Murphy bemoans lack of big names

European OpenThe rank-and-file players on tour aren't happy. The sponsors aren't happy. The problem? No matter how much dough is piled onto the cart to be wheeled away on a Sunday evening, the tournaments in prime slots on the PGA European Tour are still not getting the fields they deserve.

And the late withdrawals of Ryder Cup players Paul Casey and Lee Westwood - both citing injuries - on the eve of the €3.6 million Smurfit Kappa European Open, which starts over the Smurfit Course at The K Club tomorrow, have only served to highlight the issue with just six of the top-50 players from the official world rankings competing here.

"It was the same at the French Open last week, when the field was like something you'd get for a €1.3 million tournament. But it was a €4 million tournament. It's bullshit. The top players are suiting themselves. It is a big issue. From the middle of May to the middle of August, our tour schedule is as good as the States but the guys who should be supporting the tournaments are not supporting them," said Gary Murphy.

If anything, the lot of the French Open was considerably worse than here at The K Club. Last week, Ian Poulter - at 31st in the world - was the highest ranked player. At least this week's field includes one player - Padraig Harrington - from the world's top-10 and also has the timely inclusion of Argentina's Angel Cabrera, making his return to competition after his fantastic win in last month's US Open at Oakmont.

The six players in the world's top-50 playing here are: Harrington (10th), Cabrera (15th), Niclas Fasth (22nd), David Howell (38th), Richard Green (39th) and Colin Montgomerie (43rd).

Unfortunately, the withdrawals of Casey, who has a bruised muscle in his back and pulled out of the tournament on medical advice as a precaution in the run-up to the British Open at Carnoustie in a fortnight's time, and Westwood, who has a knee injury, means just four members - Harrington, Paul McGinley, Montgomerie and Howell - of the European team that retained the Ryder Cup across the Liffey on the Palmer Course last September will be playing in one of the tour's flagship tournaments.

Another player who had originally entered the tournament only to change his schedule was Retief Goosen, who won the tournament on this course in 2004.

A tired Goosen missed the cut at the US Open and decided he needed to take time off to recharge his batteries.

But Murphy, and many players in the locker-room, aren't impressed that so many so-called big names have decided to bypass the European Open.

"The sponsors are putting up a lot of money and deserve to be supported. You can't blame the weather. Sure the weather's bad for our tournaments (in Ireland) quite a lot, but you go to Malaysia for a €1 million tournament and the weather is awful as well, in their case very hot. I can't understand it. It is disappointing but it is the way of the world unfortunately."

He added: "A lot of people over a lot of years have put a lot of effort into this Smurfit tournament and I don't think it's right that people don't support these tournaments. A lot of guys outside the top 10 per cent are very unhappy about it. There needs to be more pressure put on these top guys to support the events, (but) I don't know how you do it."

Murphy, though, is aware the European Tour can only get so tough with the top players, many of whom are juggling playing on their home tour with the US Tour. "To draw an analogy," said Murphy, "it is probably easier for Alex Ferguson to get tough than (for Watford manager) Aidy Boothroyd. But we do need to get tougher. I think there's far too much emphasis on the Ryder Cup than events like the French Open or the European Open or Loch Lomond and so on.

"The reality is that only three or four guys that play in Europe play in the Ryder Cup. We sell our whole tour on the Ryder Cup. But there are 10 or 12 massive tournaments in Europe and everyone should be playing."

Certainly, the European Open - since it first moved to The K Club in 1995 - has been revived into one of those flagship tournaments on the European Tour. You just feel that it deserves an even stronger field."

Thank God for Cabrera and, for that matter, Harrington.