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Tiger Woods plays a tee shot during his pratice round at Whistling Straits on Tuesday

A relentless stream of positive remarks backed up by imperious play have undoubtedly helped make him the most intimidating presence on any leaderboard during his career. But given at Firestone in Ohio last week, few anticipate seeing his name among the pacesetters as he bids for a fifth PGA title.

His task in the build-up to this week's Championship has been to manage expectations upwards and send out a reminder that he is actually a challenger. Consequently, his pre-tournament news conference was peppered with lines that had the aim of demonstrating his confidence, perhaps more than his current form and circumstances warrant.

"Life is certainly getting a lot better," said the man who finished 18 over par, 30 shots behind the winner, last Sunday. "I've done some good work the last two days and I've still got one more day of some work. Hopefully I'll be ready come Thursday."

He even added: "We all have a chance this week and hopefully I can get it done."

Is it pure rhetoric or is there some truth in what Woods is saying? Can he turn his form around that quickly? Equally, has his game gone to the extent that some of the hysterical coverage of his decline suggests? The truth probably lies somewhere in between.

The 14-time major winner is not alone in dealing with changing expectation levels. But faces the opposite scenario to Woods. Since winning at in June, the Ulsterman has contended with what would always be his toughest stretch of events - the , where he is a past champion, and the , where there is always a thirst for home glory.

McDowell did so in the wake of his first major victory. Sure, it gave him confidence but he was drained of energy and burdened by heightened levels of expectation. Unspectacular finishes followed - 21st at Loch Lomond, 23rd at St Andrews and 31st at Killarney.

"I've always realised that expectations are extremely dangerous," admitted the 31-year-old. "More so now. You know, I've let myself off the hook for the last weeks [since winning at Pebble Beach] and I've got a big week ahead of me.

"I'm not going to put any extra pressure on myself, I'm going to try to do my best and then I've got four weeks off after this to reset myself for what will be a big end to the year for me with the and ."

Phil Mickelson has struggled with the expectation of becoming world number one

But already he is wrestling with all that comes with being a major champion. He knows he will be one of Europe's key men at , expected to play all five rounds rather than making up the numbers as he did on his Ryder Cup debut at two years ago.

McDowell has already sought the counsel of three-time major winner .

"There is a large burden placed on your shoulders after you win a major," said Harrington, who has won the Open twice and the USPGA. "The pressure is much higher and you've got to perform to a higher level in the public's mind and in the media's mind. What you have to do is your own thing, be yourself and play your own game.

"Expectations tend to lead people to believe that if you've won a major you are never going to hit a bad shot again. Well, that ain't going to happen."

McDowell says he is raring to go and Harrington's wise words may well help him manage his own expectations to good effect this week.

Certainly, , who was not anticipating a seven-shot Open win at St Andrews last month, shows how wide open world golf is at the moment.

So coming from a low starting point in terms of confidence might not be the worst scenario for Woods or for someone like , who has announced he will take a two-month break after this week to try to reignite his career.

has struggled with the expectation of becoming world number one, although he has revealed his efforts have been hampered by . Does this news alter our thinking towards him this week? And will that help his cause?

Or what about this one. Will local man sneak in on the blind side and become the man to supercede Woods at the top of the world rankings?

How many people are expecting that scenario?