Now that the European Tour has adopted the euro, it may be helpful to note that Paul McGinley has only 14.5 per cent the Ryder Cup points of Colin Montgomerie, who heads the table. But the Dubliner, currently 19th, will be hoping to narrow the gap later this week, while the big Scot remains on an extended winter break.

McGinley and John McHenry are the only Irish challengers in the South African Open at the Stellenbosch GC in Cape Province. The defending champion, Ernie Els, will be seeking a sort of double double, having captured the South African PGA title last weekend.

Even as things stand, however, Els could not have made a more auspicious start to his first season as an honorary life member of the European Tour. It was conferred on him in recognition of two US Open titles (1994 and 1997) and a record three successive World Matchplay triumphs, from 1994 to 1996. Els plans to be a familiar figure in Europe this year.

Eamonn Darcy travelled to Johannesburg last week for the PGA, in which he failed to make the cut. Because of the large number of local challengers, he wasn't eligible to go straight into the South African Open field, but he plans to stay in the country on holiday.

The challenge for Ryder Cup places, however, will not resume in earnest until next week's Heineken Classic in Perth, Australia, where Padraig Harrington, among others, will be back in action. But Philip Walton is deferring his start until the Dubai Desert Classic on February 11th to 14th.

"I've learned from experience that temperatures in South Africa, Australia and Malaysia are too hot for me," said Walton, who is back using the short putter with a cackhanded grip. "So, I feel I'll be better employed staying here at home and working on my game for the next month."

In the meantime, he has nominated 13 players from whom he expects next September's European Ryder Cup team to be chosen. His only doubt concerns whether Nick Faldo or Costantino Rocca will make it. Walton's 13 are: Montgomerie, Westwood, Darren Clarke, Harrington, Patrik Sjoland, Per-Ulrik Johansson, Jose-Maria Olazabal, MiguelAngel Jimenez, Sam Torrance, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam and Faldo or Rocca.

Peter Lawrie, the former Irish Close champion who will be playing the Asian Tour this year, is to be sponsored by O'Callaghan Hotels. It is a timely boost for the Dubliner, who committed himself to an obviously expensive circuit before he had any financial backing.

As it happened, Lawrie has only recently returned from Malaysia where he secured the 27th card in the Asian PGA Tour Qualifying School. "I would consider that to be a significant hurdle against good quality opposition," said his manager, Andrew Chandler.

Bryan Omelia, last year's beaten Irish Close finalist, secured the 25th card, while Richie Coughlan, who lost his US Tour card last year, got the 26th place. Lawrie had the distinction of going seven rounds without dropping a shot.

Backed by a management group with a reputation for developing the best young talent in Europe, Lawrie sets off next week for Burma. There, he hopes to plot his own route towards emulating the achievements of compatriots Darren Clarke and McGinley, quite apart from Lee Westwood, winner of the Golf Writers' Trophy for 1998.

Footnote: Europe's skipper, Mark James, obviously feels that in the wake of the President's Cup debacle, there is no time like the present to give the Americans a little Ryder Cup wind-up. Referring to suggestions from Tiger Woods that the fiercely competitive nature of recent Ryder Cup matches should be toned down somewhat, James snapped: "If you don't like the cup the way it is, then stay at home." And regarding Mark O'Meara's remarks about the players being paid, he added: "If they want to be paid as well, they should definitely stay at home."