Many Irish players will take the high road to Loch Lomond this week in the belief that they have something to prove.
Apart from John McHenry, who made the most of his sponsor's invite, the Irish challenge was decidedly modest in the Murphy's Irish Open at Druids Glen - and, with the "current form" category for the British Open concluding with the Standard Life Loch Lomond tournament which starts tomorrow, there are plenty of incentives for the seven Irish players in the field.
Of the Irish invaders in Scotland this week, only Padraig Harrington is exempt from final qualifying for the British Open, which takes place at various courses in the Southport area on Sunday and Monday. Meanwhile, Darren Clarke, who was runner-up to Justin Leonard in last year's Open at Royal Troon, has decided to take the week off to play links courses in finalising his preparations for the third major of the season at Birkdale.
Harrington is joined in the Stg£850,000 Loch Lomond tournament by McHenry, who earned a place along with American Craig Hainline for securing a top-10 finish in Druids Glen, Paul McGinley, Philip Walton, Raymond Burns, Eamonn Darcy and Des Smyth. Rather worryingly, Harrington, McGinley, Walton and Smyth all missed the cut in the Irish Open while Darcy finished tied-25th and Burns dropped to tied-58th. Meanwhile, David Carter's win in the Irish Open earned him enough money to secure his ticket to Birkdale without having to endure the lottery of final qualifying. Carter left the county Wicklow course singing the praises of the Irish crowds: "I never experienced anything like it before, they were fantastic," he said.
And the 26-year-old Englishman (with the sort of South African accent that Ernie Els possesses) has travelled on to Loch Lomond seeking to become only the second back-to-back winner on the European Tour this season. Lee Westwood, who lost his position at the top of the Order of Merit to Colin Montgomerie after the Irish Open, won the Deutsche Bank TPC of Europe and the English Open last month. Montgomerie now has a lead of £10,198 over Westwood in his personal campaign to lead the Volvo Ranking for an unprecedented sixth successive season and is also in the field in Loch Lomond that features many bigname Americans seeking to condition themselves in Europe prior to the British Open. However, one of the more interesting attractions in Loch Lomond will be the "internal" battle between the three amateurs: Sergio Garcia, the British Amateur champion, Matt Kuchar, the US amateur champion, and Justin Rose, the English teenager with Walker Cup experience.
Meanwhile, on the US Tour, Olin Browne became the latest first time winner this year - at the age of 39 - with a dramatic 35-foot chip-in for birdie on the first hole of sudden death at the Greater Hartford Open.
Browne shot a final round of three-under-par 67 at the TPC at River Highlands to tie defending champion Stewart Cink and Larry Mize at the tournament record figure of 14-under-par 266. Cink also shot 67, with a 31 on the back nine, and Mize closed with a 69.
"This is pretty cool. It's the pinnacle, and it's taken me 20 years to get here," said Browne, who had never led after a single round in four-and-a-half seasons on the PGA Tour.
