BLACKWOOD'S Bradley Dredge will be among the 33 European's bidding to end a dreadful run in the majors, when the USPGA, the final big one' of the season, gets underway this afternoon.

It is an astonishing seven years since a European claimed one of the big four titles - US Masters, US Open, Open, US PGA - a feat not achieved since Paul Lawrie won the Open at Carnoustie in 1999.

Many have come close since then, as recently as the US Open where Colin Montgomerie went into meltdown with the title in his grasp this year.

It is a wretched record the European contingent are desperate to correct and they will bid to do so at Medinah Country Club in Illinois over the next four days.

The European contingents quest is perhaps more poignant than ever, hugely popular Ulsterman Darren Clarke won't be at the event, his wife Heather lost her long battle with breast cancer on Sunday and her funeral is today.

Ireland's Paul McGinley has already withdrawn from the PGA to attend the funeral and Padraig Harrington - who is donating all his winnings to breast cancer research - is hoping the European contingent can do the Clarke family proud.

He explained: "Travelling over here I wasn't too sure what the situation was going to be but Darren made it clear he wanted the players to play here, that Heather would have wanted everybody to play."

"I think my decision would be different if I was still at home but in view of what Darren has said, I've decided to stay. He has made it a lot easier for everybody, as he always would.

"I am going to donate all my prize money this week to breast cancer research, which is the charity they have nominated instead of flowers and things like that.

"So, hopefully, I'll do some good by being here, whereas being there, I probably wouldn't be able to do much - it's one of those situations."

One potential problem for the likes of Dredge and Barry's Stephen Dodd, who also qualified, is the sheer magnitude of the Medinah course, sure to favour the big-hitters.

The longest course ever to stage a major, Medinah has been lengthened since it held the PGA in 1999 and is now an imposing 7,561 yards.

The pairing of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson - ironic that they play together today and tomorrow as they get on about as well as Blair and Brown - are the red hot favourites and the length of the course would appear to play into their hands.

Perhaps the pick of the European players could be El Nino' Sergio Garcia, at the venue that elevated him to stardom.

He hit the shot of the year here in 1999, a twisted five-iron off the base of a tree - with his eyes shut - that prompted a famous run up the fairway and a jump in the air as the ball incredibly found the green.

American Ryder Cup captain of the time Ben Crenshaw pronounced Garcia, then 19, "the future of golf" when it happened, but tellingly, Garcia lost out to Woods and hasn't won a major since.

This week's event should also help to shape the final ten who will qualify for September's Ryder Cup at the K club.