Clarke still in plan for Irish Open

Any negative vibes emanating from Darren Clarke and his stablemate Lee Westwood about competing in the Murphy's Irish Open at Druids Glen in July haven't been picked up by the organisers. "We've no indication of any negative attitude to playing," insisted Paddy Rossi, senior consultant with Murrays Consultants, who manage the tournament.

Clarke, who is 18th in the latest world rankings, revealed last week that he hadn't mapped out his schedule beyond the US Open in June and refused to commit himself to an appearance in the Irish Open saying that he won't make a decision "until closer to the time". He has the option of pursuing an invite to play in the Western Open on the US Tour that week.

However, it does seem that something is afoot - and the question of appearance money (or promotional money to use European Tour parlance) seems to be at its root. The players' management company ISM has repeatedly stated that its players would play for nothing as long as that situation prevailed for everyone playing in a tournament, but it is reasonable to assume that John Daly - whose presence in the Irish Open field was confirmed last December - will be paid.

Neither Clarke nor Westwood, who is seventh in the world rankings, have yet confirmed their entries for Druids Glen. But, intriguingly, at a similar time to that when Clarke was cagey about his participation, Westwood remarked in a programme on Sky Sports that he expected to play. Indeed, last year Westwood benefited from a late entry to the Irish Open when he received a sponsor's invite after initially leaving the event off his itinerary.

It remains to be seen if the two players will compete this year but, certainly, the tournament would be the poorer for their absence.

Meanwhile, Richie Coughlan, a player who has been extended an invite to compete at Druids Glen on July 1st-4th, will continue his Asian odyssey this week when he plays in the Maekyung Daks Open in Seoul, South Korea. Coughlan, Peter Lawrie and Bryan Omelia are all competing in the tournament which is part of the Asian Omega Tour.

Irish placings in Order of Merit - 9th, Paul McGinley €164,410; 39th, Padraig Harrington €56,869; 88th, Darren Clarke €24,691; 150th, Eamonn Darcy €6,791; 160th, Philip Walton €5,165.

Irish placings on Ryder Cup table - 6th, Clarke 3,485; 11th, McGinley 2,381; 27th, Harrington 1,230.