Smyth pulls out of Irish PGA

Padraig Harrington is turning down a potential €630,000 pay day to battle for just €5,000 in next week's Ladbrokes.com Irish PGA. Tee times

But he won't have to fight off a challenge from veteran Des Smyth, 56, who's pulled out of the event at The European Club with a rib injury.

Des Smyth is injuredOrdered to rest for three weeks by his physio, six-time winner Smyth said: "I've had a problem with the cartilage in the rib cage for the past six or eight weeks and I've been playing on painkillers.

"I was really looking forward to playing The European Club for the first time but this is the first chance I have had to take a rest after a long run of events.

"It would have been lovely to try and beat Padraig and win the PGA for the seventh time but my physio has advised me to rest and avoid doing more damage."

Harrington could be teeing it up in the €3.5 million Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond but instead he's taken a 50 percent pay cut to play for a €35,000 prize fund in Wicklow.

The event runs from on Wednesday, July 8, to Saturday July 11 with Leopardstown's Marian Riordan the first female pro to tee it up.

Harrington's biggest rivals are likely to be the in-form Challenge Tour player Simon Thornton, David Higgins, last year's Irish region winner John Kelly and European Seniors Tour stalwarts Eamonn Darcy, Jimmy Heggarty and Denis O'Sullivan.