, and I want to improve it."

With close to 2m in prize money already this season, the sight of Howell employing a stance similar in many ways to Padraig Harrington and draining yet another putt is becoming all too familiar. An 83 in the third round of last week's Memorial was completely out of character . . . "I think I was a bit tired after Wentworth, lacking energy, deflated and I certainly came down to earth with a bump, " . . . but he followed it up with a 71.

He realises that with his rise in status comes a corresponding rise in expectation, yet apart from two top-20 finishes at the Masters, his record in the majors is abysmal. "I wasn't good enough to play in the majors five or six years ago, I couldn't cope with the courses, but that has changed, and there's no reason now why I can't be in the mix "I don't feel any burden, I don't mind if people see me as a British or European hope in the majors, because if I play really well at Winged Foot for four days, I'm going to be there or thereabouts. But the general rule of thumb is, you win tournaments around the world including America, and then you're able to deal with the pressure that comes with contending in a major. So, first I want an opportunity to win in the US, but if it happens to be a major, then fine."

It's 10 years since an Englishman won a major in America, and while Howell will hardly come close to Faldo's record of six titles, he has brought himself to a level where anything is possible.

Even victory at the US Open.

FIVE TO FOLLOW AT WINGED FOOT

TIM CLARK
Age 30 World ranking 14 2006 form 2nd Masters, 2 top 10s on PGA Tour Major wins none Betting 50-1 US Open record 3 appearances; T3 last year Fast becoming a familiar name in or around the top of the leaderboard during majors, the South African has the precision and the patience to challenge again this week. A relatively short hitter, he could find it hard to bite off some of Winged Foot's many doglegs, however, he has already demonstrated at Augusta and at Pinehurst last year that his short game is among the best.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL
Age 40 World ranking 11 2006 form T3 Masters, runnerup Buick Invitational, BellSouth Major wins (2) Masters 1994, '99 US Open record 15 appearances; 3 top 10s Betting 66-1 The bad news in terms of this tournament is that Olazabal's best chance of adding to his two majors will undoubtedly come at Augusta again over the next few years, but the good news is that on a classic, relentless, unforgiving US Open track, his experience and temperament could well pay dividends. Worth an each-way wager as long as his driver doesn't let him down.

TREVOR IMMELMAN
Age 26 World ranking 34 2006 form runnerup Byron Nelson, Wachovia Major wins none US Open record 2 appearances Betting 50-1 A thoroughbred if ever there was one, Immelman ruled the amateur game for a couple of seasons, and is now beginning to come into his own at the top of the pro ranks. Brimful of confidence at the moment, a breakthrough in America is surely imminent. Not the most reliable putter, but Michael Campbell proved last year that one good week on the greens at the right time can pay dividends.

STUART APPLEBY
Age 35 World ranking 17 2006 form winner Mercedes, Houston Open Major wins none US Open record 9 appearances; 6 missed cuts Betting 50-1 The Australian is probably more deserving of the Best Player Never to Have Won a Major tag than Sergio Garcia even if his record in the main tournaments leaves a lot to be desired. Six missed cuts in his last seven US Opens is not something to shout about, but Appleby is such a talent, and such a magnificent ball-striker that a victory anywhere, any time, is possible.

PAUL CASEY
Age 28 World ranking 41 2006 form 5 top 10s on European Tour Major wins none US Open record 3 appearances; 2 missed cuts Betting 80-1 Enviable power, and a superb putting touch on his day, Casey might currently trail David Howell and Luke Donald at the peak of the new English wave, but he could yet be the first to emulate Nick Faldo and win a major on American turf.