Once again, success has come to an Irish golfer on remarkably productive terrain, far from home. Through his victory in the Oki Pro-Am yesterday, Paul McGinley became the ninth professional from this country to gain a significant tournament triumph in Spain.
Indeed, Irish players have captured no fewer than 11 professional titles in Spain. And these can be added to the amateur successes of Philip Walton (1981), Michael Quirke (1987) and Darren Clarke (1990), in the Spanish Men's Open, and to Claire Dowling (nee Hourihane) (1987) in the Spanish Women's Open.
McGinley has followed in the footsteps of Jimmy Kinsella (Madrid Open 1972), Eddie Polland (Spanish Open 1976 and 1980), Des Smyth (Sanyo Open 1983, Madrid Open 1993), Eamonn Darcy (Spanish Open 1983), Ronan Rafferty (Volvo Masters 1989), David Feherty (Madrid Open 1992), Walton (Catalan Open 1995) and Padraig Harrington (Spanish Open 1996).
It must be something in the Spanish air. Either way, from a golfing standpoint Irish competitors have found Spain to be easily the most productive of any country outside of these islands. Not that such thoughts would have crossed McGinley's mind as he battled with himself during the climactic moments yesterday.
But there was another, fascinating Spanish dimension to this latest success by the Dubliner, who captured the Smurfit Irish Professional Championship at Fota Island earlier this month. It had to do with a dinner date three years ago with Jack Nicklaus at Montecastillo, where the Volvo Masters will be played this week.
During the meal, the conversation turned to disappointments in golf, whereupon the great man said to his young acquaintance: "Just remember that I've spent almost 90 per cent of my time losing - and I'm the most successful player in the history of the game."
Those words brought much-needed solace to McGinley on a rocky route which eventually led him to the picturesque Waldviertel course in Austria, in August of last year. By that stage in his European Tour activities, the Dubliner had been forced to settle for runner-up position on no fewer than four occasions. But now, salvation was at hand.
With one of the great performances of 1996 in Europe, he captured the Austrian Open by shooting a stunning, final round of 62 for a 19-under-par aggregate of 269. It was enough to give him the necessary onestroke margin over Juan Carlos Pinero, younger brother of Manuel, the Spanish Ryder Cup player.
Nobody offered an argument when he said: "I've been near a breakthrough on so many occasions that I knew my time would come." In fact he had filled second place for a fourth time in the Heineken Classic in Perth earlier that year, when Ian Woosnam slipped past him. And he was joint leader at the halfway stage of the British Open in July, having shot a course-record equalling 65 in the second round.
Even after those achievements, however, McGinley still worried about his ability to compete. When people suggested that the Austrian field was weak, he countered: "There are no weak fields on the European Tour these days. Either way, I shot 20-under-par for the last 54 holes: that speaks for itself."
But the doubts remained. And his confidence wasn't helped by a decidedly wobbly finish to the Irish Championship in which observers took the view that he was fortunate not to have faced a more serious, lastnine challenge than that offered by Stephen Hamill.
Which is why yesterday's victory may prove to be the most important of his career. He did it the hard way, as joint leader at the halfway stage and then as leader on his own, by six strokes, going into the last round.
"I won from behind in Austria; I won playing poorly at Fota and now I've won from the front, playing well," he said last night. "That has to be very gratifying." Then he added with a smile: "Maybe the next time I'll win from the middle of the field."
Some players, like Nicklaus, seem to be born winners. Others like Tom Watson and, more recently, David Duval, have to suffer the disappointment of several near-misses before making the breakthrough. In that context, McGinley has paid his dues.
As he pointed out: "In certain respects I am still at the beginning of my career insofar as I was almost 25 before I joined professional ranks." And despite the disappointments that were to come, his general approach to the game brought a ringing endorsement from a battle-hardened compatriot.
"McGinley will be all right," said Christy O'Connor Jnr, when asked to comment on the player's prospects on the tournament stage. "He has a money game." Now, having joined O'Connor among Ireland's tour `millionaires', it seems that the player has nothing else to prove.
