BALTRAY DIGEST

Today's other stories in brief

Daly and his Irish Wolfhound

JOHN DALY gripped it and ripped it to little avail over the Baltray links, as a second round 75 – for 143 – meant the so-called Wild Thing failed to make the cut.

However, the two-time major winner left Ireland with a little extra . . . an Irish Wolfhound which he has called Greg, after his friend Greg Francis who produces a weekly golf show for Sky Sports.

Daly made his purchase at the famous Nutstown kennels in the Naul, north Co Dublin.

THE pretty in pink theme ran through the Irish Open yesterday, a fundraising drive for the Marie Keating Foundation.

And Sweden’s Johan Edfors certainly entered into the spirit of things with an ensemble that earned the self-styled Pink Panther – he has the Puma logo atop his headgear – a bottle of pink champagne as the pinkest player.

Title sponsors 3 came up with the idea for “Pink Friday” to raise awareness of breast cancer and have agreed to donate €10 from every price plan sold up to final-round ticket sales tomorrow.

IN its four previous incarnations – in 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2005 – the JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am has benefited charities in the Limerick and Mid-West regions to the tune of some €31 million, and the man himself yesterday launched the 2010 edition which will be staged at Adare Manor on July 5th-6th.

Among the sports stars to back the tournament are Paul O’Connell, Mick O’Connell, Niall Quinn, Conor Counihan, Keith Wood, Charlie Swan, Nicky English, Brian Gleeson, Anthony Daly, Joy Neville, Joe McKenna, Eamon Grimes, Pat Hartigan and Jimmy Barry Murphy, and those wishing to attend are invited to purchase hats in a number of colours – Limerick, Tipperary, Cork, Waterford, Kerry, Clare, Munster and Ireland – at a cost of €50 (plus postage and packaging) which will be used as entrance tickets.

Entrance hats can be purchased at www.jpmcmanusproam.com which will admit one adult for both days of the tournament. Under-16s get in free.

Revised traffic and parking arrangements

SPECTATORS attending the final two rounds of the Irish Open have been encouraged to leave the car behind and avoid traffic congestion by availing of the shuttle bus service run by Bus Éireann between Drogheda bus and rail stations to the Baltray course. Running every 30 minutes, the return fare is €6 (single €4).

New arrangements have also been put into place for those travelling by car.

With yesterday morning’s weather causing serious disruption on the roads around Baltray, and the public car parks closed, revised traffic and parking arrangements have been put in place for the weekend.

Traffic from Dublin on the M1 will be asked to exit at Junction 10 (Drogheda North) and cars from the North at J11 (Monasterboice) where the traffic will be diverted to the old N1 roadway.

A free park and ride system will operate to and from the course.

Hole-in-one wins car for Paul Lawrie

AS soon as he hit the shot, Paul Lawrie knew it would be close. Within seconds, the roar from the gallery around the 17th green confirmed it: Lawrie’s fifth hole-in-one of his career earned him an Audi A5 Cabriolet . . . although the crafty Scot later confessed he would consider taking the cash alternative of €40,000.

Lawrie’s six-iron 196 yards landed a couple of fee short of the flag, took one bounce and rolled into the tin cup.

“It was straight down the pin. You’ve obviously got to get a little lucky for it to go in, but it was a nice shot . . . and a beautiful prize, a gleaming, silver Audi.

“I don’t know what I will do yet, it’s a beautiful car. A nice car for Mrs Lawrie.”

Under the terms of the prize, though, Lawrie would be liable for any taxes involved in bringing the car back to Scotland. A consideration, perhaps, in whether to take the money instead.