Des Smyth is growing older, but he is still playing like a young fellow. Whether he can stay the distance, if you were to listen to the man himself, is another matter. "I'm like a horse who runs a good eight furlongs in a mile-and-a-half race and then starts to flag," was the analogy offered by the 47-year-old Irishman.
Staying power or not, he was quick out of the traps yesterday. On the 13th hole - his fourth - Smyth stood in the middle of the fairway, with the battleship clubhouse towering above him, and turned to his caddie Ray Latchford. "I'd love to make birdie, Ray, just to get this round going," he said. Smyth did better, holing out his 135-yard approach shot for an eagle two.
That was the catalyst for an opening round 65 that left Smyth snapping on the heels of the pacesetters. "I've got to be honest, I don't feel I am a potential winner," said Smyth in his best pragmatic voice. "All I'm trying to do is make as big a cheque as I can, and then move onto the next week and do the same so that eventually I get enough to keep my card," added.
Smyth's eye may be on his second career, a move into the financially sweet Seniors circuit in just over two-and-a-half years time, but his round yesterday proved he also has a lot to contribute to the main tour. Part of the reason for his longevity in such a competitive environment is that he maintains a strict fitness regime and works out regularly. "But the work I do in the gym would be nothing like the younger lads. I'd go into the physiotherapy unit, just to do stretches, and I'd see some guys doing strenuous workouts, then showering and heading out for a round of golf," he said.
However, he retains a love for the sport, a love for competition. "I'm battling, and I find it tough going," he said, "but one of the reasons I prefer to play on the tour is that it keeps me really fit and, secondly, it gives me the chance to keep my game at the standard where I want it. Some guys want to retire but I wish I was 20 years younger, I love every minute of it."
Rounds like yesterday's help a lot to nurture such enthusiasm. An eagle, five birdies (including what he called a "miracle putt" from 40 feet on the eighth) and a lone bogey enabled him to propel his way towards the top end of the leaderboard in his 26th consecutive Irish Open.
So often in recent years, Irish players have had a stuttering start to their national championship. Yesterday, a day which Paul McGinley described as "quite benign," brought out a determined home challenge with seven of them breaking par and three moving into top-10 challenging positions.
McGinley, in fact, hit 16 greens in regulation (which placed him as an impressive leader in that statistical category) on his way to a satisfactory opening round 67 and he had a consoling word for members who might fear that their course will be ripped asunder. "Even on a day like today, every hole had a potential for disaster. A little wind over the next few days and . . .!"
His unfinished sentence was quite sufficient to assure them that, ultimately, the course will be the winner.
And, yet, one of the Irishmen who broke par in his debut Irish Open already felt like a winner yesterday. Mark Murphy, an amateur from Waterville, shot 70 and was feted by his entourage.
He may take a leaf out of Des Smyth's book, however, and be aware that the race is not yet run. There is a long way to go.
