DAVID FEHERTY has a special incentive when he returns to the European Tour, at the Peugeot French Open in Paris today, for he has a new wife and two additional children to support.
The Ryder Cup golfer, who now divides his time between commentating on golf in the USA and playing the game in Europe, wed Anita Schneider six weeks ago and as she also has two sons by a former marriage, immediately doubled his family.
"We now have four boys my Rory (four) and Shey (seven) and her Karl (11) and Fred (13). We all get on famously," said a contented Feherty on the eve of a six tournament stint in Europe.
He will also play in the Murphy's Irish Open, the Scottish and British and Dutch Opens, then the Scandinavian Masters in Sweden. After that Feherty flies back across the Atlantic to commentate for CBS on the US PGA Championship in Kentucky.
Feherty has played 10 tournaments on the European circuit this year, and is currently 44th in the Volvo ranking with just over £67,000 prize money to his credit. But since he was runner up for the South African PGA title and fourth in the South African Players championship the following week, he has only once been in the top 20.
Philip Walton, who won the French title in 1990 when he beat Bernhard Langer in a play off at Chantilly, has fared little better, despite his strong early showing in the US Open.
"The course got to me in the end " he said. "For the first two days I hit the ball in the right places and I was only four shots off the lead after 36 holes. That told me I could compete at that level and I will be looking, for ward to going back again in August."
Walton will play in the USPGA and has received an invitation to the International at Denver the following week. He can also count on a third US visit this year for, his victory in last year's English Open at the Forest of Arden has qualified him for the Sarazen World Open in Atlanta in November.
The Malahide professional has not been so comfortable at the National Club in Paris since the French championship loved there five years ago. He missed the cut and lived up to the nick name of "Splash" he acquired at, Valderrama the previous autumn where he continually went into the lake at the 17th, the signature? hole of Seve Ballesteros at next, year's Ryder Cup venue.
"After the US Open every European course and green will seem easy, although this is a tough one, especially if the wind blows," added Walton. The hero of Oak Hill, Rochester is accompanied by 10 members of Europe victorious team in quest for the £100,000 first prize. The missing man is Nick Faldo.
Colin Montgomerie starts favourite and he has certainly been given preferential treatment by the French Federation who have their head quarters at the National Club near Versailles. The Scot has been signed for three years on a performance related contract which could earnt him over £150,000. His initial" £20,000 fee doubles in 1997 and 1998 and a bonus will be added should he win a major title in that time.
Montgomerie, said he "mentally exhausted " after US Open effort in which he the fairways and greens hit "When I get to the same level the greens I will win it" he declared. "It is all a matter of confidence. I know I can hit the fairway and then the green so I just go and do it. But when I gets over the putt I don't think I am going to hole it.
What he will not do, he insisted, was follow Faldo's example and play permanently in the US in order to improve his putting on their superior greens. "Golf is not the number one thing in my life," he said. "My family is my top priority."
Although Darren Clarke and, Padraig Harrington are taking a rest in order to be fresh for the Irish Open next week, Ireland are. still strongly represented. Paul McGinley, Raymond Burns, David Higgins and Francis Howley have all followed on from Munich as has Ronan Rafferty, while Des Smyth returns after a week's break. Christy O'Connor Jnr's left hand, which he jarred during the BMW Open second round, has recovered sufficiently well to allow him to continue.
