Opportunity knocks for McGinley

Spanish Open: Paul McGinley will look to make some amends for failing to qualify for the Masters at one of the oldest events on the European Tour this week.

The Spanish Open dates back to 1912 and includes among its winners in the last 20 years alone Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia.

But no such big name is going to win the title at San Roque this year as, coming as it does the week after the Masters, all the tour's leading lights are giving it a miss.

That means opportunities for others, of course, and, at 64th in the world, Irish Ryder Cup hero McGinley is the top-ranked player in the field.

The Dubliner was 18th at Augusta on his debut three years ago, missing out on a return trip by just one shot, and, like Montgomerie, has been travelling the globe trying to force his way back among the game's elite.

"The bottom line is that unless you are in those big events in America you're treading water," said McGinley.

"I've had a good start to the season (he was fourth in Malaysia and lost a play-off to Paul Casey in China), but I'm way down the Order of Merit.

"Of course it hurts sitting at home watching the Masters - and the Matchplay and the TPC. But unless you are in the top 50 then you have to face the music and the music is that you're not in the tournament.

"Like Monty, we're playing for so few ranking points over in Asia that it's hard to make progress.

"It's tough to take, but at the end of the day I was playing the same tournaments at the end of last year that most guys were and they managed to get into the top 50 and I didn't.

"Ian Poulter won the Volvo Masters to jump into the top 50 and look at the start to the season he had (Poulter reached the semi-finals of the Matchplay in California).

"It's all about performing well. I haven't done it and I've no complaints. Like Monty I have to keep going at it."

There is a large Irish contingent joining McGinley in Spain, including another Ryder Cupper Philip Walton, Damien McGrane, Stephen Browne, Gary Murphy and Peter Lawrie.

Two more former Ryder Cup players, Paul Broadhurst and Paul Lawrie, have been paired with McGinley two weeks after they were central figures in the amazing finish to the Portuguese Open.

Despite a closing bogey, Broadhurst captured his first title for 10 years after Lawrie ran up a triple-bogey seven on the 71st hole and Barry Lane, leading by two as a result, took a quintuple-bogey nine at the last.

Lawrie remains Europe's last winner of a major title, but the 1999 British Open champion's five-year exemption to the Masters ran out this season and even with his second place he is now down at 235th in the world.

While San Roque is a new venue for the Spanish Open it is well known to many of the field because it has staged the tour qualifying school eight times, including last November, when Swede Peter Gustafsson won.