The quest for perfection is one which constantly grates on the mind of a professional. Indeed, Bernhard Langer and Jose-Maria Olazabal, two of Europe's Ryder Cup-winning team last year, adequately emphasise the point by their approach to the Heineken Classic at The Vines resort in Perth, the second stop on the European Tour's globe-trotting start to the season.
As the first round started today (at a time when the continent of Europe was deep in slumber), Langer changed the habit of a lifetime by switching from his traditional blade irons to cavity-backed irons, while Olazabal, playing his first tournament on Australian soil, was moving his target for the season up a notch or two.
For 21 years, Langer has used "blades" on the circuit. This season, however, he has switched from Wilson to Ping as he seeks to fulfill his two ambitions for the season ahead: to top the European moneylist and to win one of the four majors. "I've played blades all my life and these are cavity-backed, so it's a totally different concept for me," explained Langer.
Langer won four times on the Tour last season, but still lost out to Colin Montgomerie in the race to win the Order of Merit title. "Last year was a great one for me, after putting and injury problems in 1996," said Langer, "and this season I want to get straight into a confident mode with the new clubs, keep my health and keep winning."
The German has chosen a tough start to his schedule. Not alone is Olazabal in the field in Perth - a course ranked number two in Australia - but other major winners Ernie Els, who lost a play-off to Tiger Woods in the Johnnie Walker Classic in Phuket last Sunday, Ian Woosnam and seven times Australian Open winner Gary Player, now 62, are also chasing the £133,330 first prize.
Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley, Ronan Rafferty, Raymond Burns, Francis Howley and Philip Walton comprise the six strong Irish contingent, while there is also a typically strong antipodean presence with Australians Robert Allenby, Craig Parry and New Zealand's Frank Nobilo.
Harrington, who shot a course record 63 last year, and McGinley, who was runner-up to Woosnam in the tournament in 1996, have a particular liking for the course. Harrington hopes intensive physiotherapy since his arrival will enable him to overcome the neck muscle injury he sustained in Tahiland last week.
Olazabal, meanwhile, has adopted a much more positive approach to the 1998 season than last year when, he admits, "just to play was a bonus".
Indeed, the Spaniard is fulfilling an undertaking he made to the tournament organisers two years ago by playing in the Western Australian event. Then, four months into a foot injury which was diagnosed a rheumatoid arthritis, Olazabal withdrew and promised, "this is not a goodbye, only a temporary farewell".
Olazabal was out of the game for 18 months and credits German doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt with his rehabilitation. "I'd probably be close to a wheelchair now. Many, many times I thought I would never play again. It was a very tough experience," he said. Olazabal, who recommenced playing last season, won the Turespana Masters in his third outing and played a big part in Europe's Ryder Cup success at Valderrama.
"I'm close to 100 per cent now," insisted Olazabal. "I can still feel my feet, but they don't stop me practising as much as I want. My tour schedule is back to normal. Two weeks ago in Spain I felt I was hitting the ball as well as I had for a long time."
And Olazabal has set his sights higher for the year ahead. "I'm starting to get annoyed with myself again out on the golf course. I want to get my game back to where it was in 1994, and I want some tournaments under my belt before I go over to play in the United States," he said.
With temperatures approaching 40 celsius, Els is determined to "finish the job" this time round. "Losing the way I did in a play-off was not the way the script was written, certainly not the way I wanted it. I want to get rid of the disappointment of last week as quickly as I can," he explained.
