During the second round of the National Car Rental Golf Classic at Lake Buena Vista in Florida last Friday, Payne Stewart was a little taken aback to be addressed by an Irish voice as he walked from the 15th green to the 16th tee on the Magnolia Course. But he made a suitably courteous response on being congratulated for his splendid victory in the US Open last June.
The player was positively halted in his tracks, however, when the spectator added: "Congratulations on being next year's honorary captain of Waterville." The American reacted: "How did you know that? Are you a member of the club?"
At that stage, Dublin-based solicitor Tom Duffy, a native of Mullingar, explained that he was at Disneyworld on holiday with his wife and children and had taken the day away from them to have a look at the tournament. Then, picking up on the Waterville situation, Stewart asked: "Have you any advice for me?" To which Duffy replied with a smile: "Yes. Steer clear of committee meetings."
This brought a roar of laughter from the American, who was clearly aware of the ability of such bodies to make a camel out of a horse. With that, he hit off the 16th tee and was followed on the remaining holes of the round by his Irish admirer.
But their exchanges weren't finished. As Stewart walked up the 18th fairway, he spied his new-found friend once more, outside the fairway ropes. Whereupon he came over to Duffy and enquired: "Do you know J P McManus?" "Not personally," came the reply. "I'm afraid I don't move in the same social circles." "Well, if you see him, give him my best regards." And all of this while he was attempting to make the halfway cut, which, as it happened, he missed by a stroke after a second successive 71.
Neither man could have known this would be the last tournament hole Stewart would ever play. And by a remarkable coincidence, on that very day, he was among the leading names announced at a press conference in Limerick to compete in the J P McManus Invitational 2000 Pro-Am at Limerick GC next July.
Duffy, whose brother Michael is a past captain of Mullingar GC, said: "Though our exchange was helped by the fact that there weren't many people around the 16th tee, I was amazed at his friendliness and willingness to chat. And I was really stunned when he actually sought me out going down the 18th."
He concluded: "Obviously it's dreadfully sad that he is now gone from us. But I will treasure these beautiful memories of a generous and charming gentleman."
Footnote: Since the player's death, his infamous remark comparing Europe's Ryder Cup players to caddies, has been widely misquoted. So, for the record, his actual words were: "On paper, they shouldn't be caddying for us." Then he added: "But that isn't what this is about. It's about bringing your game to the event, and they (the Europeans) bring it." Typically, he had a good laugh about it afterwards.
"I don't want to make a thing about it, especially after the tragedy of Payne, but it was a strange coincidence." - Ian Woosnam, after his private aircraft encountered pressurisation problems en route to Spain last Wednesday.
SERGIO GARCIA is showing himself to be an exemplary professional - which serves to prove that every young player is entitled to sow his wild oats. The 19-year-old had his fall from grace four years ago, in the Spanish Under-21 Matchplay tournament in Bilbao.
After sparkling play - he was a cumulative 18-under-par for four rounds - Garcia took his place in the final against an Italian opponent. But when the match was called, only one player was present on the tee - and it wasn't Garcia. And the position was unchanged after 13 minutes had elapsed.
Desperate for a solution, one official proposed penalising Garcia two holes for his tardiness, but the Italian protested and was duly acclaimed champion. It later transpired that the young Spaniard had been to a disco the previous night and didn't return to his hotel until one in the morning. And, typically, the wake-up call he ordered, never came.
Garcia recalled: "All my father said to me was `You know what you have done', and he was right. It was a good experience for me. After that, whenever I went away to play golf, it was probably only me who was not going out at night, when there was a chance."
WITH the major championships completed for the last decade of the century, it seems appropriate to look at the distribution of the spoils, not only over the last 10, but the last 60 years (No small measures in this column). Anyway, of the 40 "majors" played in the nineties, Americans won 21, Europeans won nine and others - Australians and Southern Africans - won 10.
A lot further back, however, the predictably huge impact which Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson had on the majors' table is very much in evidence. Then there was the upsurge in European fortunes brought about by their relatively recent dominance of the US Masters.
The majors roll of honour for recent decades is: 1940s - US 23; Europeans 2; Others 1; 1950s - US 31; Europeans 1; Others 8; 1960s - US 31; Europeans 1; Others 8; 1970s - US 34; Europeans 2; Others 4; 1980s US 29; Europeans 9; Others 2; 1990s US 21; Europeans 9; Others 10.
Nicklaus's dominance can be seen in America's supremacy during the 1970s, their most productive decade, when he won no fewer than eight of his 18 professional majors. And the marked upsurge in European fortunes from then on can be attributed largely to successes in the Masters, initiated by Seve Ballesteros in 1980.
Finally, the impact of "Others", from the 1950s onwards, is down mainly to three outstanding competitors - South Africa's Gary Player with nine majors, compatriot Bobby Locke with four and Australia's Peter Thomson with five. Indeed Australians have captured a total of 13 majors since Thomson showed them the way in 1954, by winning the first of five British Opens.
NOW that Arnold Palmer has turned 70, his good friend and long-time manager, Mark McCormack, obviously feels it's safe to tell some tales out of school.
Like the bets with each other over the last 39 years, and how none of them was honoured.
McCormack recalls: "Years ago, when we were flying from Australia to Honolulu, I stopped on the way to the airport and ended up with the scores of all the NFL (American football) games. (We were leaving Australia on Monday which was a Sunday in the US and were going to arrive in Honolulu on Monday morning).
"While on the plane, we spent two hours making bets and when we got to Honolulu I told him to get the newspapers and check the scores. Needless to say, I won all the games. And the expression on face had to be seen to be believed. Untimately I confessed - and never collected."
WHEN putting together the lists of players for the Irish Times Golf Masters over the last two years, I'm afraid I inadvertently gave competitors a bit of a raw deal through the inclusion of Ronan Rafferty. In 1998, he played only six tournaments, culminating in a share of 41st place in the English Open in early June. And he didn't play at all this season.
The reason was severe damage to his left hand which led ultimately to surgery in Australia last January. At the time, it was expected he would make a comeback in qualifying for the British Open at Carnoustie, but it never materialised.
Now, it appears he is ready for a long-awaited return. The former European number one has been named in a select field of 39 to compete in the Hassan Trophy in Morocco on November 10th to 14th, when the field includes 1996 US Open champion Steve Jones, Gary Player, Billy Casper, Seve Ballesteros and Costantino Rocca, among others.
THIS DAY IN GOLF HISTORY . . . On October 30th 1965, Gary Player won the Australian Open Championship for a fourth time. In the process of returning a championship record aggregate of 264, the South African started and finished with rounds of 62. Player went on to win the championship on three further occasions, in 1969, 1970 and 1974, eclipsing the six titles of his great rival, Jack Nicklaus.
TEASER: A hit his ball over onto another fairway where, before it came to rest, it was struck by X in the course of striking his own ball. X's ball went 20 yards. A's ball could not be found. What is the ruling?
ANSWER: Each player was an outside agency in relation to the other. Under Rule 19-1, A would have been obliged to play his ball as it lay, without penalty, if it had been found. Since it was not found, A must proceed under Rule 27-1 (Lost ball). X must play his ball as it lies, without penalty.
