John McHenry's recent chat with Ken Schofield, the PGA European Tour's executive director, has produced the desired result and enabled him to earn a sponsor's invitation to this week's German Open at the Sporting Club Berlin where a number of side issues - with an Irish angle - will be decided.
Not surprisingly, such matters will be played out in the absence of Darren Clarke, who has moved to second place behind Lee Westwood in the European moneylist but whose immediate golfing appointments will be dictated by the imminent new arrival into the Clarke household.
"It's all go at the moment and I still don't know if I'll be able to play in next week's US PGA. It all depends on when Heather has the baby and if everything goes well," he said.
Incidentally, Clarke, runner-up in the Dutch Open and the Scandinavian Masters in successive weeks, has also jumped into the world's top 25 in the official rankings which are still led by Tiger Woods. The Dungannon man improved his position in the world rankings by two places to 25th position after finishing second to Jesper Parnevik in Stockholm, Clarke's sixth top-10 finish in Europe this season. He also, of course, also finished tied-eighth in the US Masters at Augusta.
Clarke is already assured of a place in the Irish team for the Dunhill Cup at St Andrews in October, but the two men to complete the side will be decided after this week's German Open with the leading two Irish players in the Order of Merit joining him. At present, Paul McGinley (25th with £128,043) is in the driving seat for the second spot but Padraig Harrington (39th with £101,083) and Philip Walton (44th with £88,936) are involved in an intriguing battle.
McHenry also has the chance to leapfrog over one or other of them should he produce the sort of heroics which he performed in the Murphy's Irish Open at Druids Glen last month. McHenry has played in just two European Tour events this season - the Irish Open and the Loch Lomond - but has secured his card for next season. In fact, the Corkman's problem is securing invitations to play events for the rest of this campaign.
When McHenry met with Schofield in Loch Lomond, the Scot promised to help him. So it is that the Irishman has received one of the seven invitations into the field for Berlin where he will be one of eight Irish challengers in the field.
McHenry is joined by McGinley, Harrington, Walton, Eamon Darcy, Raymond Burns, Francis Howley and David Higgins.
Incidentally, McGinley must be wondering if he will ever get the opportunity to defend a European Tour title. His maiden victory came in the Austrian Open in 1996 but it was discontinued the following year and, now, the Oki Pro-Am, which the Dubliner won last year, has been removed from the tournament schedule this season.
Won by Tom Kite in 1996 and McGinley last year, the Oki - run by Seve Ballesteros's Amen Corner company and due to take place on October 22nd-25th - has been withdrawn due to the lack of an available venue. "We hope it can return to the calendar at a future date," explained company spokesman Javiwer Gervas, but the European Tour has confirmed that no alternative event will fill the slot on the schedule.
