Christy O'Connor Junior has proved he is as innovative a shot-maker off the course as he is on it.
Yesterday, in Dublin, he could afford to display a degree or two of self-satisfaction at the confirmation that his imaginative idea to host a unique PGA European Tour event (to be called the Ballymore Properties West of Ireland Classic) at Galway Bay in August, when valuable Ryder Cup points will be on offer, could indeed be the catalyst for the growth of similar so-called "double badge" tournaments on the professional circuit.
Indeed, this is a big week for O'Connor. Aware that nobody knows when or where is the right time or place, he has decided to return to tournament action and has accepted an invitation to play in the Turespana Masters in Malaga, starting on Thursday. It will be his first full European Tour event since the death of his son Darren in a car accident last autumn, and provides him with valuable competition prior to his appearance in the US Seniors PGA at Palm Beach, Florida, on April 15th-18th.
"I'm not really looking forward to it, but I know it has to be done and I really do want to get out there," he admitted. "Seve (Ballesteros) has been telling Eamonn (Darcy) whenever they meet that I should keep playing, so this is probably a good place to resume playing and I was happy to accept the tour's invite."
The West of Ireland Classic, which will be played against the US PGA Championship, will take place on the O'Connor-designed course on August 12th-15th and will have €350,000 (£275,000) in prize-money. However, it is unique in that it will contain players in equal measure from the European Tour and the Challenge Tour, making it the first event of its kind, and will also have the added incentive of offering a one-year exemption on the full tour to the winner.
"It's an event which fuses together the twin pillars of the PGA European Tour," said tour official Richard Hills, adding: "It could be the first of a number of such tournaments on the circuit."
The sponsors, Ballymore Properties and Galway Bay Golf and Country Club, are contributing £100,000 of the prize-fund which has been matched by the Government. Dr Jim McDaid, the Minister for Sport and Tourism, said the return of European Tour golf to the Galway region after a gap of 15 years was "a timely foretaste of the new pattern of regional spread."
It means Ireland will host five European Tour events this season: the Murphy's Irish Open at Druid's Glen, the Smurfit European Open at The K Club, the West of Ireland Classic at Galway Bay, the AIB Irish Seniors Open at Mount Juliet and the British Seniors Open at Royal Portrush. "It confirms what I have been saying for some time . . . that Ireland has become the golf mecca of Europe," claimed the Minister.
O'Connor is excited about staging the "West", claiming that staging a tournament with Ryder Cup points on offer in Galway was a "dream that was a million miles away but is now a reality." Although Europe's top players will be playing in the clashing US PGA, O'Connor believes that it's positioning as the second-last counting event towards Ryder Cup points will attract an exceptionally strong field.
Meanwhile, another Irishman, Darren Clarke, has secured a late invite to play in the Turespana Masters this week. The event wasn't originally in his schedule but manager Chubby Chandler yesterday conceded that although Clarke has been "practising and working" on his game he badly needed competitive rounds prior to heading across the Atlantic for a programme that will take in the Bay Hill Invitational, the TPC, the Masters and the MCI Classic.
Clarke and O'Connor will be joined by Padraig Harrington, Philip Walton, Eamonn Darcy, John McHenry and Des Smyth in Malaga.
The Challenge Tour tees-off in Africa with the Kenyan Open this week and five Irishmen - Peter Lawrie, Sean Quinlivan, Francis Howley, Gary Murphy and David Higgins - are competing, while Bryan Omelia will be in action in the Indian Open on the Asian Omega Tour.
Meanwhile, Steve Elkington's win in the Doral-Ryder Open in Miami marked his recovery to full health - and confirmed his ability to produce the goods on the final day. Last May, he suffered spinal meningitis and lost over two stone in weight but he has fought back to health and his final round 64 on Sunday equalled the score he produced in the 1995 US PGA when he came from six shots off the lead to beat Colin Montgomerie in a play-off for the title.
