A CURIOUS, cosmopolitan look to the first round leaderboard wasn't helped by the absence of any Irish challenger in the £650,000 Alamo English Open here yesterday.
Nor was there much comfort in the weather, which, after early promise, became progressively hostile.
While England's Roger Chapman swept clear of the field with a course record 66 six under par - his former Walker Cup colleague, Ronan Rafferty, was the top Irishman on 70. In terms of the destination of the title, however, one suspected there was far greater relevance in an opening 69 by Jose-Maria Olazabal.
The course that Jack built - well, Jack Nicklaus Jnr to be precise - stood up well to the challenge, particularly in a chilly afternoon of fresh winds and intermittent rain. Indeed much grief was inflicted by the 465-yard eighth which, playing into the wind, required a precise, long-iron second shot to a narrow green bordered by water on the left.
Several double-bogeys were carded there but, as one would expect from a quality field, some found a way around the trouble, notably Australian Mike Harwood who had an eagle two. And speaking of eagles, there was a hole-in-one from Paul Curry at the 187-yard fourth, where a six-iron found the target.
Generally, the Irish scoring was disappointing and Padraig Harrington suffered spectacularly, carding two double-bogeys on his last five holes. Having started at the 10th, his first blunder occurred at the 464-yard fifth where he had his second shank of the round, knocking a downwind wedge second shot out of bounds on the right.
The next double came at the long ninth, his last. Fortunate to find a good lie in the left rough after a pulled drive, Harrington topped a three-wood recovery. Still in trouble, he was forced to lay up in three and later three-putted for a miserable seven and a round of 74.
"I'm not concerned about the shanks," he said afterwards. "But I'm really disappointed about the way I played the ninth. Maybe I need a break. Either way, it will have to wait until after next week's Volvo PGA Championship."
He will be joined at Wentworth by Christy O'Connor Jnr, who hasn't stopped smiling since his 13th-place finish at The Oxfordshire last Sunday. After signing for a 71 yesterday, O'Connor was informed by George O'Grady that the European Tour were giving him a special invitation into next week's tournament.
Having lost his exempt status, it was the only way O'Connor could play. "That's great - just what I was hoping for," he told O'Grady. It was a just reward for a player who has made a handsome contribution to the growth of the tour over the last 25 years.
There were four birdies on O'Connor's card and the best of them came at the 496-yard 17th. A fine drive left him 211 yards from the green, but there was a tree in the way. So, with masterly shotmaking that his illustrious uncle would have been proud of O'Connor moved the ball 40 yards left to right in the air with a five wood, which finally cleared water to land within 15 feet of the target: a simple, two-putt birdie.
David Higgins also shot 71, which was less than he expected after opening with two birdies. But he finished well, holing a 35-footer for a birdie on the last. And Philip Walton was also on 71 which was even more disappointing, given a position of four under, with seven to play. His problems were caused by wayward driving and erratic putting.
