Not for the first time, Ireland threw predictions somewhat awry in the Alfred Dunhill Cup here on the Old Course yesterday, with victory over the fifth seeds, New Zealand. While they produced the best combined score of the day, the only regret was that veteran skipper of the side, Des Smyth, failed to survive a tie-hole battle with Greg Turner.
As it happened, the Irish experience was mirrored later in the day by other, lesser fancied nations. There was certainly a special delight for Wales in thrashing England 3-0, while Germany, led by the redoubtable Bernhard Langer, edged clear of the number one seeds, Scotland.
On Wednesday, Colin Montgomerie expressed relief that the draw had not consigned him to another "golfing ambassadorship with Third World countries". Humbling losses to a Paraguayan and an Indian at this level, however, can have been only marginally less palatable than a four-stroke defeat by German anchorman Sven Struver.
It could be said that not much went right for the big Scot, given that he solemnly predicted "not many scores in the sixties". In the event, a surprisingly gentle breeze combined with very receptive greens, led to some really hot scoring, with Australia's Nick O'Hern and Argentina's Jose Coceres, with best-of-the-day 65s.
The Irish team score of 12 under par was a stroke clear of the Germans on 11 under, whereas England suffered the indignity of all three players being over par. And it is worth noting that Ireland's next opponents, South Africa, were a relatively modest eight under in their 2-1 defeat of France.
Memories were revived of a highly controversial ruling in a match between Arthur Pierse and Pat Lyons in the Irish Close Championship of 1985 at Westport. The incident occurred in the match between Stephen Leaney and John Daly which, crucially, the Australian won by three strokes.
When Leaney's drive hooked into bushes as the 12th, he played a provisional ball which came to rest only six feet from the hole. So, understandably, the Australian decided to abandon his original ball. He wasn't aware, however, that he had to bring the provisional into play by playing it out of turn, which is permitted in strokeplay. Though Daly's caddie had started searching for Leaney's ball, the matter was resolved when the American said sportingly: "come on, let's go." Leaney holed out for a par.
Meanwhile, in keeping with his stated strategy for the event, South Africa's skipper, Ernie Els, opted for the anchor position today against Padraig Harrington, the highest-ranked player on the Irish side. Smyth then named himself at number one against David Frost and Paul McGinley in the middle against Retief Goosen.
This is the same South African trio which beat Ireland 2-1 in 1997 and the result was the same in a meeting the previous year, when Wayne Westner replaced Frost. But they will take heart from the fact that McGinley beat Els in 1996 and Harrington outscored Frost three years ago.
Either way, it has become a wonderful adventure for Smyth who had the good wishes of all neutrals when he said last night: "I just hope I do myself justice." The 47-year-old had seen the chance of a clean sweep slip away when Turner came from two strokes down to birdie the 14th, 15th and 16th and go on for a 19th hole win.
Smyth had a great chance of regaining the lead on the treacherous 17th, which has been very kind to him in the past. On this occasion, however, he failed to take advantage of his opponent's bogey by three-putting from 60 feet, and he also three-putted the 19th, losing to a par. "I liked the way the pairings shaped up in print and I'm really delighted we're over the first hurdle," said the Irish skipper. Turning to McGinley and Harrington, he went on: "these guys were in short pants when I first played in 1985 and it's a real thrill to be playing with them, having watched their progress through amateur ranks."
Harrington, who has an aversion to watching scoreboards, had no option but to do so on this occasion, given their size and prominence throughout the course. So he knew what was going on. "For most of the morning I felt as if I was battling for the third Irish point," he said. "Then it became a matter of delivering the second one so as to ensure victory."
He did that by a three-stroke margin, largely because of a scintillating burst around the turn, which is traditionally the most vulnerable part of the Old Course, from a scoring standpoint. In fact a run of birdie, birdie, birdie, par, par, birdie, birdie from the eighth, could have been seven successive birdies insofar as he missed from 10 feet at the 11th and three-putted the 314-yard 12th, having driven the green.
Irish assumptions of having one point secure, reflected the splendid dominance of McGinley, who went clear of Michael Campbell with a birdie at the fourth and stretched the lead from then on. As with Harrington, he too made fine headway around the turn, carding a birdie at the eighth and another at the 352-yard ninth, where he drove to the front edge of the green with wind advantage.
"I knew I'd have to attack from the start against an in-form player like Michael, who won his last tournament (the German Masters)," said McGinley who seemed to overlook his own victory, only last weekend at Baltray. Regarding the team's prospect of reaching the semi-finals, he added guardedly: "In this event, I've learned to take each day as it comes."
