The O'Reillys, Greta and Oliver, made an early departure from their home in Rosses Point last weekend, so as to be at Lytham in time for a rather special telecast on Sunday night. And they were thrilled to see Shigeki Maruyama capture top prize of $558,000 after a play-off for the Greater Milwaukee Open at Brown Deer Park GC.

Among other things, it meant a handsome pay day for their son Jude, who is Maruyama's caddie. There will be a family reunion when the triumphant pair compete later this week in the British Open at Royal Lytham.

Judo, as his master calls him, has been with Maruyama since the beginning of 2000, having previously worked with Massy Kuramoto. In their opening year, Maruyama became the first Japanese player to top $1 million in US earnings in a season. And Sunday's historic triumph has become the high point of a richly productive relationship, so far.

"He's even more pleasant off the course," said the 31-year-old of a player who endears himself to galleries as one of golf's great smilers. "I've been in Japan for eight and a half years so I can speak casual Japanese. That's the way we converse."

English was also quite audible from O'Reilly last weekend, however, as he called for quiet among the enthusiastic galleries. He also had the problem of keeping his man calm, after Maruyama blocked a five-wood second shot into the grandstand on the 72nd hole, to finish level with the brilliant American rookie, Charles Howell III. He then beat Howell on the first hole of sudden death.

Victory made Maruyama the first Japanese player to win a regular tour event on the US mainland: back in 1983, Isao Aoki captured the Hawaiian Open.

Many felt that Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki would be the player to make the breakthrough. But Ozaki, now 54, once told a colleague that his visits to the US were uncomfortable reminders that the second World War had not been consigned to history.

Since Aoki's win in 1983, seven Japanese players had finished second in the US including Maruyama, in last year's Buick Invitational and Kazuhiko Hosohama in the Kemper Open. In the process, they gained a reputation for being incapable of finishing the job.

"I think it's intimidation," said Jesper Parnevik. Meanwhile, guru David Leadbetter ascribed their lack of success to a general absence of fire. Indeed Maruyama once thought the difference between winning and losing to be divine, and visited Larry Nelson in Georgia for spiritual guidance.

It is this background which has made Sunday's victory so important, apart from ensuring a pay-off of close on $60,000 for his Irish caddie.