Monty missing from heroes’ homecoming
They're referring to the Irish trio of Pádraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley and the European Ryder Cup team. They will all receive an ecstatic welcome no matter how much they themselves wish to put the heroics of Detroit behind them and concentrate on the latest challenge.
However, isn't there something sadly missing when arguably the greatest European hero of the lot, Colin Montgomerie, won't be there at all? Monty has fallen outside the top 50 in the world rankings and the leading 20 in the European order of merit so he and Ian Poulter, who is in the same category, are the two Ryder Cup "heroes" missing from the star-studded Mount Juliet field.
Phil Mickelson, the Masters champion, had every right to be there but opted out pleading exhaustion after his trials and tribulations at Oakland Hills. He and Vijay Singh are the only two of the world's top ten to miss out this week. Kenny Perry and Fred Funk of the American team will also be absentees. Whatever about Singh and Mickelson, Perry, Funk and Poulter won't be missed by too many.
Montgomerie, however, is a different case, for apart from his amazing Ryder Cup contribution, he is a big attraction for the galleries, especially in this country.
The enigmatic Scot has developed a close rapport with the fans who have tended to overlook his less favourable characteristics and instead lauded his three Irish Opens especially Fota Island in 2001 and sympathised with him in two or three near misses.
However, the World Golf Championships rules are specific and Monty is paying the price for a poor and early mid-season spell when personal matters weighed him down heavily.
Still, with 19 of the 24 Ryder Cup players in the field, there is no shortage of talent this week.
Defending champion Tiger Woods has owned the title for the past two years and for three of the last five.
Woods first captured the Amex in 1999 and emerged victorious at Mount Juliet in 2002 and in Atlanta 12 months ago.
Of the three, his outstanding performance came two years ago when he and several others revelled in the highly favourable conditions in Kilkenny.
The weather was beautiful, an Indian summer if ever there was one, and on top of that, the rough was negligible, with the gently paced greens, in Tiger's own words, "the best we putted on all summer".
He duly came to the 72nd hole without a bogey to his name but, "helped" by the click of a photographer's camera, he took five there and had to settle for a 25 under par total of 263 following rounds of 65, 65, 67 and 66.
Even then he only prevailed by a single stroke over Retief Goosen, who closed with an incredible round of 62 after earlier scores of 67, 67 and 68. Significantly, Vijay Singh, who pulled out yesterday, came in third on 21 under, having shot 67, 69, 66 and 65.
David Toms, Sergio Garcia and Davis Love III all finished in the top ten, so they will also be looking forward to returning to the beautiful Jack Nicklaus-designed haven.
One might have expected the Irish duo to make their presence felt but that was far from the case.
Pádraig Harrington led the way when finishing 21st on his own, with a total of 13 under par, while Darren Clarke could do without the reminder that he was 63rd of the 65 starters on seven over!
However, it should be much better from the home point of view on this occasion.
Having failed to claim the top eight finish in the Heritage that would have propelled him into next month's lucrative HSBC World Match Play Championship at Wentworth, Harrington would probably prefer to have taken last week off.
Still, rest assured his competitive juices will be flowing at the complex where he was tournament professional for many years by the time the event gets under way on Thursday.
Clarke and Paul McGinley took a well-earned breather after Oakland Hills and accordingly should be rarin' to go, while Graeme McDowell's level of consistency has reached a stage where he has to be considered no matter what the quality of the field.
Harrington continues in eighth place in the world rankings, Clarke is 16th, McGinley 66th and McDowell 92nd.
Lest we get too carried away with those who did or did not figure in the Ryder Cup, we should note the many other great players who are favouring us with their presence this week.
The names roll off the tongue: Ernie Els and Retief Goosen of South Africa; Adam Scott, the brilliant Australian winner of this year's US TPC crown and his fellow Aussies Stuart Appleby and Robert Allenby; British Open champion Todd Hamilton; Stephen Ames of Trinidad and Tobago; Americans Fred Couples, Charles Howell III and Brad Faxon, as well as a whole host of others capable of walking off with the first prize of $1.2 million (€975,000) from a total purse of $7m, up $1.5m on 2002.
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