The US PGA Championship that starts this morning at Oakland Hills, Michigan, on the outskirts of what is known as Motor City, will be important for many competitors, particularly for two men whose surname begins with the letter P. On the tee, Ian Poulter, the peacock of golf who wants to be known more for his play than his mouth and trousers, and Kenny Perry, a moon-faced American who has won three of his past seven tournaments and is a hero to some and a villain to others.

Next month's Ryder Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, Perry's home state, is what unites these men, as well as the small matter of attempting to win the last of the year's four major championships. Victory here on Sunday, his 48th birthday, would make no difference to Perry because his place in Paul Azinger's US team is already secure. But it would help to quell the criticism of him for skipping last month's Open in favour of a minor event back home as he sought to earn the points necessary to make the US team.

“I've never had attention like this before,” Perry said. “I'm kind of a low-key, easy-going guy. When I get something burning in my belly a little bit, it just kind of inspires me to work a little bit harder. At my age, I need that because I'm kind of getting lazy.”

No one would suggest that Poulter is lazy or less than patriotic, even if he admits he is considering moving from Britain to somewhere where his tax bill would be smaller than it is at present. “Considering,” Poulter said deliberately. “Only considering.”

Poulter also admitted that he has been texting Nick Faldo, the Europe captain, regularly. “I want to make Nick's side and I think he would like me to be in his side,” he said.

The way for Poulter to do that would be to win on this par-70, 7,395-yard course that has been lengthened slightly since he previously played it at the 2004 Ryder Cup.

The favourite is Phil Mickelson, the world No2, and the tournament's highest-ranked player in the absence of Tiger Woods, who is recovering from knee surgery. There are others such as Lee Westwood, who tied for second to Vijay Singh in the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, last Sunday, and Singh himself.

This event can throw up unexpected champions such as Rich Beem in 2002 and Shaun Micheel a year later. Yet, if Perry or Poulter were to win, it would do their respective causes no end of good.