Irish duo hoping numbers stack up

TOUR NEWS:THE NUMBERS game is on the minds of two Northern Irishmen headed for different climes this week. In the case of teenager Rory McIlroy, it's a case of staying in the world's top-50 - and, with it, earn his first invitation to the US Masters - while for Darren Clarke, it is a case of trying to make an end-of-year charge up the rankings.

McIlroy, who is 49th in the world, is one of five Irish players competing in the Alfred Dunhill championship at Leopard Creek in South Africa this week.

But Clarke is not one of them. Instead, Clarke - 66th in the world, and needing to break into that top-50 by the end of this month if he is to get an invitation to Augusta - has decided to play in the Australian Open at Royal Sydney.

In fact, Clarke has despaired so much about his putting he has decided to put a long-handle putter into his bag for this week's trip Down Under and, also, for next week's South African Open which will end his year's travels.

Of his trip to Australia, Clarke, who played his first practice round there yesterday, remarked: "Royal Sydney's one of the best courses in the world. It's a long way to go for one week. Two- or three-week trips are not too bad, but one week is pretty tough (on the body).

"But I'm chasing world ranking points and I want to get back into that top-50 again."

Among the players Clarke will be up against are Geoff Ogilvy and Rod Pampling, winners on the Australian Tour for the past two weeks, and Adam Scott, who has recovered from a knee injury.

McIlroy has taken a different route to Clarke as he seeks to cement his position in the top-50. The Down golfer plays the Dunhill, which is part of the European Tour's 2009 itinerary, and next week's South African Open. He is joined in the field at Leopard Creek by Damien McGrane, Gary Murphy, Michael Hoey and "rookie" Jonathan Caldwell.

Meanwhile, Graeme McDowell is in action in the Greg Norman-promoted Merrill Lynch Shoot-Out in Naples, Florida, tomorrow and Thursday.

McDowell will be partnered by his Ryder Cup colleague Ian Poulter.