After relatively modest activity for the last two months, serious money returns this week to the European Tour. And the Irish, headed by Darren Clarke, will be competing in strength in the £750,000 Benson and Hedges International Open at The Oxfordshire, where Bernhard Langer defends the title.

With the exception of the Madeira Island Open, which runs against the US Open on June 18th to 21st, this represents the start of a run of tournaments carrying a minimum top prize of £100,000. But Clarke is prepared to miss one of them, in the hope of heightening his prospects in the British Open.

"I shot 67 at Royal Birkdale last Friday in a business outing and the course is in magnificent condition," he said yesterday. "After what happened at Troon last year and then at Augusta, I realise I'm now capable of winning a major, so I have decided to give the Open special attention."

For Clarke, the special attention involves missing the £850,000 Loch Lomond Invitational on the week before Birkdale. "It will give me the chance of returning there for additional practice," he said. "It seemed to work when I did it before the (US) Masters (in which he was tied eighth)."

The Oxfordshire was reasonably productive for the Irish last year, when Padraig Harrington was fourth (£35,000), Clarke was tied seventh (£16,198) and Christy O'Connor jnr was tied 13th (£10,535). All three are in this week's line up along with Ronan Rafferty, Paul McGinley, Philip Walton, Raymond Burns, Eamonn Darcy and Des Smyth.

Conditions were extremely testing last year when high winds and threatened thunderstorms meant that Langer, with a 69, was the only player to break 70 on the final day. Indeed images are still vivid of a less than happy Colin Montgomerie carding a closing 81 for a total of 298 and a share of 59th position.

Now that the leading players have finalised their schedule for the coming weeks, it has emerged that even the highly-popular Murphy's Irish Open, at Druids Glen on July 2nd to 5th, does not meet with universal approval. Clarke will play there and take the Loch Lomond week off, but ISM colleague Lee Westwood has decided to opt out of the Irish event in favour of the Scottish one.

Prior to that, Clarke and Westwood are in the field for the Buick Classic at Westchester, in the week prior to the Olympic Club. McGinley has entered for the final qualifying for the US Open but has yet to confirm that he will be competing.

Meanwhile former Irish Close champion Peter Lawrie is beginning to make significant headway as a tournament professional. After leading the tour school for the Mastercard series of tournaments in Britain by five strokes, he sets off today in a 72-hole event at Wynyard Hall, Dunham.

Tournament action for David Higgins and Francis Howley will be on the Challenge Tour over the next few weeks, due to the difficulty of getting into the regular tour events.

Irish positions in the Order of Merit: 24, Padraig Harrington £58,063; 26, Paul McGinley £54,843; 46, Darren Clarke £33,038; 93, Des Smyth £15,105; 96, Eamonn Darcy £14,878; 131, Raymond Burns £8,432; 138, Philip Walton £6,695; 165, David Higgins £3,561; 174, Christy O'Connor jnr £2,790; 178, Cameron Clark £2,170; 197, Francis Howley £1,163.