A total of 15 "home" players will be competing in the £250,000 AIB-sponsored Irish Seniors Open which starts at Powerscourt on Friday, preceded by a pro-am tomorrow. Yet it will seem rather strange to have a line-up in which Christy O'Connor Jnr and his illustrious uncle, Christy Snr, are absentees.
O'Connor Jnr is unlikely to return to action until August because of a broken left leg sustained in late March. And Christy Snr is recovering from a recent illness which required hospitalisation. David Jones has also been forced to withdraw because of a broken collarbone.
In their absence, the Irish line-up is Denis O'Sullivan, Eddie Polland, Michael Murphy, Tommy Halpin, Bobby Browne, Arthur Spring, Joe McDermott, Michael Lynch, Paddy McGuirk, Raymond Kane, Kenny Stevenson, Liam Higgins, Leonard Owens, Arnold O'Connor and Paul Leonard.
Though Bruce Fleisher is not defending the title he won at Tulfarris last year, it remains a particularly strong field, given the presence of the top 12 from last year's final Order of Merit table. And table leader, Noel Ratcliffe, has carried strong form through to this season, as his victory in last Saturday's Beko Classic in Turkey would indicate. The 12 also include Priscillo Dinis, winner of the Royal Westmorland Barbados Open in March.
O'Sullivan, who was sixth in that event, down the field in Turkey, 13 strokes behind the winner. But he remains the top Irish challenger, having ended last season with two victories, to claim third place in the Order of Merit.
Meanwhile, this will be the second important tournament to be staged at Powerscourt. In 1998, it was the scene of victory for Padraig Harrington in the Irish Professional Championship.
