On the day the DP World Tour released what appears to be an exciting and cohesive 2024 schedule, players began arriving at Galgorm Castle for the ISPS Handa World Invitational, a return from three weeks away which on the face of it looks more whimper than bang.
With just three weeks remaining in the battle for Ryder Cup spots and one most definitely available via the European points list, it's surprising that so few of those involved are here to pick up points. Yes, there are almost double the number available in each of the the following two events, but this weak field gives Robert MacIntyre a real opportunity to strengthen his bid to qualify.
And he's probably the one European regular who doesn't even need to.
Then again, this is still a fabulous event run by the management company of a genuine pop superstar, whose love of golf is something we can all appreciate. And it provides another opportunity for men and women to play the game on the same terms alongside each other, days after the Women's Open was able to take centre stage at Walton Heath, with the Solheim Cup also set to shape the week's stories.
Leona Maguire and Georgia Hall bring star power to the women's event, where Emily Pedersen might need to win if she's to earn a captain's pick, but my expertise (yes, we're still calling it that for now) lies on the men's side as MacIntyre looks to succeed his compatriot and friend, Ewen Ferguson, in winning this title.
It's Scotland versus France at the head of the betting, Victor Perez and Romain Langasque completing the big four, and with upwards of 50 Challenge Tour regulars padding out the field, any one of the quartet could stamp their class all over it. None ought to have their chances harmed by the change in supporting course and it's hard to argue with their prices.
Galgorm Castle remains host and this parkland par 70 is no pushover, despite Ferguson's first-round 61 last year. We'd seen it several times on the Challenge Tour before John Catlin edged out Aaron Rai in the Irish Open, then Daniel Gavins stole this title from some more experienced players with a stunning final round and, most recently, Ferguson put on a bit of a show.
Not much will have changed as far as Galgorm Castle goes. It's a course where the accuracy shown by Catlin and Rai is important and ties in with venues like Diamond in Austria and Headfort in Ireland, used recently on the Challenge Tour. Brandon Robinson Thompson won that event having triumphed on the Clutch circuit here at Galgorm earlier on this year.
But there is a new element to consider in the shape of Castlerock, an old links course influenced by Harry Colt.
Castlerock replaces Massereene for one of the first two rounds, which is a parkland course. It's hard to think of many occasions when players have been asked to play links and parkland golf over the course of two days. Barseback in Sweden asks that kind of question over just 18 holes, but it's not been on the circuit for years anyway.
The addition of a links course might be made even more dramatic if the forecast holds. On Thursday, conditions look bright and breezy, whereas Friday could be colder and wet. Guesswork is involved, but the obvious conclusion would be that you don't really want to be caught beside the seaside when the worst of the weather arrives. Not that you'd really want to be playing Galgorm Castle, either.
Some might have expected this talented young Dane to have emerged as a Ryder Cup hopeful by now, not least after he finished second in Korea, but he's not kicked on from that and has only once cracked the top 40 in nine starts since.
That said, he played better than his results suggest over on the PGA Tour last month, missing the cut narrowly after a bright start to the Barbasol and then paying the price for racking up pars in round two of the stableford-scoring Barracuda Championship after that.
Hitting 16 of 18 greens that day suggests his iron play remains strong, as it had been throughout his previous two starts, and with his putter having come to life in the Barbasol I suspect he might be in for a good second half of the season.
I appreciate that in the eyes of some the 2019 British Masters champion has become a little frustrating, especially it must be said when selected here, but his recent form has some substance to it. Anyone who makes 10 cuts in a row is in a really good place.
The last two of those came in the US, where he was 14th behind friend and former national teammate Vincent Norrman, then looked like improving upon that until stumbling late on in the Barracuda. Still, 20th made it an extremely worthwhile fortnight on the PGA Tour.
His experiences here are mixed, but one of them goes down as hugely eye-catching. In 2016 he made a good start and played well for two of the three rounds as he struck form on the Challenge Tour, finishing 36th, while there are health reasons which excuse a 2020 missed cut, but last year's effort needs upgrading hugely.
A decade ago, Armitage made his Challenge Tour debut at Galgorm Castle and defied a slow start to contend on his way to a top-10 finish, returning two years later to repeat the feat on what was just his third Challenge Tour start.
His knowledge of the course from the EuroPro Tour no doubt helped a little bit, but it looks a really good one for a player whose sole DP World Tour win to date came on a tough, parkland course in Germany, where you have to avoid disaster off the tee.
Galgorm Castle is far less severe in the way it penalises players but it's the right kind of test for Armitage, a flusher who has kept on coming back here and producing the goods. In 2018 he opened with a 65, in 2020 he was 23rd in the Irish Open, and on his last visit he was a respectable 30th, his best form in six starts following that win at Green Eagle.
Pepperell is hard to get right, as demonstrated by ninth place in the Italian Open in May. He'd been off for eight weeks and was reappearing at a course which favours quality drivers, without doubt his weakness, yet that freshness appeared to work in his favour and not for the first time, either.
Back-to-back missed cuts since a decent T34 at the British Masters aren't ideal, particularly after a solid start in Denmark, but he signed off from Scotland with a second-round 69 and looks a danger in this significantly weaker grade if producing his best stuff.
Like Schaper but at twice the odds, we're buying into a nice connection with the venue as he made his first tour start outside of Denmark in the 2020 Northern Ireland Open, finishing 30th having only turned pro that summer.
A spectacular Q School graduate late last year, Axelsen's first season up at this level took a while to get going, but his considerable talent has begun to shine through since the DP World Tour landed in Europe and things began to feel a bit more familiar.
He was a shot or two away from landing the place money for us at 500/1 in the Netherlands, where he showcased his driving prowess, and then contended at Green Eagle for sixth place. Four starts since show finishes of 32-18-MC-17-33, all in stronger fields than this, and the penny has well and truly dropped.
Not only is this easier than all of these tournaments, but the experience of first playing well in Denmark and then competing at PGA Tour level in the Barbasol should've done him the world of good. So will seeing Rasmus Hojgaard win the former event, the pair having been teammates for Denmark four years ago.
Four weeks away brings doubt, something that applies to so many of these, and perhaps David Law's decision to tee it up in Scotland last week will prove a shrewd one.
But providing he's ready to go, Axelsen's potential is vast, his form on exposed courses suggests he'll cope with Castlerock, and he might just make a winning return to Galgorm Castle.
Posted at 1800 BST on 14/08/23
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at and .