Ireland Order of Merit winner Mark Staunton admits that watching the World Match Play Championship this week has whet his appetite ahead of his trip to Wentworth next year.
The Black Bush pro has automatically qualified for the flagship event of the European Tour, the BMW PGA Championship, and will have a further crack at some of Europe's biggest events if he succeeds in next week's PGA Play-Offs at Notts Golf Club (October 16-17).
Staunton topped his region's Order of Merit ahead of Leslie Walker (Dundalk) and Eamonn Brady (Clontarf) who will also be taking part in the end-of-season play-offs and looking to set the early foundations of a successful 2008.
The play-offs have a prize fund of £15,000 but of more interest to the players are the invitations to the BMW PGA Championship, Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open, Smurfit Kappa European Open and Barclays Scottish Open on the European Tour and the FirstPlus Wales Challenge, Challenge of Ireland, Scottish Challenge and Oceanico Pro-Am Challenge on the Challenge Tour.
Staunton said: "The Order of Merit title wasn't a specific goal but I certainly knew if I played to my standard it was something I was capable of winning. The aim was just to play well and let that take care of itself.
"It's great for me to be playing at Wentworth. I was watching the Match Play Championship on television and because it's something you've been working towards it's exciting. It's nice to be able to play in something you achieved through hard work rather than having it put on you all of a sudden.
It's great to be involved in an event like that but I'll be trying to treat it as another course and just another event.
"The opportunity of Tour starts will give me a lot of motivation going into it. It could end up being the core of a good season next year and certainly if I attack it right it's a door open to a place on those tours. Even if it's not an immediate progression it still gives you get experience for the future."
With so much at stake the two-day tournament at Hollinwell is likely to witness some attacking and exciting golf, but Staunton insists he will be doing his best not to stray from his normal patient game.
"I'm naturally very patient on the golf course so I'll just let it happen and see what comes of it. I've been working on my putting a lot recently so hopefully that will come good next week and will take care of itself.
"As long as I play as well as I have been doing then I'll give myself a chance."