Padraig Harrington returns to tournament play in this week's Deutsche Bank TPC of Europe at Gut Kaden, near Hamburg, after missing the British Open due to the death of his father, Paddy.
And he faces the prospect of having to add tournaments to his schedule to fulfil his obligations to the US Tour where, for the first year, he is a full member.
The 33-year-old Dubliner, who has risen one place to eighth in the world rankings despite missing out on St Andrews, resumes his European Tour itinerary on a familiar course: he won the TPC two years ago, holding off Thomas Bjorn on that occasion, when the tournament was last staged at Gut Kaden.
With €3.3 million in prize money, the TPC (which has the date held last year by the Irish Open) has attracted a field that includes the leader of European Tour money list, Michael Campbell.
There are six Irish players in the field: Harrington, Graeme McDowell, Paul McGinley, Gary Murphy, Peter Lawrie and Damien McGrane.
Darren Clarke is taking a break after a three-week stint that saw him finish fourth-second-15th and assume the position of leading Irishman, in 11th, on the Order of Merit.
Harrington has been juggling the US Tour and the European Tour in his schedule this season, and has found most success in the States where he has won twice, in the Honda Classic and in last month's Barclays Classic.
But he is still awaiting a first win of a truncated European campaign. Still, Gut Kaden has fond memories for Harrington even if it has undergone a substantial agronomy programme to improve its greens since he won there.
In the winter of 2002, the greens at Gut Kaden suffered a severe attack of fusarium, and, with a May date for the tournament, the course did not have time to recover. As a result, the greens were well below the standard expected of a European Tour venue when Harrington won.
But since then, every effort has been made by the club and, according to tournament director David Probyn, the transformation has been "exceptional", ensuring that the course will be much improved. "After the very difficult experience of heavy disease on the greens in 2003, the club has made enormous commitment in the intervening two years in preparation for hosting the event for a minimum of the next four years," said Probyn.
Incidentally, Colin Montgomerie, who moved up to second on the European Tour money list after his runner-up finish in the British Open, is not competing at Gut Kaden but has also climbed 18 places to a season-high 22nd position in the latest world rankings.
While the Irish sextet chase the top prize at the TPC, there will also be a strong Irish representation in the British Seniors Open at Royal Aberdeen where Des Smyth, Mark McNulty, Eamonn Darcy and Denis O'Sullivan are competing in the seniors' major.
European Order Of Merit
(Irish positions)
11 Darren Clarke €760,868
12 Paul McGinley €744,588
42 Graeme McDowell €314,253
49 Padraig Harrington €278,013
55 Damien McGrane €267,011
59 Gary Murphy €248,124
62 Peter Lawrie €239,439
169 David Higgins €44,017
190 Stephen Browne €31,262
196 Colm Moriarty €30,100
220 Michael Hoey €18,034
324 Philip Walton €1,107
