Banks hits wrong notes again

Just when Ben Banks, son of Genesis keyboard player Tony, thought his rookie season on the European tour could not get any worse. It did.

The 26-year-old withdrew from the €1.8m Nissan Irish Open at Co Louth because of ill-health just before he was due to tee off in the first round.

Banks finished joint fifth at the tour qualifying school last November and so, having travelled the world with his famous father when he was younger, began his own globe-trotting.

But in 15 tournaments as far afield as Hong Kong, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Dubai, Qatar and Singapore, as well as around Europe, the former American college player has made only one halfway cut.

That was Dubai in March and he went on to finish in last place. He has total prize money so far of £1,965 (€2,900) and a position of 294th on the Order of Merit.

With Ryder Cup stars Nick Faldo, Jesper Parnevik, Thomas Bjorn and Phillip Price having also pulled out of the event – Faldo and Parnevik because of shoulder trouble, Bjorn and Price because of sickness – no more reserves were available and the event went ahead with 155 players rather than the standard 156.

First man out Philip Golding, last year’s French Open champion, birdied the second and fourth and shared the early lead with Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara, who picked up shots on the 11th and 12th after starting on the back nine.

Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington, both hoping to be the first home winner of the title since John O’Leary in 1982, are the two favourites.