When the wind blows

There is no possibility that Bernhard Langer’s winning total of 19 under in 1987 will be equalled at Portmarnock this week,insists Charlie Mulqueen.

IT'S been 13 long years since Portmarnock Golf Club last hosted the Irish Open. The championship's once-spiritual home had slipped into the background where big time golf is concerned since Jose-Maria Olazabal captured the title in 1990 and, while several other outstanding venues throughout the country were afforded the privilege of hosting the event, one always sensed it would make its way back to Portmarnock.

It has now come to pass, even if there was something just a little fortuitous about the decision to bridge that 13-year gap. The Irish Open was desperately searching for a sponsor and when Gerard O'Toole of Nissan Ireland finally saved the day, it was only on the basis that the event would return to Portmarnock.