European Tour Insider: Loaded field in Ireland

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Rory McIlroy turned 20 this month.

Paul McGinley thinks the players competing in the 3 Irish Open this week at Baltray in County Louth will like the course.

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"All the holes run in such different directions -- you've got a different exam paper on each hole," the affable Irishman said.

"It's a fun course to play. It's one of those courses that you come away from playing, and you can't wait until the next day to go and play it again."

Fun and examination don't usually sit well together, but McGinley's not alone in his enthusiasm for a course less than an hour's drive from both Dublin and Belfast, and bound to attract a big following as well as some big names.

Reigning British Open and PGA champ Padraig Harrington has called the event his fifth major, and it was a huge tick in his box of achievements when he eventually claimed the title.

Rory McIlroy has long been feted here, and the locals will revel in examining the progress the 20-year-old has made over the last year.

THE DALY SHOW
The colorful and lurid pants of John Daly will be on show once again. Having applauded his play in Spain, he'll merit even more attention in Ireland given the way his last event panned out.

Dalyh was second in the BMW Italian Open, bettering 70 on each of the four days and weighing in with a 66 to close, is a marvelous achievement, and probably a lot better than even he expected:

Daly

"More or less the short game is what concerned me the most, because when you are off a long time that's usually the first thing that goes, but luckily I'm very satisfied with the way I'm hitting the golf ball," Daly said. "I've hit solidly for the last two weeks, and it's kinda taken the edge off (on the greens)."

Inevitably, he's looking forward to playing in Ireland and says "I'll feel at home there. I'm part Irish, I guess. It's way back; all my ancestors."

After lap-band surgery, Daly is down 60 pounds.

V FOR VANCSIK
Daly ended the event in Turin six strokes behind the third Argentinian winner of the season -- Daniel Vancsik.

The man from Misiones had won in Madeira in 2007, but there was nothing to suggest this win was on its way. The shoulder injuries that have plagued him recently have been dealt with, though, and he has a renewed positive approach.

Vancsik was determined to be aggressive on the final day rather than simply try to preserve the lead he held. He now targets playing in majors, having never before made it through the qualifiers. And of course, he thanks 2009 Masters champion Angel Cabrera for his advice and encouragement.

"He's a big friend," Vancsik said. "He told me, if I want something just work, you can do it. You never know when, just prepare and work for it."

HENRIK ON HIGH
Henrik Stenson is now at a new high in the Official World Golf Rankings. He's climbed from ninth to fifth on the back of his superlative victory at THE PLAYERS Championship. He was only the third European winner of the famed ournament.

The German sponsors of the BMW Italian Open were hoping their fellow countryman Alex Cejka could hold on and that Martin Kaymer would finish strongly. Prior to Stenson's final-round 66, they had also said what a great winner the Swede would be.

He'd claimed the International Open in Munich in 2006, and will be one of the favorites -- along with Angel Cabrera -- as the sponsors lend their name to next week's PGA Championship at Wentworth.

NO DOUBTING THOMAS
South Africa's Thomas Aiken was ranked just inside the world's top 300 when he enjoyed a remarkable top-10 finish at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship. He's made it four top-10s for the season now with a fifth place in Turin, which ensures he gets an entry to the 3 Irish Open.

While he acknowledges the events at Doral were "life-changing", with a current Official World Golf Ranking of No. 158, and no card to play in Europe, it's still tricky to plan ahead for the year.

Aiken knows he'll have playing rights for next season, and he'll probably play in the Dubai World Championship this November, but there is still some insecurity.

"It's still a waiting game," he said. "All you can do is write to sponsors and see what happens. I'll play wherever I can, and hopefully that ends up being quite a bit until the end of the year. I'll be in Ireland, thank goodness."

FLYING SCOT
Do you remember when Scotland boasted a first winner of the U.S. Amateur title in more than 100 years? In 2006, Richie Ramsay claimed the honor and subsequently played two rounds of the U.S. Open alongside Tiger Woods.

However, success has been harder to come by for the Aberdonian since turning professional in July 2007. This season he has a European Tour card after graduating from the Challenge Tour, and he enjoyed being back in the spotlight in Italy when he led for a time and eventually finished 14th.

"Hopefully, this is the turning point for the season," Ramsey said. "It's just a learning curve. You realize what you've got to do in order to improve. I still feel I've got a way to go to realize my true potential."