Westwood (left) and Poulter have both achieved notable recent success

European golf will be confident of victory at the WGC-CA Championship beginning at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Florida on Thursday.

Almost a third of the 68-man field are European, with six in the world top-10.

Ian Poulter, who won the WGC Match Play last month, could move above Lee Westwood into fourth this week.

World number one Tiger Woods is again absent and teenage sensation Ryo Ishikawa is not playing either because of his school graduation ceremony.

Poulter would become Europe's leading player for the first time if he could pass Westwood in the rankings and revealed he had a variety of messages from some of golf's leading names after his impressive Match Play success in the first of this year's prestigious world championship events.

"Greg Norman gave me a call, Nick Faldo dropped me a line and Arnold Palmer wrote me a letter," the 34-year-old enthused.

606: DEBATE Discuss the tournament

"I can't express how much it means. It's just so nice - Greg was just off to Asia and took time out of his schedule to call.

"And when Arnie sends you a letter to say he was watching and 'congratulations, well played' it can't really get better than that."

Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie sent a congratulatory text message and Poulter is now a near certainty to make his third appearance in the event this autumn, having qualified in the closing stages in 2004 and been given a wildcard by Faldo two years ago.

"I can have fun and I've never had that mindset in a Ryder Cup year," said Poulter. "Winning such a big event so early in the year has taken the pressure off and that's massive."

Westwood will be fit to protect his ranking position, however, having fully recovered from the right knee strain he suffered at home two weeks ago.

"I did it pulling a pair of boots on - something as innocuous as that," said the 36-year-old from Worksop.

"I got in the wrong position I guess, but my trainer came over the same afternoon and his assessment was that it would take seven to 10 days."

Westwood returned to action last week in the Honda Classic at Palm Beach and finished ninth.

"I nearly didn't play last week and everything I did there was a big bonus," he added.

After Poulter won the Match Play, we want to be the next ones to win a WGC event Paul Casey

Paul Casey, who lost to Poulter in the final of the Match Play, secured his fourth top-10 finish of the season with a share for fourth at Palm Beach.

"I don't really have an answer for why there are so many Europeans or Englishmen in the top 10 but I'm certainly enjoying it," stated Casey.

"It's a bit of a race right now. Each one of us wants to win a Major, so which of us is going to be the first guy to do it? It's a cosy feeling with many friends of mine up high in the rankings, but it shouldn't be confused with complacency or a relaxed sort of atmosphere.

"Everyone is pushing each other very, very hard. When Lee [Westwood] was winning The Race to Dubai, we all congratulated him but we want to win it this year.

"And after Poulter won the Match Play, we want to be the next ones to win a WGC event. Potential is one thing, but these guys are starting to fulfil it and show everybody we have a lot of great players in Europe."

Northern Ireland prodigy Rory McIlroy, who has raced to ninth in the world rankings, was tied for 40th last week, having been third and sixth in two European Tour events in Dubai at the start of the season.

The 20-year-old said: "I think it's a great time for British golf, and for European golf as well. It's been really good over the past few months.

"There's obviously a bit of rivalry between us all, but it's healthy. If I'm not playing an event, I'll always check up on the guys in and around me in the world rankings to see how they're doing, and how they're playing."

Luke Donald returns to action after his wife gave birth to their first child on 25 February.

Daughter Elle came a month early, weighed just over five pounds and it was over a week before she was allowed back to the couple's Chicago home.

"I felt bad I couldn't play last week, but when you have a baby your responsibilities and priorities change. I'm sure the sponsors understood," said Donald, who has dropped to 24th in the rankings.

There have been 10 previous events at Doral, six of them won by Woods.

Last year Phil Mickelson, who will partner McIlroy in the opening two rounds, became the oldest winner at 38.

The popular left-hander will be back to defend his title, minus the controversial 20-year-old Ping wedge he briefly used following the ban on new clubs having U-shaped grooves.

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