Make a date with an Irish contender

IN the housing market, it’s all about location, location, location. In the professional golf world, make that date, date, date.

The Loch Lomond Scottish Open and the Nissan Irish Open come either side of the British Open. Any sponsor who knows anything about what's going on would gladly plump for the former. Whereas most golfers like to build a bit of momentum by playing in the week before a major championship, the majority also prefer to wind down immediately afterwards, take a rest and chill out. That's why you see the likes of Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els leading the line-up at Loch Lomond this week (although Retief Goosen has withdrawn) whereas there won't be a sign of any of them near Baltray for the Nissan Irish Open on July 22-25.

I'm not suggesting there won't be a field worthy of the Irish Open for the championship's first visit to Co Louth and that it won't prove a highly successful occasion. Of course it will, considering the excellence of the venue, the palpable excitement of the club members and all the hard work and money put into the occasion by Nissan, Failte Ireland, Co Louth Golf Club and the European Tour. However, I firmly believe that the one ingredient that can make Baltray and the Irish Open truly memorable is the presence of an Irishman at or very close to the top of the leaderboard coming down the stretch on the final afternoon.

The thousands who turned up at The K Club on Sunday for the final day of the Smurfit European Open were privileged to see a true artist at work. Making it all looking like a leisurely stroll in beautiful surroundings, Retief Goosen cruised to the victory that had been preordained from the time he struck his first ball on Thursday. The crowd appreciated the beauty of his swing, they followed him respectfully and applauded dutifully. That was about it. His undoubted golfing genius aside, Goosen, laidback, undemonstrative and uncharismatic, doesn't exactly set the blood racing or cause 'Goosebumps' on the back of your neck.

To be fair to the South African, there are very few golfers who can do that or ever could for that matter. Nowadays, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are obvious exceptions. Maybe also Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia. In the relatively recent past, you would have given your eye teeth to see Severiano Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Jose-Maria Olazabal and Bernhard Langer. Before that, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Lee Trevino and Tom Watson were awe inspiring as were Ben Hogan and Sam Snead after the war and well into the 50s.

These legends, however, were the exceptions just as Woods and Mickelson are nowadays. Here in Europe we are well off the pace set in the 70s and 80s by Ballesteros, Faldo, Langer, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle and Olazabal. And that's why it's so important to have the right week on the schedule so that you can entice the best of the current crop to your tournament. Otherwise, it could well turn out to be flat and dull with winners such as Soren Hansen at Fota Island in 2002 when the atmosphere surrounding his success (even though it was ultimately achieved in a four-man play-off) was in stark contrast to that of Colin Montgomerie's 12 months previously.

So, if the European Tour struggles on certain weeks to produce a charismatic champion, then the next best thing surely is to come up with an Irish winner when they visit these shores. And that's why the drought in this crucial area is becoming more than just a statistic. We keep reminding you that there hasn't been an Irish winner of the Irish Open since John O'Leary in 1981. That's not just true; it is also a fact that only once in the blue moon has a home player actually made a meaningful challenge. And that's not good news for the sponsor, who craves the kind of scenario that people will talk of for days, months and even years to come.

Okay, so Paul McGinley finished 10th in the European Open on Sunday but few noticed. That's "also ran" stuff where the fans are concerned especially when he was "miles" behind the winner. And what a winner! When asked if he was in the best form of his life, Goosen thought for a moment before replying: "I've played well in 2001, 2002 and last year wasn't all that great. But I started to play better again towards the end of the year and it's all starting to fall into place again. All round, yes, I suppose, I am. I feel I've learned so much more and can get it together better."

Goosen misses Loch Lomond this week. But Mickelson, Els, current Open champion Ben Curtis, former Open champions Tom Lehman and Tom Weiskopf (designer of Loch Lomond's 7, 088 yards, par 71 layout), among countless other big names, will be there. Now we're back to the date again. Padraig Harrington will also be in Scotland except that he visits his coach, Bob Torrance, at Largs today and tomorrow before taking in a practice round at Troon on Thursday. Darren Clarke, desperately needing a decent performance over a course when he finished 2nd behind Els 12 months ago, and McGinley lead the Irish challenge which is completed by Graeme McDowell, Peter Lawrie and Gary Murphy.