McGinley returns

Paul McGinley and Eamonn Darcy begin today's Cannes Open first round in the south of France in full health after injuries had forced them to take a break from the European Tour.

It is five weeks since McGinley played tournament golf after suffering a torn cartilage in his ribs but he starts as one of the favourites for the meagre £50,000 first prize here at the joint lowest-rated event of the year.

Darcy, however, is not strongly-fancied but the Druids Glen professional is just relieved to be free of pain at last. Darcy has had cortisone injections during his time off to ease his painful lower-back problems.

Despite Darcy being at the veteran stage he still feels he has at least one more win in him. For McGinley, however, winning this event - shunned by the European men who featured at Augusta - will take the K Club player further up the world rankings.

McGinley knows he can win at Royal Mougins, where last year he finished sixth. "It's a course which suits my game," he said. "That's one of the main reasons for being here. But it doesn't matter what sort of field it is. They're all hard to win.

"I'm just thrilled to be back playing again, rehabilitating. I'm fine now, fully fit, because I did what I was told to do. I didn't even practice until last week at the K Club. It's great to be playing without pain."

His World Cup-winning partner Padraig Harrington is also strongly-fancied, as is McGinley's stable-mate Andrew Coltart. But, while Harrington only has to worry about a troublesome hook, Coltart will have to play without his key clubs. The driver and putter which won him his maiden title - the Qatar Masters in Doha last month - were stolen from his bag during a flight from London to Manchester last week. "You just don't expect these things to happen. The driver was worth £800 and the putter £200 but it's not the money. I was just starting to play well with the driver and was very confident with it and I was also starting to hole a few putts.

Coltart, currently third on the European money list, will move into second place behind South African Ernie Els if he finishes in the first two this week. But the 27year-old Scot is not too concerned about the matter. "I'm not worrying about where I finish in the Order of Merit," he said. "I just want to enjoy my golf at present and try and win more tournaments."

Harrington could move up to sixth on the money list if he wins. He will, however, hope his hook will not inhibit him the way it did the last time he played here. In 1996 he should have won but had to settle for eighth after hooked shots played havoc with his game. "I seem to be swinging well but I played just horrific," said Harrington, admitting to hitting only three fairways in the pro-am.

"Like everyone, I'm looking for a tournament win. This week won't be any different just because it's not the best field of the year. You have to give 100 per cent in any tournament you play. If it's worth coming here it's worth trying to win it."

Meanwhile, Darcy just hopes to get back his form now he is relatively free of pain. During the Tour's break and after his father's funeral, Darcy sought the help of his orthopaedic surgeon Frank Dowling from Blackrock. Dr Dowling prescribed cortisone injections and they seem to have worked. "I had them in the facet joints in my lower back," reported Darcy. "I feel a new man."

Christy O'Connor Jnr also takes his place in the field as does Philip Walton, Des Smyth, Raymond Burns, David Higgins, Francis Howley and Cameron Clark. Four former winners, Stuart Cage, Paul Broadhurst, Raymond Russell and Robert Lee are in the line-up plus Peter Mitchell, who was first, and Sweden's Jarmo Sandelin and David Gilford, who were joint second at the Portuguese Open, the last European Tour event to be staged three weeks ago.