Ireland's future in a reconstituted World Cup appears to be secure, despite a significant change in the qualifying process. The new event, which comes under the aegis of the International Federation of PGA Tours, will take place in Buenos Aires on December 7th to 10th of next year, with a prize fund of $3 million.

The development, though mooted last year, still comes as a surprise in the light of apparent apathy from the federation in recent months. Indeed earlier this week in Kuala Lumpur, Burch Riber, executive director of the International Golf Association, indicated that nothing was likely to happen in the immediate future.

But his organisation, which launched the tournament as the Canada Cup in 1953, seem to have been taken aback by the speed of events since Wednesday. In fact they remained somewhat at a loss yesterday as to precise details of the new arrangement, though it seems clear that they have ceded control to the federation.

So, as a WGC event, next year's World Cup will have a totally new format. Two-man teams representing 24 countries will qualify, 18 of them through the world rankings, while the remaining six will come through regional competitions. Under a revised format, there will be two days of foursomes and two days of fourballs, with $1 million going to the winning team. There will be no individual trophy.

The intriguing part is that world rankings will apply only to a country's leading player who, in Ireland's case, would be Darren Clarke, currently 20th in the world. But with 18 countries involved, a country's top player could be as low as 70th in the rankings and still get his country into the event.

Further details are decidedly vague at this stage, but Jonathan Linen, chairman of the IGA, said yesterday: "In the case of the US, it would mean that Tiger Woods could pick his partner. But I don't know what's going to happen in Europe." It emerged, however, that even if Clarke decided not to play, his status would still ensure Ireland's participation.

Meanwhile, as things stand, teams from the four home countries comprise of their leading player in the world rankings and their top player in the European Order of Merit. In Ireland's case, this would have meant Clarke and Padraig Harrington for the current staging, but Clarke stood down after Harrington and McGinley had captured the trophy at Kiawah Island two years ago.

It seems likely the same qualification will be retained. "I think it's a very fair arrangement," said Harrington. "It certainly gives smaller countries like ours a much better chance of success." McGinley said: "It's good the event has been kept going."