Darren Clarke didn't make the field for the Barclays Classic on the US Tour last week, although he was still present at Westchester Country Club to fulfil corporate duties as the sponsoring company is one of his blue chip sponsors.
But the Ulsterman returns to tournament competition for this week's Johnnie Walker championship at Gleneagles, with the determined goal of a late-season charge aimed at improving his flagging world rankings.
"It's a case of back to the grindstone for an assault on the world rankings," declared Clarke, who has slipped to 143rd in the latest official world rankings. He started the year in 35th position, and his immediate target is a return to the top-100.
Clarke is part of a six-strong Irish contingent competing at Gleneagles that also features Graeme McDowell, Damien McGrane, Paul Lawrie, Gary Murphy and David Higgins. Although Clarke is currently positioned 128th in the European Tour money list, he is not under any pressure to keep his playing rights for next season: he is guaranteed his tour card on career money earnings, where he is currently fifth with over €15.5 million. That situation, though, does not apply to Higgins, who has decided to stick to playing on the full tour rather than reverting to the Challenge Tour in his attempt to retain his playing rights for next season.
This period is a crucial one for Higgins, who is currently 148th in the money list. The Kerryman needs to break into the top-115 to secure his card for next season. At present, Higgins is €41,398 behind Scotland's Alan McLean who occupies that all-important 115th place on the money list.
Higgins's best performance this season was a tied-ninth place finish in the Austrian Open in June, but he has shown encouraging signs in recent weeks with a tied-10th finish in the Scandinavian Masters followed by a tied-17th finish in last week's Dutch Open. The problem for the player at this point of the season is that field sizes start to get shortened, so although he is in the field for Gleneagles, he won't get into next week's Omega European Masters in Switzerland and is unlikely to make it into the Mercedes Championship in Munich the following week. In short, Higgins must have a top-10 finish in Scotland this week if he is to get a place in Switzerland.
That European Masters, which kick-starts the qualifying campaign for Europe's Ryder Cup team for the match with the United States in Valhalla next year, will also mark the return to competition of Paul McGinley. The Dubliner has not played since the US PGA, instead taking time out with his family before a run of tournaments that starts with the European Masters and also takes in the Mercedes and the Quinn Direct British Masters.
Colm Moriarty, meanwhile, will be aiming to continue his recent good form when he competes in the Ecco tournament on the Challenge Tour at Odense in Denmark this week. Moriarty is currently 23rd on the money list, with the top-20 securing tickets to the full tour next season. Mark Murphy is also playing in Denmark, on a sponsor's invite.
