Omens good for HowellDavid Howell experienced one of the highlights of his career when assisting Europe to victory on the other side of the River Liffey on The K Club's Palmer Course last September, but he is almost as excited about finally getting back to tournament play here at the European Open after a year that has seen him turned into something of a couch potato after suffering one injury after another.
"I've had my low moments . . . (and ended up) watching 24and Prison Breakand Homes Under the Hammerat 10 o'clock in the morning. At times, you sort of pinch yourself that you were doing more with your life a few weeks ago."
Howell hasn't played since the US Masters in April. He withdrew from the Wachovia Championship after one hole and the Players after two rounds due to a back injury, and then pulled out of the US Open without hitting a ball after injuring his wrist. But he has now got the medical all-clear to play again.
If history is anything to go by, Howell should ease back into the swing of things. If not here, then at next week's Scottish Open. When he won the Dubai Desert Classic in 1999, it was after an eight-week lay-off and that was his second week back. When he won the BMW International in 2005, he had been off for five weeks and that was also his second week back. And when he won last year's BMW PGA Championship, it was also his second week back after a four-week break.
For now, Howell is just glad to be back in action, even if he predicted "this course is a real slog. It's 7,300 yards and it is playing about 8,000 yards long. I think we are going to see a few forward tees. If we don't, then scoring is going to be very difficult."
Vintage Frost
David Frost, the cultured South African, was raised on a vineyard and, in fact, it was through picking grapes on the family's wine farm he earned enough pocket money to buy his first set of clubs and eventually embark on a professional career. So, given his background, it is no surprise to learn Frost - playing in the European Open on a sponsor's invitation and gearing up to the British Open in a couple of week, having come through qualifying at Sunningdale last Monday - has followed other sporting celebrities by launching his own brand of wines.
Produced on his vineyard in Stellenbosch, Frost officially launched the David Frost Signature Series range of wines at The K Club. They are being marketed in Ireland by Celebrity Wines, based in Lucan. Frost is looking for a base in Europe - "Why not Ireland?" he wondered - to play on tour for the next two years, before joining the Champions Tour in the States, where he has a home in Dallas. And although playing on sponsor's invitations, Frost has this season shown he still has a competitive edge with a runner-up finish in the Madeira Open and an eighth-place finish in the Wales Open.
Gear up for action
With a crowd of 40,000 expected for today's first round, the designated "Free Ticket Thursday", championship director Jamie Birkmyre has encouraged spectators - many probably new to attending golf tournaments - to be suitably attired after the course has been soaked with constant rain for the past three weeks.
"We've put some extra safety precautions in place, including laying over 100 tonnes of wood bark on spectator walkways. But we would encourage spectators to wear suitable footwear. Do wear golf shoes, Wellingtons, hiking boots, Timberlands . . . do wear rain gear - and don't bring in mobile phones, leave them in the car," said Birkmyre.
True champion
Some of the most appreciative applause in yesterday's pro-am wasn't for any household names. Rather, it was reserved for England's Nick Champness - the world's one-armed golf champion - who turned in a tour de force for his team that also featured former Irish rugby captain Keith Wood.
Champness, who also excels in badminton and hockey, is a six-handicap golfer and turned in a personal score of gross 74 on his card in contributing to yesterday's pro-am team, which also featured tour player Gonzalez Fernandez-Castano of Spain.
Introduced to sport by his older brother, Will, Nick - who plays with his left arm - said that the reason for his disability is unknown. "It was just purely natural, an act of nature. There were thalidomide babies, but that wasn't my case, there were no drugs or anything involved."
He attributes his positive outlook to his parents, Paul and Janie, who, he says, always encouraged him to have as normal a life as any other child. "My parents were very keen on me having an outside life, being involved with sports and so on," he said.
