The most extended, competitive period in the history of tournament golf in this country, reaches stage-two at The K Club with the £1.5 million Smurfit European Open, starting on Thursday. And it brings all the top European players into action, along with Patrik Sjoland, winner of the Murphy's Irish Open last Sunday.
After that, several Irish players will be competing on home soil for a third successive week in the £400,000 J P McManus Invitational Pro-Am 2000, at Limerick GC next Monday and Tuesday. By which stage the main attraction, Tiger Woods, could have retained his second tournament of the season.
At the end of May, Woods made a personal breakthrough by successfully defending the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, something he had never done with all his, professional previous titles. This week, he will be trying to do the same in the Western Open at Cog Hill, outside Chicago, prior to his arrival at Shannon to compete in Limerick, at Ballyclough.
With tournament earnings of $4,949,731 so far this year in the US alone, Woods won't be too concerned about a top professional prize of £33,330 at Limerick. As to suggestions that serious appearance fees are being paid to himself and colleagues David Duval, Mark O'Meara, Lee Janzen, Robert Allenby and Rocco Mediate: the fact is that a field this quality simply couldn't be bought.
They will be here as friends of the sponsor, who is delighted with the prospect of having such an array of talent for a charity event which he last ran five years ago. "I've had a long association with Limerick GC and I never considered taking the pro-am anywhere else," said McManus.
He went on: "I was reared across the road from Ballyclough. Neither my dad nor any other members of my family played golf, but I can relate to the area. I suppose you could put it down to pride in my native place. It wouldn't be the same if I brought it to a bigger venue."
Apart from the American-based contingent, the Limerick field will include Ireland's Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley, Philip Walton, Ronan Rafferty, Des Smyth, Eamonn Darcy, Liam Higgins, Gary Murphy and David Jones. And as a rather special treat, 75-year-old Christy O'Connor Snr will also be in action.
The amateur competitors will include Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, BBC presenter Gary Lineker and Eddie Jordan. Charlie McCreevy, Minister for Finance, is also expected to compete.
In the meantime, European professionals have the matter of one of the game's most prestigious titles to contemplate this week. Ballybunion absentees, Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood and Paul Lawrie, are in a particularly strong line-up.
Jean Van de Velde is another interesting competitor. Indeed it will be recalled that last year's European Open marked his first appearance after the disaster of Carnoustie. The Irish line-up for The K Club is: Clarke, Harrington, McGinley, Rafferty, Smyth, Darcy, Walton, Murphy, Peter Lawrie, Neil Manchip, Damian McGrane, Stephen Hamill and John Dwyer. It is a particularly important tournament for Walton, who collected £15,460 for a share of 10th place in the Irish Open last weekend.
With earnings of £20,210 for 155th in the Order of Merit, Walton will need probably another £50,000 if he is to regain his European Tour card. And his options are quite limited, given that he has no further sponsors' invitations and will have to go back to knocking on doors after the British Open at St Andrews, where he will be attempting to qualify.
EUROPEAN ORDER OF MERIT - Irish positions: 1 Darren Clarke £988,613; 7 Padraig Harrington £372,879; 13 Paul McGinley £272,074; 92 Des Smyth £54,808; 121 Gary Murphy £36,681; 155 Philip Walton £20,210; 177 Eamonn Darcy £14,030; 190 Ronan Rafferty £11,109.
