If Luke Donald and Lee Westwood were boxers they would have started saying horrible things about each other by now and fight fans would be getting ready to rumble.

But that is not the way it is in golf.

On the eve of the US Open and the latest head-to-head duel between the world's current top two players - both English, of course - Westwood said: "It'll be a nice way to start off the tournament."

And Donald added: "It will be fun for us and hopefully fun for the fans."

Not exactly fighting talk, but neither sees any mileage in trying to turn their Congressional clash into anything more than it is.

What they want is not bragging rights over the other, but a first major title.

If that means they end up in a shoot-out as they did at Wentworth three weeks ago, when Donald took the number one spot with a birdie to a double bogey on the first extra hole, then all well and good.

The BMW PGA Championship was 33-year-old Donald's second victory of a season in which he has now had an amazing ten successive top ten finishes. But in the majors he has gone 31 tournaments and counting without a win.

‘‘This is the best I've been playing obviously,'' Donald said. ‘‘I've reached the pinnacle of the rankings and my play has been very consistent.

‘‘I have a lot of confidence. There's going to be more expectation and that brings a little more pressure, but I've been trying to concentrate on doing the same things every week whether I was ranked number one or 50."

Westwood, meanwhile, enters his 53rd major hoping this is where all those near misses - three thirds and then last year two seconds - are put behind him.

Prior to Sunday's 11th place in Memphis, where he was the defending champion, his last three strokeplay finishes were first, first and second.

They are unquestionably the two hottest players in the game right now, but they need no reminding that majors are when it really counts.

Donald is looking ahead to two rounds with not only Westwood, but also third-ranked Martin Kaymer and the German's new caddie - Donald's brother Christian.

He was previously with Paul Casey and prior to that alongside Donald himself.

Three months ago the trio were also paired together for a world championship in Miami, but the biggest crowd was elsewhere as Tiger Woods was going face-to-face with Phil Mickelson.

This time Woods is out injured, of course, and with Mickelson not teeing off until more than five hours later - 1.35pm local time compared to 8.06am - the star European trio are the main early attraction.

Or at least they should be.

The home fans have been starved of success lately. For the first time since 1994 the four majors are in the hands of non-Americans and if it now becomes five in a row without a US player winning that will be unprecedented since The Masters began in 1934.