FOUR UNDER multiplied by four ... Bernhard Langer wasn't prepared to contemplate such targets against the punishing challenge presented by Druids Glen, where a sparkling 67 made him first round leader by two strokes in the £750,000 Murphy's Irish Open yesterday.
That only eight players, including Colin Montgomerie and Per Ulrich Johansson on 69, defied fresh winds to break par, told its own, dramatic story of grief and recrimination.
Unfortunately, the record Irish entry of 28 delivered only one member of that elite group. Improbably, he is Gary Murphy, the 23 year old former Irish Amateur Close champion, whose failure to get through the Tour School last autumn has consigned him to the golfing backwaters of the mini tours in England. "I'm sure the tax man will be after me," he grinned, declaring tournament earnings of £740 so far this year.
Padraig Harrington, with a 77, was among those who suffered. And as one who has become familiar with the feeling, playing partner Seve Ballesteros gave the Dubliner a consoling pat on the back after the last putt had been dispatched on the 18th to end a round that had held rich promise. It was also a round in which controversy and spectacle became unhappy bedfellows for the Spanish Open champion.
Play had been in progress for almost 11 hours before the course yielded its first eagle. And then there were two, both in the last three ball of the day. The first came from England's Stephen Field at the long fifth. Then compatriot Ricky Willison, holed his second shot at the next for an eagle two. Otherwise, a stubborn course bestowed few favours.
Among the more fascinating aspects of the day's play were the sharply contrasting interpretations of the golfing gospel, expounded by Langer one of two Masters titles, and Montgomerie, a gifted pretender. According to Langer, the lush fringes around the greens were unfair because. "They take chipping and pitching out of the game. That's one of the things I don't like about the US Open."
When I informed Montgomerie of this criticism, he countered. "The skill in the game is to hit the fairways and hit the greens. You shouldn't have to pitch and chip." Fascinating. So, where on the course did he believe players should be punished? "I want them to be in line for punishment from the first shot they hit."
Therein lies the basis of what will undoubtedly remain a hotly debated subject for the duration of the championship. As a concession to the freshening winds sweeping down the course from the splendid clubhouse, the tee at the 452 yard 18th was brought forward by as much as 30 yards. Tee shots were also shortened, though less significantly, at the seventh, 11th, 14th and 17th.
With the breeze blowing left to right across the first, competitors felt that a fairway as narrow as 19 yards at the landing area was excessively tight. But tournament director Andy McFee has no thoughts of cutting the rough back at this stage. "I accept that it's a bit narrow, but it's too late to be making changes of that nature," he said. Did he anticipate the freshening winds when the course was set up? "Yes," came the reply.
The overall effect was of a challenge as demanding mentally as it was on golfing skills. Harrington admitted as much when a prospective sub par round was destroyed by crushing figures of five, six, seven bogey, double bogey, triple bogey from the merciless 13th.
There, the Dubliner failed to clear the water fronting the green. Then, at the next, he was involved in a protracted, 30 minute rules wrangle when he pulled his drive into trees. On the advice of defending champion Sam Torrance, his other playing partner, he continued to search for the ball instead of going back to play a provisional.
As it happened, the experience of Harrington's caddie, John O'Reilly, was crucial in that he started the stop watch immediately the search commenced. After four minutes and 30 seconds, the ball was identified in a tree by a spectator using binoculars.
Believing that he had to recover the ball, Harrington turned to a group of youngsters in the gallery and said jokingly, "A tenner to whoever gets the ball." With that, a youngster scrambled up the tree in quest of the elusive pill, 25 feet above. He then shook the tree, dislodging it to the ground. Caddie O'Reilly duly paid him £20 for his trouble. "He must have had no change," was the wry comment from Harrington, a qualified accountant.
The player went on. "The problem was that I hadn't declared the ball unplayable, so I decided to seek a ruling." In the event, the referee ruled that the boy was an outside agency, which meant that the player dropped under penalty within two club lengths of where the ball hit the ground. Students of the rules may be interested to know that the referee acted in accordance with Decision 18-2a/29. "Ball dislodged from tree replacement of ball not possible."
Whatever about the penalty stroke, the overall effect of the incident on Harrington was devastating. Having taken a double bogey six there, he went on to triple bogey the next, where, with a second shot of 160 yards to clear the water, he failed to make the carry with a four iron out of rough.
"Seve and Sam had to hang about for 30 minutes just as I did, but it didn't affect their play of the remaining holes," he said. "I've got to ensure that I learn from this experience." Harrington added. "I'm not out of it only my target has changed. I must now aim to make the cut."
Montgomerie's score emphasised the confidence and skill of a player currently third in the world rankings. Having started at the 10th, he was progressing quietly until the 13th, where he was shaken to the core. But a triple bogey seven had the effect of exemplifying the enormous help that an, accomplished caddie can he to his master.
"As we walked towards the next tee, Alastair (McLean) turned to me and said it would be really something if I could go on and win the tournament after that," said Montgomerie. The player's response was to birdie the next three holes with iron play so precise that all three putts were no longer than four feet.
A bogey at the first, where a blocked drive forced him to take a penalty drop, became no more than a temporary set back. Montgomerie went on to birdie the second, fifth and ninth, sinking putts of eight feet, 20 feet and five feet. Was he critical of the punishing 13th? "I'm not criticising this course," he replied. "There are 18 good holes out there and it's a delight to see the course set up that way.
Langer also started on the 10th and, given his recent problems, it was particularly revealing that the round contained only 28 putts eight of them singles. "That's the major difference in my game," he said. "Up to the last few weeks, I had been losing three to six strokes on the green every round." How good did he rate his round? "Level par would be a good score out there."
Ironically, Johansson also finished earlier in the day, when swirling winds had conditions at their most difficult. "It's good the course is set up this way, other wise we would shoot 60," he said.
Sixty around Druids Glen was but the stuff of dreams, however, as Ireland's latest contribution to the world professional stage teased, infuriated and ultimately crushed most of its would be conquerors.
