DANNY Wardrop refuses to hit the panic button with the season only a few weeks old.

But the strapping 22-year-old Didsbury tournament professional knows he must raise the bar some time if he is to clear the hurdle that stands between him and playing in Europe next season.

And this would be a good week to do it as he pegs up in the é100,000 Morson International Pro-am Challenge which starts at Marriott Worsley Park on Wednesday.

Wardrop tumbled out of the top 100 Challenge Tour rankings when he missed the cut last week in the Moroccan Classic but instead of heading straight for home he stayed on for a couple of days to chill out in the sunshine.

"I played all right but hit a few woods off line and paid the penalty," he said.

"There are plenty of tournaments left so I'm not worried at this stage but it would be great to put in a strong performance this week. A good result would also lift my confidence."

Advantage

Wardrop has the advantage of competing on home turf, having been attached to the Monton club for a brief period, but that did not help last year when he failed to qualify for the final two rounds in an event run in association with the M.E.N.

Another reason for wanting to make an impression is that the tournament is being promoted by his manager Chubby Chandler who signed up the former English amateur international to his ISM stable three years ago.

And he'll also have his family and friends watching him in action. Welshmen Mark Mouland and Mark Pilkington, runner-up in Morocco to Adrien Mork, of France, is expected to lead the challenge along with Royal Lytham's Paul Eales in a 181-strong field.

Mobberley pro Jon Cheetham, who missed the cut in the BMW Championship at Wentworth and Wrexham-based Simon Edwards, who made it, add local interest along with Didsbury assistant David MacKinnon.

Among the amateur invitees is Styal's England star David Horsey, his 16-year-old Cheshire team-mate Adam Wills, from Sandiway, whose dad is pro at Portal and Sam Torrance's son Daniel who is defending the team title.

The top 60 players and ties to make the 36-hole cut will join forces with an amateur for the last two rounds. There is no charge for spectators.