It had its beginnings at Augusta National where, we would have to concede, there have been more recognisable highlights in the golfing career of Jose Maria Olazabal. Yet its importance is reflected in a bond which, after 15 years, shows no sign of diminishing.

We refer to the special relationship which exists between the gifted Spaniard and the Irish Open championship, now under the Murphy's banner. And his manager, Sergio Gomez, retains vivid recollections of how it all began, in April 1985.

"As the reigning British Amateur champion, Jose was playing the Masters for the first time," recalled Gomez. "That was when Joe Flanagan of Carrolls came up to me and asked if I was his manager. To which I replied that I was his driver, his caddie, his nurse and his baby-sitter, but I wasn't his manager. But we could still talk."

The upshot was that player and prospective manager accepted an invitation to play in the Irish Open at Royal Dublin two months later when Olazabal, then acknowledged as the finest amateur in Europe, shot an aggregate of 289 to share 34th place with no less a figure than Lee Trevino. Among other things, it cemented an affection for links golf.

"It was very important to me to get that chance of playing in Ireland back then, and I will always be grateful for it," the player recalled. "That is why I have a very good feeling for your country. The crowds are special. They appreciate my play and they sympathise with my mistakes. That is very important to a tournament golfer."

Whereupon Gomez took over. "Ballybunion," he mused, investing the name with accented inflections which no Kerryman could ever have imagined. "There was this guy in our club in San Sebastian about 25 years ago who went to Ireland on a golfing holiday every year and he would say `you must go and play Ballybunion.' And he said the same thing to Jose, many times.

"Naturally we have since become aware of it as a great course. When you think of churches, you might think of St Peters or the Sistine or Our Lady of Lourdes. When you think of links courses, you think of Ballybunion as one of the purest links where Tom Watson added only a few touches.

"So, when we heard last autumn that the Murphy Irish Open was going there, Jose was immediately very excited. This course that our club member at San Sebastian talked so much about, now he can experience it for himself."

Olazabal holds a special place in the history of the Irish Open in that he is the last player to have captured the title on links terrain - at Portmarnock in 1990. And his success on that occasion would have surprised nobody who had observed his performances during the preceding years.

His transition from amateur to professional ranks was remarkably similar to that of compatriot Sergio Garcia, the holder of the Irish Open title. For instance, having competed in the Masters in which he shot rounds of 81 and 76 to miss the cut, he went on to make his professional debut in the Spanish Open, just as Garcia did last year. And he also had to complete his schooling.

But there was a crucial difference. Given that the Spanish Open wasn't held until October, he had time to cram for exams and then complete a unique treble by adding the British Youths to the Boys and Amateur titles he had captured in the previous two years.

At the end of that year, Olazabal led the European Qualifying School and the investment made by Carrolls delivered an immediate dividend when he planned his schedule for his rookie season. By this stage, Gomez had graduated from nurse, baby-sitter and caddie to become his manager in a partnerhip which is now acknowledged as one of the most enduring in the history of the game.

In the event, Olazabal's debut in the Irish Open as a professional was not unlike his European debut the previous October, insofar as Seve Ballesteros captured the title. But instead of missing the cut as he had done at Vallromanos, he finished only three strokes behind his compatriot in a share of fourth place.

A masterly iron player, he was also developing a sparkling short-game which would cause Ballesteros to remark at the time: "Nobody is better than Jose from around three metres." His putting was to serve him well at Portmarnock in 1988, especially in an opening round of 66 which gave him the lead by one stroke. "I remember I turned down an invitation to play in a $1 million tournament (The International at Castle Pines) in the States to be at Portmarnock that year," he said.

Even with a share of second place for a cheque of £15,443, the decision may not have paid off financially, but money has never been a deciding factor in how Gomez and Olazabal have structured the player's career. So it was that in June 1989, he was back at Portmarnock once more, this time having shared ninth place behind Curtis Strange in the US Open at Oak Hill the previous week. And again he challenged strongly before finishing in a share of sixth place as Ian Woosnam retained the title.

Against a background of 34th, fourth, second and sixth, it seemed a safe bet that a breakthrough couldn't be far off. "The more I played Portmarnock, the more I enjoyed it," he said. "I loved the fairness of the course and the demands it placed on iron play. And the crowds were always very special."

When victory was secured in 1990, it was somewhat easier than he might have expected. With Ballesteros as his mentor, the sorcerer's apprentice produced a performance worthy of an accomplished master when capturing the title by three strokes from second-placed Mark Calcavecchia.

"I remember the wind blew hard over the four days," he recalled. "It made the course really difficult, especially the closing holes. And I remember the tour had to move the tee forward at the (par four) 17th because we didn't have a chance of reaching the green with two woods."

In those circumstances, a final round of 72 which contained 16 pars, a birdie and a bogey, was a fair reflection of the majesty of Olazabal's play. His six-under-par aggregate of 282 comprised rounds of 67, 72, 71 and 72, making him the only player in the field not to be over par on any of the four days.

"I had first played Portmarnock when I was 14, in the Junior World Cup," he went on. "And I remember thinking in 1990 that it was my last chance to win there, because the tournament was going to Killarney the following year. In fact, I wondered if I would ever get to play an Irish Open on a links again. Now I am getting that chance and it is very exciting."

In four professional appearances and 16 competitive rounds at Portmarnock, he had never been out of the top six; had carded 11 rounds of par or better and shot four rounds in the sixties for a stroke average of 70.9. The closest he has come to recapturing the title since then, was at Mount Juliet in 1993 when he lost a play-off to Nick Faldo. Then there was the dreadful ordeal of a debilitating back problem which was misdiagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis.

On either side of that crisis, of course, were his two US Masters triumphs. And I will always remember standing with three British colleagues on the first tee at Augusta National on the Monday morning after his 1994 triumph when Olazabal arrived on the scene, apparently to be fitted for his green jacket.

Sensing our discomfort and potential embarrassment, he attempted to put us at our ease with a warm smile. Then, as he turned to walk away before we hit our opening drives, he remarked: "Piece of cake."

Kerry folk pride themselves on their hospitality. One suspects they will reserve a rather special welcome this week for this very special visitor.