EAMONN DARCY turned the tables on his old rival Des Smyth in the first round of the Peugeot Spanish Open yesterday with a four under par 68 against his Irish PGA conqueror's 74.
Darcy, now reverted to the Langer style putting method which has served him so well in recent years, collected six birdies at Club de Campo where title favourite Colin Montgomerie took 74, and then withdrew because of his worries about his three month old daughter Venetia, who was taken to hospital with an infection at the weekend.
Montgomerie flew home after talking to his wife Eimar, who had remained behind to move into hospital with their second child, after she had been taken ill while they were en route from Thailand at the weekend.
"We are both very concerned and my first duty is to my family," he said. The European number one left former amateur champion Iain Pyman as the surprise leader on 66, one stroke better than Australian Peter O'Malley and Welsh Tour School graduate Marcus Wills.
Darcy headed the Irish challenge in a group sharing fourth place that included Sergio Garcia, the 16 year old European amateur champion. Padraig Harrington, Ireland's man of the moment on the European Tour, opened with a solid 70. Although Darcy continually left himself awkward length putts on the soft, spongy greens he professed to being "comfortable" despite the "horrific" surfaces.
"The ball was bumping about all over the place but I avoided serious trouble despite starting each half with a bogey," be said. Darcy was in the woods with his opening drive, and overhit the green at the 10th, but otherwise was a model of consistency.
Smyth said he had simply run out of gas after his fifth Irish PGA victory last week. "I made a lot of silly mistakes," be admitted.
Darren Clarke, Eoghan O'Connell and David Higgins also had 74, but Francis Howley shot 71, and Jimmy Heggarty gave himself every chance of survival despite three putting the last for a par 72, Harrington, who is on the trail of a fourth successive top ten finish in order to secure a place in next week's Benson and Hedges Open, was another who was at ease on the greens. He dropped a stroke at his first hole, the 10th, where like Darcy he hit his wedge approach too strongly, but there after produced polished golf.
A birdie at the 12th got him in par, then he came home in with further birdies at the fourth and sixth. Howley's performance in finishing under par was remarkable considering he started with three successive Slack iron shots which play well wide of the greens were the cause, but he got his recovery under way with birdies at the seventh and eighth and turned in 37.
He had got down from 15 feet at the eighth, and added further birdies from eight and 10 feet at the 10th and 12th to go one under. But it was far from plain sailing in the closing holes.
He took six at the long 14th after driving into the trees, and was fortunate not to run up another at the next. He incurred a penalty shot there for a common contravention of Rule 20. In taking one club's length relief after a pushed drive Howley dropped his ball into play and saw it run more than a further club length away.
He then picked it up and redropped, unaware that in such instances the rules permit the ball to travel up to two clubs from the point where it was dropped. When a referee was called he confirmed the penalty. Howley escaped retribution by wedging just off the green with his third shot and then chipped in from 35 feet for his par four.
"I got a lucky break and my mistake did not cost me," he said "but I will remember the rule in future." A birdie three at the 16th where be almost holed his nine iron approach followed by two solid pars enabled him to beat the card. The 71 did not alter his opinion that he badly needs a rest.
