The K Club FIRST, several of Europe's finest decided they could comfortably do without a first prize of 600,000 and stayed away, and then on Friday, the galleries who weren't up for another dose of trench foot, also stayed away. Yesterday was a better day all told at the European Open, but in the anti-climactic aftermath of last year's Ryder Cup, this is hardly a vintage season for the top-end of professional golf in this country.

The no-show of so many leading players at the recent Irish Open which, despite its five-star venue, was saved from oblivion by Padraig Harrington's victory, and now this decidedly low-key event are sure signs of soul-searching times for the European Tour.

Could it be that with wallto-wall television coverage of the game, its afficionados here are suffering from a bit of saturation . . . on and off the course?

Anyway, the heavens relented for a time and the shortened Smurfit course lifted the hem of its skirt as backmarkers and leaders alike were able to post a clutch of rounds in the 60s.

As the unknown bandanaclad Swede, Pelle Edberg, who looks as if he took a wrong turn on the road to Oxegen, struggled to hold his nerve at the top of the leaderboard, Ireland's main hope Padraig Harrington was unable to take advantage of the more civilised conditions.

Troubled by a niggling injury to his knee, on a course that he doesn't like, and possibly with one eye on the British Open at Carnoustie in 10 days time, Harrington's outside chance of adding this title to his earlier Irish Open success disappeared with a solid, but unspectacular, oneunder-par 69.

Given that Peter O'Malley of Australia was able to catapult himself from close to the bottom of pack into the top five with a 63, that there was a 64 from the Argentine Ricardo Gonzalez, and that the boards ticked over with any number of scores in the mid-60s, Harrington was well aware that he had missed an opportunity.

As Edberg dropped away in the face of the twin-challenge of Colin Montgomerie and Niclas Fasth, it was eventually Soren Hansen of Denmark who surged into the lead, while Sweden's Peter Hanson left the best until last during his 66 with a hole-inone at the 18th which once again had been reduced from a par five to a 162-yard par three because of a waterlogged fairway.

As the third round drew to a close, Robert Rock, Gregory Havret and David Frost were also in the mix.

With Harrington out of contention, there was better news from an Irish perspective as Graeme McDowell built on his victory at the British Open international qualifying tournament earlier in the week with a 65 which moved him into to the top 10.