It was the calm before the storm yesterday at Druids Glen. Only a handful of players checked into the tournament headquarters - a functional portacabin positioned adjacent to the practice putting green - and the real rush, including the arrival of John Daly, won't gather pace until today and tomorrow.
The Wild Thing is scheduled to touch base tomorrow, when he will arrive in Dublin via private jet. The bookmakers' odds of 80 to 1 (see betting, page 23) suggest little confidence in Daly's chances of surviving a course which places a high factor on mental fortitude. As Costantino Rocca, one of the early arrivals, observed: "You need to keep your mind on every single shot out here, otherwise a potential birdie could turn into a bogey."
When entries were finalised last evening, the Irish challenge was increased to 23 players after the sponsors extended a late invitation to David Higgins, who finished third in the Is Molas tournament on the Challenge Tour in Sardinia at the weekend. David Park, winner of the European Grand Prix, also accepted his winner's exemption into the field.
Two withdrawals - those of Pedro Linhart and Francis Valera - meant Ian Hutchings and Henrik Bjornstad were drafted in from the reserve list.
Rocca, who is 66th in the order of merit, explained his recent lack of form: "I hurt my finger in an accident over the winter and missed out on a lot of work," he said. "Now, I'm just looking to get some confidence back. . . especially with my putter." On greens which yesterday measured 10 1/2 on the stimpmeter, good putting will be crucial.
As far as making a third successive Ryder Cup is concerned, Rocca, who is 31st in that list, could do with a good week's work. "I'm looking forward to this week. I didn't play last year, but my recollection of Druids Glen is that it is a tough course where you need to concentrate on every shot. I remember the 18th especially, it cost me a lot of shots the last time I played here. (He went 6, 6, 5, 6 on the four occasions he played the par-four finishing hole in 1997). But it is still a hole I like."
A year further back, in 1996, Raymond Burns had the distinction of finishing as joint-leading Irishman (with Ronan Rafferty), but his presence in this year's field is due to a sponsor's invitation. It represents a rare opportunity for the Banbridge man to play on the regular tour and, indeed, he intends to play four successive events on the Challenge Tour after this tournament.
Yesterday, Burns played a practice round with Richard Coughlan, a friend from their amateur days, and professed himself relaxed. A viral infection picked up on the west coast of Africa in a challenge tour event earlier in the season caused him to miss six weeks of competitive play. "Last year, when I was fighting to keep my card, I was uptight the whole time and my swing went completely. I spent three months out in the States over the winter and for the first two weeks was disciplined enough just to play with a seven iron to get the feel back. I'm more relaxed now, not quite as intense and I'm just looking forward to this week," said Burns.
The 23 Irish in the field, including three amateurs, are: Paul McGinley, Padraig Harrington, Philip Walton, Eamonn Darcy, John McHenry, Des Smyth, Richard Coughlan, Sean Quinlivan, Raymond Burns, David Higgins, Jimmy Heggarty, Damian McGrane, Robert Giles, Stephen Hamill, David Walker, Brendan McGovern, Leslie Walker, Damian Mooney, Michael Allan and John Dwyer, while the trio of amateurs are Johnny Foster, Michael Sinclair and Andrew McCormick.
Irish placings in Order of Merit - 5, D Clarke £252,890; 12, P Harrington £175,294; 23, P McGinley £137,415; 92, E Darcy £46,241; 101, D Smyth £37,252; 169, P Walton £9,058; 174, J McHenry £8,372.
