Open benefits from trio's struggles

The Portuguese Open has attracted more big names than normal this week, but as David Howell admitted today: “We’re here because we’re not playing that well.”

Howell is joined at Oitavos Dunes near Estoril by 2006 Ryder Cup team-mates Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley and for all of them it is a clear indication of how far they have fallen since their K Club heroics.

Europe’s top players have their minds on next week’s Masters, of course, but none of the trio has qualified.

McGinley’s presence in Portugal last year stuck out like a sore thumb because he was the only member of Ian Woosnam’s triumphant side not in the Augusta field.

This time only eight of them will be there. Colin Montgomerie has also missed out, but after trying and failing in America to fight his way back into the world’s top 50 – and having angry words about invitations to three Asian players ranked lower than him – he is now taking time off before his wedding in two weeks.

McGinley is currently 149th in the rankings, and that thanks to a third place finish in South Korea on his last start three weeks ago.

The Dubliner said: “Last year I didn’t have any top 10s and I have two this year, ninth in Abu Dhabi and now third.

“It gets me up in the world ranking and gets me up the Order of Merit. Ryder Cup I’m still way behind, so I need a big finish, it’s always about the big finish.

“The standard on the Tour now is just unbelievably strong, it’s incredible, really incredible.

“The scoring, the cuts are much lower than you think and the winning score is much lower than you think. It’s just so difficult to win.

“There are 40 guys who could make the Ryder Cup team. We could not say that even three or four years ago. I think that shows you how much strength in depth we have now on the Tour.”

Clarke is down at 240th in the world, but like McGinley things have started looking up again this season.

The Ulsterman had a third place finish in the South African Open before Christmas, began 2008 by coming fourth in the Joburg Open and was 10th in Malaysia a month ago.

The gulf between his own current game and that of Ryder Cup partner Lee Westwood was apparent, though, when they were paired together in Spain last week. Westwood led the first day and went on to finish third, Clarke missed the cut.

Howell is just three places higher than Clarke at 237th, and that after being in the top 10 a mere 20 months ago.

The 32-year-old from Swindon, who had a terrible time with injuries last year, did have a seventh place finish in Qatar in January, but his last three starts have seen three more missed cuts in India, Malaysia and then the Arnold Palmer Invitational in America.

That led to what he calls a “massive decision” to stop working with Clive Tucker after six years together and link up with a new coach in Jamie Gough.

With Tucker, Howell earned two Ryder Cup caps, beat Tiger Woods head-to-head, had a runaway win at the European Tour’s flagship event and led The Masters, but he felt he had to take action to halt his decline.

“It wasn’t an easy thing to do,” Howell told PA Sport. “We’re close friends and in fairness to Clive he half-suggested that I should get another opinion.

“Although physically I’m great at the moment – as good as I have been for a number of years – the injuries I suffered last year took a toll so that Clive was worried to ask me to do things because of how they might affect my body.

“I got to the point where I thought I had to do something different. I’m working with Jamie Gough now and somebody without those fears will possibly have a simpler job. They can see me as a blank canvas.”

This week’s field also includes Londoner Brian Davis, who plays mainly on the US Tour now, but has Portuguese sponsorship.

While hoping to show the form that brought him a second place in Memphis last year, Davis does not want the same traumatic build-up to that event.

He received a call on the Tuesday telling him that his wife and two young children – their third is on the way this June – were being rushed to hospital because of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by carpet cleaning equipment at their Florida home.

“Another couple of hours they probably wouldn’t have come back, but thank God everything was all right,” Davis said.

“Who says this game isn’t mental? I flew back to the event, really didn’t care and only Woody Austin beat me.”

Davis is sporting long hair at the moment, partly to try to prevent a repeat of the skin cancer on his neck he had treated two years ago.