While the cat's away, the mice will play? Colin Montgomerie's quest for a major, this time the US PGA at Medinah, means that mere mortals on the European Tour won't have to contend with the circuit's dominant figure when the West of Ireland Classic takes place at Galway Bay this week.
Despite the added lure of Ryder Cup points (admittedly the smallest on offer in the qualifying campaign), this unique tournament - a joint venture between the full European Tour and the Challenge Tour - is sadly bereft of real quality. All of the truly big guns are playing in Medinah, and even the temptation to collect extra points has failed to attract many of those sitting on the qualifying bubble as players have obviously decided that one last big effort at the BMW International in Munich next week, which is the final counting event, is a more enticing alternative. Indeed, Padraig Harrington, who is currently 16th in the European Ryder Cup table, is the lowest placed player to confirm his participation for this week's event which has a prizefund of IR£275,000.
Of those in contention for a Ryder Cup place, Harrington (16th), David Howell (19th), John Bickerton (21st), Costantino Rocca (24th) and Paul McGinley (26th) are the only players who could reasonably expect to boost such aspirations if they managed to claim victory. Scotland's Andrew Coltart, currently 10th in the table, had intended to play in Galway until benefitting from a late invite to the US PGA and, not surprisingly, he snapped up that offer.
Howell, indeed, is the only player in the field - split between European Tour regulars and Challenge Tour players - who has won a tournament on the full tour this season: the Englishman won the Dubai Desert Classic in February.
More pertinently, this week's tournament may prove to be the difference between players keeping their cards for next season - or facing a trip to the tour's qualifying school later in the year. Of the 17 Irish players in the field, two of them especially, Philip Walton and John McHenry, will be keen to secure enough prizemoney to move up the rankings towards safety.
Harrington and McGinley head the Irish contingent which also includes Walton, McHenry, Des Smyth, Eamonn Darcy, Gary Murphy, Graham Spring, Peter Lawrie, David Higgins, Raymond Burns, Francis Howley, Geoff Loughrey, Brendan McGovern, Damian Mooney, John Dwyer and Michael Allen.
Christy O'Connor Jnr, who designed the course, is not playing. Instead, the recent winner of the British Seniors Open has returned to the United States where he will play in this week's Foremost Championship at Egypt Valley as he bids to reinforce his commitment to the Seniors Tour in America.
The real carrot, one suspects, in Galway Bay is that a full year's exemption on the European Tour will be on offer to the winner - and that is a mighty big incentive, especially for the Challenge Tour players and those tour players fighting for their cards. Meanwhile, Europe's number one player for the past six years - and, after his win in the Scandinavian Masters, on target for a seventh successive Order of Merit title - flew out to Chicago yesterday for the US PGA determined to treat the event as "another European Tour event."
Montgomerie's win in Sweden was his fourth title of the season and stretched his lead over Lee Westwood at the top of the moneylist, and the Scot was determined to bring that form with him to Medinah. "I feel confident because there aren't any weaknesses in my game," insisted Monty. "I'm driving the ball well and, when you do that, it makes the game easy."
Ironically, Montgomerie won the week before the season's last major when he took the Loch Lomond title but then failed to perform well in the British Open. But the Scot doesn't believe that means anything heading into the last major of the season. "I'm relaxed, and I have a good draw playing with Ernie Els and Justin Leonard for the opening 36 holes," he said. "I intend to treat it as just another European Tour event as much as I can."
Montgomerie has decided to miss out on the BMW in Munich next week and, instead, will take a week's rest before returning to the United States for the next event in the World Golf Championship, the NEC Invitational at Akron. Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood will also be competing in Akron and, indeed, this week's US PGA is the start of a three-week stretch in the United States for Clarke, another player who has decided to bypass Munich. The Irishman will take in a stint of the US PGA followed by the Sprint International and then the NEC before returning for the British Masters at Woburn.
By coincidence, Clarke, who lost a six shot lead on the final day of the Smurfit European Open at The K Club last week, has been included in the same group as Jean Van de Velde, who had carried a five stroke lead into the final round of the British Open at Carnoustie.
