EUROPE'S battle for Ryder Cup honours will have reached a critical phase when this year's £750,000 Murphy's Irish Open takes place from July 3rd to 6th. All of which is certain to lend an intriguing dimension to the presence of team skipper, Seve Ballesteros, as a challenger at Druids Glen.

It will also mark a significant anniversary in the history of the championship. Ten years ago, Bernard Langer set a record aggregate of 19-under-par for Portmarnock, in a magnificent performance that gave him the title by no fewer than 10 strokes from Sandy Lyle.

Langer, whose most recent putting problems have been resolved by a switch to the broomhandle putter, has also entered for this year's event. Like the Spaniard, he is a three-time winner, having captured the title for the last time in 1994, the first year of the current sponsorship.

The German looked to be set for a fourth triumph last July when he shot an opening 67 on the splendid, Co Wicklow stretch. His hopes of success, however, were effectively killed off by a second round of 76 and he went on to be tied 12th behind the winner, Colin Montgomerie.

Ballesteros, meanwhile, was rich in praise of the course, but a fragile game failed to respond to the challenge and he was a stroke outside the cut after rounds of 75 and 74. The proximity of the Ryder Cup, however, is likely to provide a special lift to his challenge on this occasion.

Though the presence of this pair would enhance any field, it is clear that the sponsors are looking at bigger fish to bring in the crowds. Their prime target is US Masters champion Nick Faldo who, like Langer and Ballesteros, is a three-time winner of the title, with the additional distinction of having done it three years in a row - 1991 to 1993.