Golf  European OpenThe truth of the matter is that the Ryder Cup, a 14-carat crock of gold, hangs like a single hued rainbow over all that The K Club stands for.

The actual 16-inch high trophy is on display here and, even when out of sight, you can hardly move but the "R" word is mentioned in reverential tones; which is no bad thing, for it certainly occupies the minds and motives of a great deal of players.

Indeed, the reality is that the Smurfit Kappa European Open, with its sizeable purse of over €3.4 million, and now firmly established as one of the showpiece tournaments on tour, could heavily influence just who will eventually make it on to Ian Woosnam's team for the shindig on the other side of the Liffey, on the Palmer Course, in just over two months.

For now, though, the Smurfit Course, as it deserves, has its moment in the sun. The field includes the two immediate past US Open champions in Michael Campbell and Retief Goosen, for whom the Ryder Cup is a mere sideshow, but, also, and perhaps more pertinently, no fewer than seven players who currently occupy automatic places on Europe's team. And, of them, Paul McGinley, more than anyone, is hoping that a return to familiar terrain will finally kickstart a season that has failed thus far to deliver on his own expectations.

Just two months ago, before he could complete his first round, McGinley was forced out of the Irish Open to undergo an operation on his knee. Now, post-surgery, the Dubliner, with only one top-10 finish to his name this season, is attempting to balance the reality of life on tour that dictates that form ebbs and flows with the desire to start contending again. It's a game of patience, but no player can wait an eternity for the tide to turn.

"My form hasn't been good, that's obvious. It's been a rough ride so far," admitted McGinley yesterday. "I'm still in a position to make the team. But my big issue is world rankings. I've slipped down (to 48th), and that's disappointing. I've slipped down the order of merit (currently lying 103rd). It's been a rough ride so far. I'm a much better player than that.

"My career has always been one of peaks and troughs. There are troughs at the moment, but there will be peaks as well. I'm slipping down those rankings and, when you don't perform well, that's what happens. The rankings are quite volatile. When you play well you jump up quickly. When you play poorly, you slip down quickly."

The reason for McGinley's mini-slump is putting. "Yes, that's the bottom line," he conceded, "and I'm putting pressure on the rest of my game because of it. This form won't continue. There are peaks and troughs. I am on tour long enough to know that. Every week I go out with the attitude that I am going to keep on playing, doing what I am doing, and things will turn around."

Could the Smurfit Course, where Goosen led everyone a merry dance two years ago, provide the solution? "I really like the golf course. I like the set-up, and the greens are good. I just need to find a bit of momentum, to get off to a good start, get up there and get the Irish crowd behind. To be honest, I haven't raised a gallop this year. I'm not getting the adrenaline rush of being in contention. Any cuts I've made have been by the skin of my teeth but my performances are due to improve," said McGinley, adding: "This week is a new leaf, a new tournament."

There are no complaints about the conditioning of the course, which is pristine. Colin Montgomerie observed yesterday that "this course is all about the second shot," although defending champion Kenneth Ferrie begged to differ. "If you hit it in the middle of the rough off every tee, you're not going to be able to hit the greens," he said.

For Goosen, the highest world-ranked player in the field, who ran away with the title when it was last played on the Smurfit Course in 2004, an old putter has returned to his bag in an attempt to solve his woes on the green. Goosen reckons he has some 30 putters between his house in London and his residence in Florida and he has delved into the collection to resurrect a Bobby Jones three-ball weapon. "When you can't make putts, you can't score. That's been a problem," he said. Of perhaps as much importance is that Goosen will be putting on what he called "perfect greens".

For his part, Graeme McDowell has changed caddies, taking on board Thomas Bjorn's old caddie, Ken Conboy, to replace Matt Harbour. "Relationships come to an end. Ken's contended in majors and done things on the other side of the bag that I want to do on my side," said McDowell of his desire for a fresh impetus.

Darren Clarke, though, hasn't played since the US Open and has spent the ensuing weeks practising and tinkering with the takeaway on his swing. How will he fare? "A totally honest answer? I've got no idea."

So, who are the form players in the field? Padraig Harrington, for one, comes in on the back of two successive runner-up finishes on either side of the Atlantic. Although, after competing in yesterday's pro-am, he commented: "I'm knackered, physically and mentally. Everything. I could do with a week off, but I'm hoping I'll wake up with a little bit of go in me. This golf course is a fine golf course and I enjoy playing it."

Others who arrive here with momentum include John Bickerton, winner of the French Open last weekend, and Paul Casey, whose win in the Johnnie Walker at Gleneagles the previous week came on the end of a run that had seen him take four top-five finishes in his previous six outings. They're likely to be in the thick of things again; but so, too, should Harrington. His form would indicate a return to winning ways is not too far away.