European tournament golf is set to return to Galway city after a lapse of 15 years. Details will be announced next week of an event to be played at the Galway Bay club in August, probably running against the USPGA Championship from the 12th to 15th.

It is understood that the prize-money will be relatively modest, in the region of £250,000, and the field will be split between players from the regular and Challenge tours, on a 50-50 basis.

Obviously the critical aspect for the tournament, which is spearheaded by Christy O'Connor Jnr, is whether it will carry Ryder Cup points. Such status would ensure a quality field, given its closeness to the qualifying deadline at the end of August.

Galway last played host to a European Tour event in 1984, with the staging of the Celtic Quincentennial Classic at Galway GC, where Gordon Brand Jnr emerged victorious from a field that included such luminaries as Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam and Ian Baker-Finch.

Meanwhile, European Tour action resumes this week at Penina, where Peter Mitchell will be defending the Portuguese Algarve Open. After his first-round defeat in the Andersen Consulting Matchplay at La Costa, Darren Clarke attempted to get into the field as a late entry, but all the sponsor's invitations had gone by that stage.

So the Irish challenge will be headed by Padraig Harrington, who is joined by Philip Walton, Des Smyth, John McHenry and Eamonn Darcy. Paul McGinley is remaining at his Sunningdale home where his wife, Allison, is expecting their first child.

Peter Lawrie and David Higgins have received Challenge Tour invitations into the Kenyan Open on March 11th to 14th. The event will have a particular appeal for Higgins insofar as his father, Liam, is a former winner.