Smyth set for more success

Irish Seniors Open: For the main part, Des Smyth's golfing existence these days is on the Champions Tour in America. But he hasn't forgotten the comforts of home.

Yesterday, as he tucked into a ham on brown bread sandwich at the Heritage in Killenard on the eve of the AIB Irish Seniors Open, where he is making his seasonal debut on the European Seniors Tour, the 52-year-old former Ryder Cup player claimed he would approach this €400,000 event as he does every one he competes in - to win.

"My attitude is that I go out there and give it 110 per cent," said Smyth. "I'm here to perform very well. I never got to win the Irish Open (on the regular tour) and that disappointed me, and I'm glad that my schedule this year allows me to play in this tournament."

Quite simply, the reason why Smyth is able to temporarily turn his back on the Champions Tour is that he has performed so well in the US so far this year. Two wins - in the SBC Classic and the Legends of Golf - there has made him the form player, and earnings of $786,911 leave him third on the US money list.

Smyth, who envisages spending another five or six years playing in the States, is also ready to take the next step towards claiming a major.

"My aim is to play as well as I can (in every tournament), but I'm really trying to make an impression on the majors. You don't get the acknowledgement of players over there (in America) until you win over there. I've done that. Now, I want to step up a division. If you win a major, in their eyes you're a serious contender."

Yet, Smyth, who should have an edge in tournament sharpness over most of the field this week on a course designed by Seve Ballesteros, in collaboration with Jeff Howes, doesn't expect to have things all his own way.

"We've played enough tournaments to know that when you go out there, you don't know what's going to happen," he said. "The guy that hits the shots and holes the putts, that's the guy that's going to win it. That can be anybody."

In this case, Smyth is very much the favourite. But the list of rivals is as strong as can be found on the European Seniors Tour.

All four of this year's winners to date - Denis O'Sullivan, Luis Carbonetti, Bob Lenzion and Gery Watine - are in the field, as are six of the previous winners of this title: Noel Ratcliffe, Tommy Horton, Joe McDermott, Seiji Ebihara, John Morgan and Carl Mason. Mason, who has topped the Seniors Tour money-list for the past two years, may not have won yet this season, but he has three top-10 finishes out of four.

And Eamonn Darcy came close to a maiden win on the Seniors Tour a fortnight ago, only losing out to Watine in a play-off at the Italian Seniors Open.

Another player with strong credentials is Sam Torrance, who has finished in the top 10 in his two appearances this season.

Yesterday, Torrance observed that Smyth would "have been a great captain" for the Ryder Cup at the K Club next year, although pointedly adding that "if he (Smyth) doesn't get it (the vice-captaincy, which is being announced on the eve of the Smurfit European Open later this month), I'd want to know why."

For now, though, Smyth's mind is on winning this Irish Seniors title and, coming on the back of a tied-sixth finish in last week's US Seniors PGA, Smyth is a deserved favourite. "I'm as competitive now as when I played on the main tour," he assessed.

Which sounds ominous for the other pretenders to the crown.

SELECTED TEE-TIMES: 9.50: E Darcy (Ire), B Lendzion (US), B Longmuir (Sco); 10: S Torrance (Sco), C O'Connor Jnr (Ire), DJ Russell (Eng); 10.10: T Horton (Eng), V Garcia (Spa), B Shearer (Aus); 10.30: D Smyth (Ire), C Mason (Eng), M Pinero (Spa); 10.40: J Morgan (Eng), D O'Sullivan (Ire), G Levenson (SA).