Article
All eyes on the K-Club
Paul Gallagher
09/08/06: When the Ryder Cup circus rolls into town all eyes will be firmly fixed on proceedings at the K-Club in Kildare as this small island plays host to one of the world's truly global sporting events for the first time.
The K Club was officially opened in July 1991 and from the outset its owner Dr Michael Smurfit set about realising a lifelong dream of bringing the biennial showdown to these shores. The venue was among the candidates for the 1993 matches but Smurfit had to wait until 1998 before receiving the seal of approval to host the event in 2006. It was originally to be staged in 2005 but the event was put back to to even number years after 9/11.
Smurfit has ploughed millions into the K-Club over the years and has brought to fruition one the finest golf complexes seen anywhere in the world. He has unashamedly pitched the resort at the high end of the market.
The legendary Arnold Palmer was called upon to design the original 7300-yard North Course layout and this course will be used to stage the matches. Palmer also returned to the estate and created a second South Course (Smurfit Course) - described as an inland links - which was officially opened in 2003.
Since 1995 the original course has been the home of the European Tour’s Smurfit European Open. Home favourite Darren Clarke was one of the most popular winners when he won the event in 2001.
The European Open was switched to the South Course in 2004 and the new layout certainly punched above its weight when the US Open Champion Retief Goosen followed-up his second major success with a comfortable win in some very testing conditions.
The event reverted back to the original course in 2005 but was switched once again to the Smurfit Course for this years’s Smurfit Kappa European Open.
Such is the scale of the Ryder Cup the powers that be at GAA headquarters took the decision to move the All-Ireland football final forward by one week - from its traditional fourth week in September date - this year so as not to clash with the action at the K-Club.
"I'd say the GAA have been outstanding in their consideration to us in not scheduling the All-Ireland football final for the same weekend as the Ryder Cup, it's in the national interest," insisted Richard Hills, an Englishman (albeit married to an Irishwoman), the director of the Ryder Cup. Minster for Sport, John O'Donoghue, called it "a fine gesture".
At the time Liam Mulvihill, the director general of the GAA, attended the 2002 Ryder Cup at The Belfry and got to see first-hand the sheer scale. "It's a major international sporting event," said Mulvihill. "It really is such a big event, and hugely popular for television audiences, that we felt we really should co-operate fully by changing the date of the All-Ireland."
With Ian Woosnam and Tom Lehman as respective captains, plus Des Smyth serving as Woosnam’s vice captain they are sure evoke plenty of passion in their players as the Americans come into the event as slight underdogs for the first time ever.