European Open: More than most, Paul McGinley knows that things happen in golf that would test the patience of a saint, writes Philip Reid at the K Club.
Yesterday, in the final round of the Smurfit European Open, he walked onto the first tee of the final round with great hopes and expectations. As he trooped off the green of the first hole, known as Badger's Set, some 11 minutes later - with a double-bogey six scrawled onto his card - the Dubliner was acutely aware that, already, it wouldn't be his day.
"I just had the worst start," he later lamented, "(imagine) going out in front of a home crowd with a chance of a big finish . . . and to take double-bogey! I can't think of anything worse."
If that didn't quite set the trend, and thankfully there were no more disasters of such proportions, McGinley felt like a boxer who had taken a body-blow with the first punch.
The momentum he had sought hadn't materialised; in fact, the opposite had happened.
"It just wasn't to be for me this week," admitted McGinley, who could take some solace in finishing as leading Irish player for which he received a cheque for €10,000 from O2 for the charity of his choice, while he also pocketed €59,154 to move to 24th on the Order of Merit.
In shooting a final round 73 for three-under-par 285, McGinley finished in tied-10th, the third top-10 finish from his last seven tournaments. But he knew - more than anyone - that it could have been so much better.
The start was horrible. After misjudging the wind which came off the right on the first hole, McGinley's drive finished up in the left rough and the most he could do was chip back out down the fairway. Even then, the gods conspired against him. "I was left with a downhill hanging lie of 110 yards with no green between the pin," he remarked.
The approach finished in the back bunker, and he splashed out to eight feet and missed. "I wasn't surprised, I hadn't been making them all week."
Indeed, the putter was cold all weekend. He took 33 putts on Saturday and 30 yesterday.
"I'm not holing putts, but I know what the answer is. I've got to be patient. I've got to wait for my time to come. The Ryder Cup is approaching and the pressure is on. But there's a lot of fun going for something like that, and the one pitfall is pushing for it to happen. I haven't had a big week yet, so I've got to be patient for my time to come.
"I'm a world-class player and I've got to hang in and wait for my time. When I made the Ryder Cup the last time, I got on a roll. I had three or four six-figure cheques in the space of two months which propelled me into the team. I haven't done that yet this season, but I know I'm just one result away from being right in the thick of it."
Next best of the Irish was Gary Murphy who finished with a 71 for 287, leaving him in tied-20th position with prizemoney of €37,868. "I'd a good, solid week but didn't really take all my chances. If I'd gone mad, I could have got into the British Open. I'll just have to try and do it next week at Loch Lomond (in the Scottish Open)," said Murphy.
Peter Lawrie was also disappointed with his final round 76 for 291. "I played well but putted horrendously bad," he remarked. "I'm swinging the club nicely, but just can't close out tournaments."
For Ashbourne club professional John Dwyer - who had the distinction of finishing ahead of Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke - it was a tournament that gave him a possible taste of life on tour. Dwyer (30), who finished with a 73 for 292 (leaving him in 44th position with prizemoney of €16,500), admitted he "doesn't enjoy practice and doesn't have the time for it, being a club professional", but that pursuing a life on the circuit is "always in the back of your mind".
"I think maybe the Challenge Tour would be the best route for me to go, it'll allow me to get used to travelling, because I'm really a home bird and I find it tough being away from home. But if I'm playing well enough to justify going out on tour, I believe I may have to give myself that chance."
