At the start of the season, every professional sits down and writes out a list of targets for the year ahead. For some it's winning a major. For others, it's about topping the money list. For others, it might be about winning a number of tournaments, or even just one. For still others, it's about trying to make it in to the end-of-season Volvo Masters. And, then, there are those who are seeking to retain their European Tour cards.

Now, coming into the first week in October, the clock is ticking regardless of which target was scribbled into a diary or put into the memory of a laptop, with just three tournaments remaining on the PGA European Tour schedule: this week's Dunhill Links, the Mallorca Classic in a fortnight's time, and the following week's Volvo Masters, which is confined to the top-60 players on the money list after Mallorca.

For the Irish contingent on tour, the next few weeks represent a vitally important part of the season. While Padraig Harrington is still in the race to top the Order of Merit, currently trailing money leader Paul Casey by 725,791, what happens inside the next fortnight is arguably more important in terms of their careers for the likes of Gary Murphy and David Higgins who are fighting to retain their tour cards.

At 117th on the money list, just two places removed from automatically keeping his card, Murphy, at least, has a fighting chance given he is in the field for this week's Dunhill Links, which has a prize fund of 3.7 million. However, Higgins, as seventh reserve, and unlikely to gain a place in the field at this stage, may have to put all his eggs into one basket in Mallorca if he is to avoid a return to next month's Tour school.

Harrington, who made the journey from London to Leuchars, outside St Andrews, on Sunday night in a chartered plane, is still in with a chance of making a late charge for the Order of Merit title. Any player as far down as Ian Poulter, ieighth place in the money list, has a feasible chance of claiming the Harry Vardon Trophy but a win in Scotland, where there is a top prize of 630,566, could very well be required for those in pursuit of Casey.

Paul McGinley was the only member of the winning European Ryder Cup team to miss out on playing in the Amercian Express championship, and he too has a target to meet in the Links which is played over three courses at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. Only the top-60 players in the money list after Mallorca qualify for the Volvo Masters (which McGinley won last year) and, at the moment, the Dubliner is in 68th position.

McGinley is not alone in attempting to squeeze into the top-60 before Valderrama, as Damien McGrane is currently in 62nd position and Peter Lawrie is in 69th.

The Irish contingent playing in the Links - where players compete with amateurs in a team competition as well as individually - consists of Harrington, McGinley, Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell, Lawrie, McGrane and Murphy. Michael Hoey, who is 194th in the money list, is the second reserve.