YOU can sense the air of optimism amongst those connected with the 3 Irish Open but nobody is insisting that all past difficulties have been resolved.

THE 40,000 people who thronged the Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort course yesterday and helped to cause massive tailbacks on the roads leading to the Co Limerick village scarcely appreciated the lengths to which JP McManus and his committee had gone to ensure the safe and timely arrival of the star names.

TIGER WOODS took five and a half hours to post his first birdie in yesterday’s opening round of the JP McManus Pro-Am at Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort and eventually signed for a seven over par 79.

ANOTHER sporting monkey off Ireland’s back, thank God — and thank Pádraig Harrington for that.

HE’S earned less than €20,000 so far this year, came into the tournament only a late invite from Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort owner Tom Kane, but keep an eye on David Higgins over the next two days.