Whatever his fortunes in the draw for the World Matchplay Championship, Darren Clarke will not be facing his conqueror of last season when the event is staged at Wentworth on October 15th to 18th. The 12-man line-up doesn't include America's Brad Faxon, who lost to Nick Price in the semi-finals 11 months ago.
Indeed Price is also an absentee. But the field includes fascinating newcomers in Stewart Cink, Steve Stricker and the Australian Stuart Appleby. This represents a timely lift for Appleby whose wife Renee died tragically in a car accident two months ago.
The field is: Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Mark O'Meara, Tiger Woods, Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood, Clarke, Patrik Sjoland, Thomas Bjorn, Appleby, Cink and Stricker.
The first four players have been seeded into the second round. Singh, who beat Els by one hole for the title last year, has since made the breakthrough of a major triumph in the USPGA Championship at Sahalee, Seattle, last month.
Els gained the distinction of an unprecedented three successive victories in the event from 1994 to 1996; O'Meara is the holder of the US Masters and British Open titles and Woods is set for an extended trip to Britain in that he will be making his Dunhill Cup debut at St Andrews the previous week.
But the most significant development has been the organisers' decision to invite the top five in the European Order of Merit, going into last week's Lancome Trophy. As it happens a change in the order has been caused by the victory in Paris last Sunday of Miguel-Angel Jimenez, who replaces Bjorn at number five.
European Tour executive director Ken Schofield said of the organisers' decision: "We are delighted that the committee has recognised the strength of young talent that is emerging on the European Tour and it will be exciting to see these players pitting their skills in head-to-head 36-hole matchplay against such proven champions."
One of the perks of playing in the World Matchplay is a private house and cook in the Wentworth area. And Clarke is accepting the largesse, despite the fact that he moved into a new house in Sunningdale earlier this year. "I'm going to give the complimentary accommodation to my parents for the week," he said. "So we can make it a real family get-together."
Meanwhile, Richard Coughlan is coming to terms with the unpredictability of tournament play as he closes in on a coveted, top-125 place in the US money list. After missing four cuts out of six, the Birr player has just achieved his two best finishes of the season, having been tied 13th in the Canadian Open and tied ninth in last weekend's BC Open.
Last Sunday's finish earned Coughlan $34,714 which moves him up to 157th in the money list with five tournaments remaining - this week's Texas Open, followed by the Buick Challenge, Michelob Championship, the Las Vegas Invitational and the Walt Disney Classic.
A measure of the Irishman's strong current form is that he has broken par in seven of his last 10 rounds. He has also carded five rounds in the sixties since opening with a 69 in the Greater Vancouver Open on August 30th.
It seems ironic, however, that his top-10 finish last Sunday was achieved with an eight-under-par total of 280 whereas a 10-under aggregate of 278 at Annadale GC in July earned him only a share of 21st place. Coughlan's best scoring performance of the season was in the Hawaiian Open at Waialae CC last February, where he put together an 11-under-par aggregate of 277, albeit for a share of 49th place.
With season's earnings of $140,375, he is currently more than $50,000 outside a place in the top-125, whereas Sandy Lyle, whose 10-year exemption from his 1988 US Masters triumph runs out this year, is in 133rd place on $172,414.
