Desmond and McManus set to lift World Cup

THERE are still four tournaments to be played in 2005 as part of the 2006 European Tour.

There are also a couple of lucrative events in the next month or so in South Africa (the Sun City Nedbank Classic) and California (the Tiger Woods Target Challenge). But the curtain has finally come down on the official programme for this year.

The World Cup at Vilamoura was a terrible anti-climax and won’t do a whole lot for the future of an event so poorly supported by the elite players. You also have to wonder if those charged with the running the event are doing all they could to maximise its significance. That is most certainly the case when you consider the date allocated for 2006 is December 7-10 at a venue yet to be announced.

In mitigation, I understand it is going to the Caribbean, with much speculation that The Green Monkey course at the luxurious Sandy Lane hotel in Barbados has emerged as a likely choice, given the presence in Vilamoura last week of its Irish owners, Dermot Desmond and JP McManus.

That would give the World Cup a huge boost because not only is this a course of the highest quality but the pair’s friendship with Tiger Woods could be instrumental in wooing the game’s top player back to an event he captured in partnership with David Duval in 2000. Woods also held his wedding reception at Sandy Lane last year.

Vilamoura was a big disappointment from an Irish point of view as Pádraig Harrington and Paul McGinley completely failed to ignite. However, those who are quick to criticise shouldn’t forget their earlier achievements during the season.

Harrington’s wins in the Honda Classic and Buick Westchester Classic in the United States made it a memorable first half of the season for the Dubliner. The passing of his father on the week of the Open Championship clearly had an adverse affect on him thereafter and his European campaign, which saw him finish 32nd in the order of merit, was the worst of his professional career. In 1998 he finished 29th, when his career was still in its infancy; in the intervening years he came seventh, seventh, second, second, third and third again in 2004. His best European Tour placing in 2005 was second in the Hong Kong Open, while he came third in the Dunhill links and had only two other top ten finishes.

McGinley probably has reason to be happier with his season, if only because he was the more consistent over the 12 months. The highlight, of course, was victory in the Volvo Masters at Valderrama. Furthermore, he lost in a play-off for the TCL Classic in China, ran up to Michael Campbell in the World Match Play Championship and to Angel Cabrera in the BMW PGA Championship, both at Wentworth, came third in the WGC-NEC Championship at Akron, Ohio, and had three other top tens .

It all meant a staggering improvement in the world rankings from 68th to 18th (since back to 20th) and McGinley’s consequent involvement in all the big tournaments in 2006. And on top of all that, he has virtually booked his place on the European Ryder Cup team for The K Club next September.

Darren Clarke’s season was very much of the stop-start variety because of his concerns over his ill wife, Heather. He looked to be in really good shape at times but his off-course concerns inevitably took their toll. Still, he confirmed his well-being with victory in the Taiyheiyo Masters in Japan earlier this month and goes to the Nedbank Challenge in Sun City in a couple of weeks in 19th spot in the world and 20th in the European Tour order of merit. Japan was obviously the high point of his year followed by third in the Madrid Open and three other top tens.

What is slightly worrying is the fact that Harrington and Clarke have made little headway in the Ryder Cup rankings in the one year when more than ever we want a large Irish representation. Harrington insists that the subject isn’t even on his mind, while Clarke understandably feels he has more serious matters to hold his attentions.

Hopes that Ireland might have a fourth team member in the person of Graeme McDowell have diminished considerably because of the Portrush man’s disappointing form for much of the year and especially over the past few months, when he has been troubled by a back injury caused by a car crash.

His best finish was sixth in the WGC-American Express Championship and that remained his only top ten placing. He remains outside the world’s top 50, so as of now he won’t qualify for the Masters and the world championships which are laden with all-important Ryder Cup points.

The 2006 European Tour campaign, which began with David Howell’s superb victory in the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, continues in China this week with the Volvo China Open in Shenzen with a prize fund of €1.3 million. The Irish players in the field are Peter Lawrie, Damien McGrane and Gary Murphy.