Tour puts down roots in Kildare

THE K Club, which is reputed to test every club in a professional's bag, was bathed in sunshine yesterday when details were announced of this year's Smurfit European Open. And the once controversial venue, where the event will have its third successive staging on August 21st to 24th, received an emphatic endorsement from Andy McFee of the European, Tour.

Prize money has been increased to a record £850,000, of which players will be competing for a winner's cheque of £141,660. This could have a profound effect on final places in the Ryder Cup team, given that the European Open is the penultimate qualifying tournament.

Though a deal has yet to be finalised for future years, David Austin of the sponsoring company indicated yesterday that Smurfit were in the event for the long haul. "Indeed if all goes well, we could be looking towards Ireland's first £1 million tournament," he said.

Its new slot in the calendar means that the European Open is now being staged a week after the USPGA Championship at Winged Foot. This being a New York venue, players competing in both events will have a relatively straightforward trip to Dublin a factor which increased the attractiveness of the Irish event.

That and the strong reputation of The K Club have combined to deliver a worthy field. Per-Ulrik Johansson, recent winner of the English Open, will be defending the title he captured last September, but the favourite, even at this distance, is likely to be Ian Woosnam, the newly-crowned Volvo PGA champion.

Entries have also been received from Ryder Cup skipper Seve Ballesteros and the other half of the so-called Spanish Armada, Jose-Maria Olazabal. And Costantino Rocca, who lost out by a stroke to Johansson last year, will be back for another Straffan challenge.

"From a private survey, which we carried out within the tour, the reaction to last year's event was very positive" said McFee, the tournament director. "The feeling among the players is of a damn good professional's course which is going to offer a searching test of every club in the bag."

He went on: "This is my second trip here in recent weeks and I am most impressed with the work being done by the new greenkeeper, Gerry Byrne. He is working very well with our greenkeeping consultant, Richard Stillwell, and I have no doubt about the quality of the greens."

McFee concluded: "Even when the course wasn't 100 per cent, the players could see its tremendous potential. Now, happily, we have reached the stage where I would have no hesitation in staging a European tour event right here and now. So, with the European Open still two-and-a-half months away, I couldn't be happier about the arrangements."

The course is certainly in splendid condition after the recent spell of dry weather. Indeed I have never seen it so fast-running, which is extremely welcome to the handicap player, given an overall length of 6,776 yards off the medal tees.

As it happens, this is the 20th staging of the tournament which was launched in 1978 at Walton Heath where the American, Bobby Wadkins, gained his only important tournament victory. The brother of USPGA Championship winner Lanny Wadkins came through in an exciting finish,