Every year, the field gets stronger. The Forest of Arden, once the venue of such relatively trivial diversions as the English Open, the pause during which the top professionals used to take their rest, now attracts a high standard of peripatetic pro.

There are 18 Ryder Cup players of various vintages in action at the British Masters, which starts in the heart of the Warwickshire countryside at 7.30 this morning. And a small assembly of recent tournament winners, including the most recent, Steve Webster, and his Atherstone clubmate, Paul Broadhurst.

Some, including Paul Casey, David Howell and Brian Davis, have come back from the US Tour to play in it. A random trawl through the forecasts of the cognoscenti suggests that Darren Clarke is going to be the winner.

He has powerful advantages. He has won at the Forest twice and has been quoted as saying that if there's one course that he'd like to wrap up and take with him, everywhere, this would be it. He is an outstanding fancy.

"And I'm happy with the way I'm playing," he said yesterday. After you in the queue for the bookies!

Clarke has played in nine tournaments this year, eight of them in America. He has had six top-ten finishes. "And I've had four chances to win."

The Masters is the start of what he describes as an important run. There's the Irish Open next week, then the PGA Championship at Wentworth and he is relishing his programme.

One of the reasons put forward for the exodus of European players, to America, in the early part of the year is that the condition of the courses on the other side of the Atlantic is so good as to invite their best golf.

"Not much difference this week, though," said the Northern Irelander. The Forest, he said, is in fantastic nick. Europe, generally, he said, was getting better at course preparation every year. To have greens as good as the Forest's at this time of the year was a great achievement.

"Nice to back on home soil," said Howell after his spell in the States. He had had the odd good week but hadn't really settled into the American way of golf. "I haven't enjoyed it as I would have hoped and I'm glad to be back among a few more familiar faces."

He put in a good performance at the US Masters last month but his European Tour results had been more fulfilling.

"In general, I'm more comfortable playing here. And he added this warning to the assembled field: "I know that if I play well, play within myself, I will be competing near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday.

"That general confidence is there - knowing I can compete in America and over here." The Forest course, he thought, was set up " reasonably" well for him. "The last couple of years I have had some reasonable performances; I think I was leading after the first round last year [a 66 left him one clear of the field on Thursday night] but I had a poor Sunday [his second 73 in theree days] and just didn't follow it through.

"I don't think I've had a top-ten here but that being said, I think I'm due a decent finish."

The importance of a victory this week? "It has been such a long time since I won that any win will be a massive boost to my confidence.

"If it's this week, great. I'd love to win in England in front of an English crowd." Davis, one of the pioneers on the US circuit, has already covered the 15 tournaments that he is required to play. "That's great," he said. "Now I want to come back here and concentrate on my European golf so that I can try to get in the world top 50 before I go back to the States. Whether that entails a load of good finishes or a win, whatever, that is my goal for the European leg."

Davis, hardly a household name in Europe before his American venture, says that he is "definitely" a better player. "And it's great to be back because I can see all my family and my friends."

Then there's the Ryder Cup points.

"A lot will depend on how I do here this summer and if I get back into the top 50."

The Masters, the PGA Championship and the Wales Open are his next targets.