Golf is a players' game. And the players have the power. There is so much money around on offer on the European Tour nowadays that they can pick and choose when and where they will play - and for how much.
The Tour is forever pushing their sponsors towards greater growth in prize money. Yet, at the same time, they indicate that they do not encourage the payment of appearance or promotional money.
Everyone knows that certain players are paid to turn up at the majority of tournaments on the calendar and sponsors are prepared to cough up if it means they can guarantee the appearance of the top players.
Some events, like the Murphy's Irish Open and next week's Smurfit European Open, have taken a stand against such payments, but are they losing the battle?
Take this week's Irish Open at Ballybunion. There are no better cards in the pack as far as the Irish public is concerned than Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington who rank number one and number seven respectively on the Volvo Order of Merit.
Clarke conquered Tiger Woods in the World Matchplay champion championship and is also the English Open champion. Harrington made the heart beat a little faster with his fighting performance in the US Open at Pebble Beach last week and is also a winner on the European Tour this year in the Sao Paulo Open.
They will be the main crowd pullers despite the presence of defending champion Sergio Garcia and the likes of Jose Maria Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jimenez, other Major winners Ian Woosnam and Bernhard Langer, and Paul McGinley.
The championship has always attracted most of the best in Europe and a few from outside in the days when they bought the services of others.
But the supporting cast includes only five of the top ten ranked players in Europe. Among the absentees are seven times European number one Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood, New Zealander, Michael Campbell, and Ernie Els, who admittedly spends most of his time on the US Tour.
The others never entered but Monty pulled out last week saying he was exhausted after his US Open efforts.
Grand Prix sponsors Compaq paid appearance money to certain players, including Westwood, who played and won, despite an ailing back.
THE sponsors' dilemma is not just the paying of appearance money but how many players do you pay and how much do you pay them. Murphy's Managing Director Pádraig Liston is obviously disappointed by Monty's absence.
``We appreciate the demands on the players and that Monty needed a break. It is just a pity that it happened to be this week. But when you look back on his support over the years you see how loyal he has been to the Irish Open. I think that this is the first one he has missed.''
On the matter of appearance money, Pádraig, a native of Ballybunion and a member of the golf club, said: ``I have said that we will review the situation on an annual basis. This year with the restriction on numbers on the course, we will incur a loss that we cannot recoup.
``Next year we will be on a course (Fota Island) that does not require such restrictions and we will review the case again.''
Those who did not come have missed an opportunity not alone to take on one of the historic links on the island, but also the experience of just being here.
The weather in Ballybunion the past couple of days has been excellent and the links drew this favourable comment from David Probyn, the European Tour's tournament director: ``The condition of the course is beyond our original expectations. With a wind it will be a severe test and I look forward to the comments of the players. Logistically, it has not been a major problem getting to Ballybunion. We are not pretending that there are no difficulties but the players will not play another course like this in many of their careers.''
