Clarke and McGinley set sights on different targets

While Darren Clarke has yet another stab at gaining Europe's order of merit number one spot, Paul McGinley has less lofty ambitions for this week at the Forest of Arden in England.

Clarke has drawn to within £5,498 of Lee Westwood in the rankings, and if he can prove once again he is the most in-form man in Europe at the moment, that gap will be more than closed, even if the young Englishman does seem to be clawing back from injury.

Colin Montgomerie's return to some kind of form, too, could set up an exhilarating finish to the European season, and it may go to the Volvo Masters wire again this year.

Montgomerie, who is not the most dedicated visitor to the practice range, has been beating 2,000 balls out there these days, and he has also made good use of a laser device brought back from Seattle to get his putting on line. The effort seems to have enabled Monty to emerge from his worst spell for seven years. Rather ominously yesterday, on the eve of the British Masters at the English midlands course, Montgomerie predicted it was time for him to make his move and become upwardly mobile. He observed, when discussing Westwood's point last week that Clarke wants to be number one more than him: "When you're number two it's only natural you want to be number one. Darren's worked hard and he's playing well enough to realise his ambition. But then, the number three doesn't like being the number three!"

Clarke wants only to be number one, full stop. He was upset last week at securing only third place, to go with two recent seconds, and seems ready to put himself under the cosh continually to try to add to this year's Benson and Hedges International title. This week it is a £125,000 first prize for the Ulsterman to eye.

While number one is the figure Clarke has in mind, the number 15 might just be good enough for McGinley at the end of the year. His short-term aim is to get into the top 15 on the order of merit and thus earn places in two majors next year, the British and US Opens. The long-term aim is to get into Mark James' Ryder Cup squad. Currently he lies 32nd on the order of merit, £80,000 behind 15th place.

McGinley said of his chances: "My top-15 place will be taken care of by how I play. Top 15 is an outside chance, but if I get results over the next few weeks it will come. I nearly made it last year after coming good in a rush at the end of the season, though, and I can do it again. "As far as Ryder Cup points are concerned, then if I play well then I'll get into contention; if I get into contention I can win; if I win I'll make points and if I make enough points I'll get into the team. The team is something clearly I want to make. From the schedule I've planned I'll give myself every opportunity. If I don't make it, then it won't be through lack of effort but because I've not played well enough to deserve to be in." To launch both Cup and rankings bids, McGinley will have to do something he has not done at Forest of Arden, and that is to excel. He added: "I've never played well at this course before, either last year when it was this tournament or when it was the Murphy's English Open, and it's time to end the bad run."

Padraig Harrington, David Higgins and Raymond Burns make up the Irish challenge in England. The last two will be attempting to end a seemingly endless bad run which has materialised for differing reasons for both. Their goals are even less lofty: to try to retain their Tour cards.

Eamonn Darcy, Des Smyth and Philip Walton have withdrawn to attend the funeral of Christy O'Connor Jnr's son, Darren, who was killed in a road accident on Monday.