Irish contingent aiming high in Valderrama

HOLDER Graeme McDowell is chasing his first tournament success of 2011. Peter Lawrie is bidding to put his place in the Race to Dubai order of merit on the European Tour beyond any further doubt. Shane Lowry badly needs a big finish to get back among the top 60 who make it to the Emirates for the cash rich Dubai World Championship in December.

Damien McGrane is just inside the top 115 who keep their cards for 2012. But Gareth Maybin is one outside that mark and so desperately in need of a sizeable proportion of the €3m prize money on offer. For Paul McGinley, the event is an opportunity to revive the happy memories of 2005 when he captured the Volvo Masters at Valderrama. And Paul Cutler is hoping to kick start his professional career having missed two cuts since turning professional & in September.

So there’s a host of Irishmen with a lot to play for having assembled at the outstanding Robert Trent Jones Snr. designed course in Southern Spain for the Andalucia Masters, the last tournament on European soil for the year.