Major tournaments suffering as stars pick and choose

PLANNING the year’s schedule is one of the most important tasks for any top ranking professional golfer. The temptation to play in just about everything is always there given the enormous sums of money on offer almost every week.

However, that would clearly be impossible and indeed the majority agree that to try and take in more than 30 events per annum is unwise. Bearing that in mind, it is understandable that they pick and choose, judging as best they can the tournaments and venues best suited to their requirements. The public often find it difficult to understand why, say, Padraig Harrington opted out of the European Tour's flagship event, the Volvo PGA Championship with its massive prize fund of €3,526, 000, and won't be involved in this week's French Open which has a purse of €2.5 million.

Harrington, of course, isn't the only one who foregoes these kinds of riches in ensuring a balanced schedule and they all have their own good reasons, even if it is a little surprising that Padraig, Darren Clarke and others should opt to be idle for two successive weeks in the height of the season. Their absence surely can't sit too well with sponsors who are putting up vast sums of money but it's the reality and they know the score when they get involved.

However, it's difficult not to feel sympathy for the financial supporters of this week's French Open. Having "stolen" the traditional week of the Irish Open by virtue of their much bigger prize fund, they find themselves with very few "marquee" names in their field if you except US Open runner-up Stephen Leaney. Six Irishmen, Graeme McDowell, Paul McGinley, former winner Philip Walton, Ronan Rafferty, Peter Lawrie and Gary Murphy will be there.

Thankfully, the situation is a whole lot brighter for next week's Smurfit European Open at The K-Club. The prize fund isn't much bigger than France at €2,778,880 but obviously the title is significantly greater prestige-wise. Colin Montgomerie, yet to capture the European Open, will be there along with Retief Goosen, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, holder Michael Campbell, Leaney and 2001 Open champion David Duval.

Duval has received a sponsor's invitation, as has the home professional John McHenry, and there are still three vacancies in this category which might yet benefit the likes of Gary Murphy and Damien McGrane.

McHenry is one of 13 Irish players whose participation at the Straffan venue is assured tour players Harrington, Clarke, McDowell, McGinley and Lawrie being joined by McHenry and Brendan McGovern, John Dwyer, Walton, Leslie Walker, Neil Manchip, Damien McGrane, Damian Mooney and Jimmy Heggarty from the Irish regional order of merit.

The same octet along with McHenry are also lined up for the Nissan Irish Open at the end of July but it's much too early yet to predict the quality of the field for that event. Fred Funk, the cheerful American, returns to our shores. But so far the only other entrants from the world's top 50 are Paul Casey and Peter Lonard. Harrington and Clarke, of course, will be playing as will Leaney and defending champion Soren Hansen.

Colin Montgomerie has never missed an Irish Open since he first came on the scene back in 1988 but has yet to show his hand, as have the likes of Goosen, Faldo and Langer.

Considering the Irish Open comes immediately in the wake of the Open Championship itself, it remains to be seen just how many of the stars roll up at Portmarnock on July 24-27. True, the venue is a huge attraction and it would be a great shame if Nissan Ireland, who came in to save the tournament at the eleventh hour, weren't rewarded for their initiative.

However, as we have seen, these guys can't play in everything and something has to give. Fingers crossed that the Irish Open isn't one of those to suffer.