Spaghetti junction would be quieter than the driving range at Fota Island where the great unwashed have invaded the space of the professional golfers. With no fences, not even a rope, to keep the public from getting as dangerously close as the length of a driver's shaft from some of the world's top players, there is a new meaning to the expression "bird's eye view".

Towards the bottom end of the green sward, close to the tented village, Patrik Sjoland is barely taking a second glance from those milling around the range. Yet, 12 months ago, the Swede took his second European Tour title when winning the Murphy's Irish Open at Ballybunion and, it seemed, he was ready to take the next step up.

It didn't quite turn out that way. After that triumph, Sjoland missed five cuts in his remaining 12 tournaments on the circuit and had only one further top-10 finish. "I played good but just couldn't get it together some weeks. One thing was working, other things weren't - and I just needed things to click together more," he said.

The pay-cheque from the Irish Open went a long way towards enabling him to finish 23rd in the end-of-season Order of Merit and, with a change of clubs to Ben Hogan over the winter months, his targets were set higher this season.

"My goal this season was to make the top 10 in the Order of Merit and, also, to make the Ryder Cup team, but it is not too likely to happen" said Sjoland. Currently, he lies 78th in the moneylist and is 45th in the Ryder Cup qualifying table.

"There are what, eight or nine tournaments left, so you never know what may happen. I won't approach this week any differently, just because I am the defending champion.

"My goal this week is to make as good a defence as I can and be fighting it out on Sunday. The greens are true, the fairways good and you can't expect anything else. Everything is perfect." With no top-10 finish in 13 outings so far this season, he may feel that the time is overdue to finally kick-start his season in earnest.