Lee Westwood will have plenty to think about when he tees it up at the D+D Real Czech Masters at Albatross Golf Resort this week.
The 23-time European Tour winner returns to action this week having not played since finishing in a tie for 61st at the 147th Open Championship last month.
And he will also be keeping an eye on Ryder Cup hopefuls from inside the ropes for European captain Thomas Bjørn.
This week presents the penultimate opportunity for players to qualify for September's biennial showpiece, with the likes of Thomas Pieters and Eddie Pepperell amongst those with an outside shot of competing at Le Golf National in Paris next month.
"Both myself and Padraig (Harrington) are assistant captains for The Ryder Cup so we’ve been having conversations in the past few months, looking at how the teams are shaping up and discussing captain’s picks," Westwood said.
"But everything changes constantly so we’re always re-evaluating it. Thomas (Bjørn) told us to keep an eye on certain players and we may be drawn with a few players that are potential Ryder Cup players, we want to keep a close eye on them in competition."
Hopefully I can do a little better than my ninth-place finish last year - Lee Westwood
Harrington, who will play alongside Pieters in the first two rounds, kept his cards close to his chest regarding his assistant role but the 46 year old hailed the strength in depth that the sport currently possesses.
"Definitely the depth of players and strength of players in the game has got better. At the moment, there is no dominant force in the game like Tiger Woods in the early 2000s," Harrington said.
"It’s hard now to distinguish yourselves as great players for young guys.
"We won’t see careers like Tiger’s and Phil Mickelson’s, winning throughout their careers for about 25 years. I think we will see shorter careers because the strength in depth is just so much deeper."
However, Westwood is hoping for a good week at a tournament where he has finished 27th and ninth in his two visits to Prague.
"I’ve been looking forward to coming back to the Czech Masters and Prague again this year, the golf course suits me and I’ve played well here which has been reflected in my results, so hopefully I can do a little better than my ninth-place finish last year," the 45 year old said.
"I haven’t played for four weeks since the Open so hopefully I won’t be too rusty and I can make a few birdies when the tournament starts."
Three-time Major Championship winner Harrington also reflected on his previous experiences of playing in the host country.
"I was in the Czech Republic for the European Amateurs in 1991 before playing the Czech Open so I’ve been here a few times in the past," the Irishman said.
“Nowadays coming to a city like Prague – at a time like this in my career it’s nice to come to nice events and nice places and enjoy the events more than anything else, so it’s nice to come to a city like Prague.
"There is more to enjoy in the week than just playing golf."
