The money is rotten, you suffer heartache, and yet

The money is rotten, and more players suffer heartache and pain than achieve success. Yet, some 595 players, from all over the globe, will chase the dream of earning one of 35 places in the PGA European Tour's final qualifying school in Spain in November when the 54-hole pre-qualifying I takes place at five venues in England, starting today.

Twenty Irish players, including some currently in possession of tour cards but whose order of merit placing leaves them in considerable jeopardy of relinquishing such prized possessions, are among those seeking one of the coveted tickets to San Roque and Sotogrande. However, Raymond Burns, who is in danger of losing his card and is placed in 162nd place in the moneylist, with time running out, has decided to play in this week's Lancome Trophy in SaintNom-La Bretche in a determined attempt to climb up the placings and avoid a visit to tour school.

This is the unglamorous side of professional golf, the quest for a ticket to possible riches, and the road is a long and tough one.

The Irishmen seeking to make it to tour school via route one, the pre-qualifying I, are: Bryan Omelia (Chart Hills); John Dignam, Mark Fenning, Francis Howley (Five Lake GC), John Dwyer, David Higgins, Conor Mallon, Damien Mooney, Gary A Murphy, Leslie Walker (Manchester); David Barton, Cameron Clark, Stephen Hamill (Woodbury Park), and Jim Carville, John Kelly, Peter Lawrie, Damien McGrane, Gary Murphy, Sean Quinlivan and Graham Spring (Wynyard GC).

Three of the Irish contingent seeking to overcome the first hurdle in the quest for a tour card are emerging from the amateur ranks: Omelia, who was a finalist in the Irish Close and a member of the British and Irish team that contested the St Andrew Trophy against the Continent of Europe recently; Mallon of North West; and Gary A Murphy, from Monkstown in Cork.

The trio can still retain their amateur status if they don't succeed in reaching and then qualifying from tour school.

On this occasion, the fall-back is that anyone who fails to qualify from PQI has the option of returning for PQII at the end of October (at venues in France and Spain).

Then comes the real lottery of the final qualifying school which takes place in the south of Spain from November 18th-23rd.

Of the Irish players in action over the next three days, Higgins, Howley and Clark all possess cards but are placed 184th, 199th and 214th respectively in the Volvo rankings. An indication of the fickle nature of professional golf is that two men who found their 15 minutes of fame in the British Open are among those competing in PQI this year.

In 1995, Steven Bottomley led the Open at St Andrews before eventually finishing tied for third place behind John Daly and Costantino Rocca and earning £65,666, enough to secure his card for the following season.

And, more recently, Justin Rose, as an amateur, finished tiedfourth in the British Open at Royal Birkdale this year.

He has failed to make a cut - or a penny - since turning professional the following week. Both are playing in PQI this week, Bottomley at Wynyard (where former Walker Cup player Gordon Sherry is also in action), and Rose at Chart Hill.

Burns originally intended playing in PQI in Manchester, but has changed his mind and availed of an opportunity to play in the Lancome.

It has attracted one of the top fields of the season with Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood among the Europeans seeking to repel the star-studded American invasion force which includes David Duval, who heads the US Tour's moneylist, Mark O'Meara and Fred Couples.

Intriguingly, Duval can relate with those competing in the prequalifying events this week. He failed on two occasions to survive the qualifying school in the United States and eventually used the Nike Tour to claim his tour card.

Given that the Lancome has a limited field, Burns's decision to play in Versailles was probably wise; a good week could transform what has been a poor season for the Banbridge player.

Burns is joined in the tournament by Paul McGinley, assuming his neck injury has responded to treatment, Padraig Harrington, Philip Walton, Eamonn Darcy and Des Smyth.

A record number of players will compete in the qualifying round of this year's Smurfit Irish PGA championship which takes place at Seapoint Golf Club next Tuesday, 15th September.

The 138 players will be chasing one of 45 places available for the championship proper which takes place at Powerscourt Golf Club on October 15th-18th.

The prizefund for the championship is in excess of £100,000, making it the richest national championship in Europe.