Irish Close champion stays cool

Twelve months on, the defending champion has undergone a name change and been promoted onto the British and Irish Curtis Cup …

Twelve months on, the defending champion has undergone a name change and been promoted onto the British and Irish Curtis Cup panel. Yet, Suzie Fanagan-O'Brien is keen to dispel any favourite's tag - and swift to praise the current form of her chief protagonists - as she prepares to take on all-comers in the Lancome Irish Women's Close Championship which starts at Clandeboye today.

Psychological warfare? Gamesmanship? Not really, the newlywed is quite honest in her appraisal. "I haven't played in any of the championships or scratch cups, so I'm not sure of my sharpness," said Fanagan-O'Brien. Indeed, given that her honeymoon coincided with the Leinster championship and the main season-opening scratch cups, the Milltown player's first competitive outing was in last week's Eastern District qualifying for the Irish Senior Cup. "I wouldn't count myself as favourite, certainly not the way the likes of Barbara (Hackett) and Alison (Coffey) have started the season," she added. Nevertheless, Fanagan-O'Brien did take a trip down to her coach Brendan McDaid at the weekend for what she termed "cramming", which suggests a deep desire to hold on to a title she won in impressive fashion when beating Eileen RosePower in last year's final in Enniscrone.

Power is one of the notable omissions from the championship, which starts today with the first of two rounds of strokeplay qualifying. The leading qualifier will claim the Leitrim Cup, and the top 16 players will progress to the matchplay stages which commence on Thursday. Power is not playing for personal reasons and two other winners in the 1990s, Laura Webb (nee Bolton) and Claire Dowling (nee Hourihane), are also absentees. Also missing, due to exams, are some of the country's top young players, including Elaine Dowdall and Pamela Murphy. In fact, Fanagan-O'Brien (1997) and Hackett (1996) are the only competitors who have previously won the title.

However, Lillian Behan, who won the British championship in 1985, is included in the field and will be all-out to win the national title that has eluded her. The Clandeboye course should suit her too. "Most of the par fives are gettable," assessed FanaganO'Brien after yesterday's practice round. It was her first sight of the course and the Dubliner played it alone. "I'd arranged to play with Alison (Coffey), but got my times wrong and arrived something like two and a half hours early," she explained.

READ MORE

Fanagan-O'Brien's relaxed approach - "I'll just play as good as I can" - should aid her in making a strong defence of the crown; but big-hitters like Behan, Hackett, Hazel Kavanagh, Sinead Keane and Oonagh Purfield will all fancy their chances of landing the championship. However, Coffey, who has already won the Leinster and Ulster championships this season, could prove to be the one they all have to beat.

Philip Reid

Philip Reid

Philip Reid is Golf Correspondent of The Irish Times