K Club Diary

The good folk of Appleby jewellers are unlikely to have to take out too much insurance against a competitor winning the a100,000 diamond on offer for any golfer who finishes 12 under for the par fives over the four rounds at the Kappa Smurfit European Open.

Due to the seriously inclement weather over the past few days, the par five 18th hole at the Smurfit course was reduced to a par three for the opening two rounds. It will be restored to a par five for the weekend but at that point it will probably be too little too late. Having to play 36 holes with just the six par five opportunities would require a phenomenal strike rate.The last player to claim the Appleby prize was Denmark's Thomas Bjorn in 2002 when the required mark was 14 under for the par fives. His feat was also achieved on the Palmer rather than Smurfit course.

Junior does dad proud

One interested spectator at The K Club was renowned American golf course designer Robert Trent Jones Jnr. He is currently in Ireland to design 36 holes, one heath land, one parkland layout at Ballinrea, a 420-acre site, on behalf of Douglas Golf Club, who have been offered a cash plus relocation deal for their current land by Castle Lands Construction.

Given that he is no stranger to these shores, although this will be his first solo design project in Ireland, he'll be well versed with the current Irish summer weather. He laughed: "My father said that the three most important things involved with designing any golf course are drainage, drainage and drainage." His late father is the celebrated golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Snr, who designed this year's Irish Open venue, Adare Manor Hotel & Golf resort and the Cashen course at Ballybunion.

Trent Jones Jnr enthused about the Douglas project: "It's a fantastic site. All going well, work is due to begin later this year." He met the project committee on Thursday and they were delighted with the routings.

There were one or two revisions to the original drawings at the behest of the membership, who at a meeting on March 22nd, offered almost a 90 per cent endorsement of the project. The new location is at Ballinrea, 1.4 kilometres from the current Douglas Golf course. The total cost of the development deal is a171 million, with Douglas getting 36 holes, a clubhouse, a state of the art practice academy and driving range, 50 buggies and a50 million in cash.

The venture will be dependent upon Castle Lands Construction (who offered the deal to the Cork golf club) receiving planning permission for the re-zoning of the original Douglas Golf Club land.

Johansson bites back

That Sweden's Per Ulrik Johansson has demonstrated an affinity with the Kappa Smurfit European Open is manifest from his two successive victories at The K Club in 1996 and 1997 but his rude health in this year's staging belies a severe dip in his fortunes in recent years.

At one stage he caddied for Jesper Parnevik in the British Open; Johansson is married to Parnevik's sister Jill. He has won just over a30,000 over the last three seasons on the European Tour, relying principally on sponsors' invites. He is 302nd on the Order of Merit having made his only cheque (a4,500) at the Andalucian Open.

Johansson is playing this week as a former champion and has so far made the most of that invitation by heading into the weekend at two under par, six shots behind the leader, fellow Swede Pelle Edberg. When asked what the secret was in winning the European Open for a second successive time in 1997, he remarked: "The brown bread that I eat at breakfast every morning is the best. You don't get it anywhere else in the world." No need to ask what he's munching on this week.

Not a good Friday

Yesterday's attendance of 7,596 who pitched up to the Smurfit Kappa European Open is the lowest Friday total in the last seven years and the second lowest - 7,301 attended the opening day in 2005 - on any day during that period. The tournament continues to suffer from the adverse weather.