McGinley may blow bubbles from The Belfry

British Masters: Four years on from sinking the putt that won the Ryder Cup, Paul McGinley is delighted to be back at The Belfry this week for the Quinn Direct British Masters.

But that does not change the fact that, when Saturday comes, the 39-year-old Dubliner might well be seen fleeing the place as quickly as he can. West Ham fan McGinley and Liverpool supporters Darren Clarke and Thomas Bjorn have laid plans to charter a helicopter so they can get to the FA Cup final in Cardiff.

And a decision taken weeks ago could enable them to see the whole match. The third round of the €2.6 million tournament, the European tour's first stop in Britain this season, is scheduled to finish at 2.30pm so spectators can watch the final half an hour later on a giant screen.

"I didn't have a say in the tee-off times," said McGinley. "It was a BBC decision and it was made well before West Ham got into the final. As a West Ham fan you don't make plans before they actually get there!"

He has been told the helicopter flight is 25 minutes, and added: "We can't make a decision until Friday night when we see who is playing early and who is playing late.

"We have tickets, we're planning on going, but we'll just have to see how the week pans out.

"We'd like to go, but the major thing is the golf. There's a lot of money at stake and that's the first priority - the match is very much secondary."

But it is not just to support his side that McGinley would love to be at the Millennium Stadium.

"As a sportsman the main reason I want to go is to be part of a big atmosphere," he said. "I got an adrenaline rush at the semi-finals.

"To be in the middle of the West Ham fans, you can see the passion and emotion in their faces. I can relate to how people feel in the Ryder Cup situation, whatever the case may be. I love that passion, that commitment. That's what sport is all about."

Clarke does not expect to have difficulty getting to the game on time. After what he called a "terrible" round in the pro-am yesterday, the Ulsterman commented: "I don't think there's much chance of me making the cut. I'll definitely be at the cup final."

Clarke's last competitive round was an opening 68 that left him only two shots off the lead at the Houston Open three weeks ago. But he then flew home to be with his wife, Heather, and he has hardly touched a club since.

Although he was part of the winning Ryder Cup side in 2002, Clarke gives the impression of being no lover of The Belfry either.

For him the switch of the tournament from the nearby Forest of Arden was not great news. He won two English Opens there.

Nine of the side from four years ago are on view this week, but far from being a trip down memory lane the focus is on the race for places in this September's side.

McGinley lies seventh, just behind David Howell, who is even rustier than Clarke after spending the past month recovering from a lower back problem.

Paul Broadhurst, Nick Dougherty and Paul Casey - who, like table-topper Henrik Stenson is a past winner at The Belfry - occupy the last three automatic spots, but there is still the best part of four months still to go.

Many of the central characters have been paired together for the opening two rounds.

Colin Montgomerie, fourth in the standings, plays with McGinley and Stenson, just behind Broadhurst and Casey and just ahead of Howell, Clarke and their 2004 team-mate Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Bjorn begins the defence of the title he won last year in a play-off with Howell and Brian Davis in the company of Lee Westwood, just ahead of Padraig Harrington and Dougherty, who have US Open champion Michael Campbell as the third member of their group.

Westwood and Harrington have some catching up to do to gain automatic selection and only last week captain Ian Woosnam was saying they "have to start making a move really".

The pair have not begun the season the way they wanted to in America, but are back now to try to put things right. And Woosnam will be a very happy man if they do.

But yesterday Westwood insisted he will not be changing his schedule purely to try to make this September's side.

"I'm not prepared to change my schedule just for one week's golf," Westwood said. "I set my stall out last year to play in America and I'm going to stick to it. I see no reason to change.

"I love playing in the Ryder Cup and have been very proud, but I do this for a living.

"Looking at it (the points table) somebody is going to miss out and I'm not confident it won't be me."

Hardly surprising that he feels that way, because he has just missed his last three halfway cuts in the States.

"But a lot changes over the summer - we're playing for nearly half a million points this week (it could lift Westwood from 26th in the standings to 11th), and if you play really well in the next three weeks you almost guarantee yourself a place in the team."

If Westwood rediscovers form he knows he should be fine. Only two of his tournaments between now and the end of August do not count for the Order of Merit.

The other Irish in the field are Graeme McDowell, David Higgins, Peter Lawrie, Damien McGrane, Michael Hoey, Stephen Browne and Philip Walton.

Browne and Walton are playing on invitations from Irish businessman Seán Quinn, who is sponsoring the tournament for the first time.

(British unless stated, Irish in bold)

First round, 1st tee

09.20: W Abery (Rsa), M Hoey, P Walton

12.30: J Spence, P Lawrie, P Hanson (Swe)

12.50: I Poulter, C Schwartzel (Rsa),

F Molinari (Ita)

13.00: L Westwood, A Cabrera (Arg),

T Bjorn (Den)

13.10: M Campbell (Nzl), P Harrington,

N Dougherty

13.30: S Torrance, G McDowell, B Lane

13.50: D Higgins, P Fowler (Aus), D Dixon

10th tee

07.30: D McGrane, G Orr, M Siem (Ger)

07.50: P Broadhurst, P Lawrie, P Casey.

08.00: P McGinley, C Montgomerie,

H Stenson (Swe).

08.10: D Howell, D Clarke, MA Jimenez (Spa).

08.20: S Dyson, N Fasth (Swe), K Stadler (US)

09.10: M Carballo (Arg), S Browne,

MA Martin (Spa)