Vernons of Co Sligo recalled

Ireland's remarkable impact on the international scene gained further emphasis this week through Ciaran McMonagle's victory in the South African Open Strokeplay Championship. It came in the wake of Darren Clarke's win in matchplay in San Diego and brought to mind largely-forgotten deeds by players from another era.

A wonderful story of Irish golfing achievement in South Africa had its beginnings early in the last century, in the marriage of Co Sligo members Amy Ormsby and Larry Vernon. A native of Rosses Point, she was the Irish Women's champion of 1909 and he was the course record holder at Co Sligo with a six-under-bogey 75.

After falling into ill-health, Vernon was advised to go abroad to sunnier climes. So it was that on December 16th, 1913, he and his wife emigrated to South Africa, where he went on to become runner-up in the national Strokeplay Championship at Royal Port Alfred in 1922.

Meanwhile, his health improved to such an extent that he saw fit to return home to Rosses Point on holiday the following year. The visit, no doubt by intent, coincided with the inaugural staging of the West of Ireland Championship, which Vernon won from a field of 42, beating B M Cook by 3 and 2 in the final.

But his wife was easily the more successful of the pair. As Mrs A F Vernon, she won the South African Women's Championship on a then record four occasions, starting in 1922 when she was a member of the Mowbray club.

Three years later she joined the Johannesburg club, but extracted maximum advantage from local knowledge by regaining the title when it was staged at Mowbray in 1925. And she successfully defended it at Durban in 1926.

Her last success was in 1934 at Maccauvlei and it is fair to suggest that, in an international context, the championship's next most famous winner didn't come along until 1981, when Marie-Laure de Lorenzi of France took the title.

Interestingly, its launch in 1909 happened to coincide with Ms Ormsby's Irish Women's triumph at Lahinch, where she beat Violet Hazlet by 4 and 2 in the final. The report in this newspaper concluded: "The match was a remarkable one as Miss Ormsby was at one stage three down, yet she played brilliant golf subsequently."

Amy Ormsby was born into one of the most respected, established families in the Sligo area. Home was Bousmore Lodge, Rosses Point and her brother Willie was married to Ethel Ewing, making him Cecil Ewing's uncle. In September 1923, Willie Ormsby was made an honorary member of Co Sligo "in recognition of his long and valuable service to the club".

Larry Vernon was held in similar esteem. Indeed on the occasion of his departure to South Africa, he was presented with a suitable memento to "mark the club's appreciation of his services as well as Mr Vernon's thorough good sportsmanship at all times".

"The last two years have been diabolical. It would be nice to get to December 31st having made a profit for a change."

- Richard Boxall (38), on his decision to quit the European Tour to take up full-time television punditry.

It's hard to credit a professional sportsman describing the acknowledged and much-revered birthplace of his craft as "the worst piece of mess I've ever seen". But that's what Scott Hoch thinks of St Andrews.

At best, it is lacking somewhat in gratitude, given that at the latest count he has amassed career earnings of $10,508,110 from tournament golf. At worst, it helps explain why the 44-year-old from North Carolina has such a poor public image in the game.

But in the best traditions of the committed mercenary, Hoch will be returning to the Old Course in July, for only his fourth appearance in the British Open. Two of those were at St Andrews, where he missed the cut in 1990 and was tied 68th in 1995. The other was at Royal Birkdale in 1998, when he again missed the cut.

"I need to go for the sake of my sponsors, Yonex, even though I might not want to," explained Hoch, who insisted last year that he wouldn't be travelling. "I don't like playing in crappy weather. My hands get cold fast. I'm a warm-weather guy."

Apart from the weather, what were his specific criticisms of the Old Course. "The list is too long," he replied.

Meanwhile, denizens of the Auld Grey Toon should unfurl the flags, summon the piper and prepare the haggis - Hoch is on his way.

Sal Johnson is a charming, American colleague who is to golf statistics what Bertie Ahern is to politics. So I wouldn't dream of questioning his overall analysis of Darren Clarke's performance en route to victory in the recent Andersen Consulting Matchplay Championship at La Costa.

Take Table Here

Perhaps it was the heightened sense of family, prompted by the death in England this week of his older brother, Paddy. Either way, John Cassidy, the former professional at Limerick GC, feared that in giving due publicity to scoring achievements in the modern game, we could easily overlook the skills of his generation.

So it was that he felt moved to relate the exploits of another brother, Denis, and Mick Ferguson in strokeplay qualifying for the Paddy Markey Cup at Dundalk in May, 1952. Denis Cassidy, playing off two, carded six birdies and an eagle - at the long third - on the way to an eight-under-par outward half of 27.

"There was a thunderstorm when Denis and Mick hit off the 10th tee," recalled John, who is recovering from a second heart by-pass operation. In the event, Denis slipped to a homeward 40, which would have given him a course record 67, but for the consistency of his playing partner. Ferguson shot a 66.

Another member of the Cassidy family, Jimmy, the current professional at Dundalk, was caddying for his brother that day. "Denis went on to win the competition," said Jimmy. "As for me: I went on to become assistant to my father Jimmy at Dundalk in 1959." Paddy, like Denis, remained in amateur ranks.

Charlie Sifford, who became the first black golfer to win a USPGA Tour event when he captured the Hartford Open in 1967, recently joined other golfing luminaries Tommy Bolt, Doug Sanders, Tony Jacklin, Don January and Bob Goalby for filming golf commercials in Florida.

At one stage in the proceedings, the 76-year-old from North Carolina asked his white caddie about a pin placement. Whereupon the caddie informed his master that he couldn't tell the colour of the flag, because he was colour-blind. To which Sifford retorted: "You guys have been telling me that for years."

This day in history . . . On March 11th, 1945, Byron Nelson teamed up with Harold "Jug" McSpaden to win the Miami Fourball Invitational. It was to be the start of a stunning, 11 successive wins, which remains a record for world golf. The other 10 were: Charlotte Open, Greensboro Open, Durham Open, Atlanta Iron Lung Tournament, PGA Canadian Open, Philadelphia Inquirer Invitational, Chicago Victory Open, USPGA Championship, Tam O'Shanter Open and the Canadian Open.

Teaser: In strokeplay, a player is in doubt as to whether his drive may be out of bounds. He plays a provisional ball under Rule 27-2. He finds the original ball and cannot determine whether it is out of bounds or not. The player wishes to consider the provisional ball as his second ball under Rule 3-3 and complete the play of the hole with both balls. Is this permitted?

Answer: Yes. In invoking Rule 3-3 (Doubts as to Procedure) after playing a provisional ball, the player must treat the provisional ball as a second hall. Although the note to Rule 3-3 provides: "A second ball played under Rule 3-3 is not a provisional ball under Rule 27-2", the reverse is not true in the present case.