WHEN Ernie Els wriggled from their grasp last year like an electric eel evading a fisherman's net, the promoters of the Murphy's Irish Open were determined he would not slip away so easily again.
Although the event is some five months away, the 27 year old South African is the first big name to be confirmed for the showpiece of the Irish golfing calendar.
The mere mention of appearance money or, to be politically correct, "fees paid for promotional, activities," on the PGA European Tour these days is treated with a degree of disdain. But considering Greg Norman pocketed up to $300,000 to appear at Mount Juliet last year, a player of Els's drawing power can expect up to $200,000 to play in the Irish Open at Druids Glen on July 4th to 7th.
Still, securing Els's signature so soon in the seas on can be regarded as something of a coup for Murphy's. He last played in the Irish Open at Mount Juliet in 1994, just two weeks after beating Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie in a play off for the US Open title.
However, he was "unavailable" last year, mainly, one feels, because most of the finances for "promotional activities" had been used to lure Norman and not enough remained in the kitty to entice Els.
"I'm delighted to confirm my participation in, this year's Murphy's Irish Open. It's great to be coming back to Ireland. In my opinion, the tournament ranks as one of the best on the European circuit," said Els, who made his debut in the event at Killarney in 1991, his rookie year on the Volvo Tour.
Els, who based himself in America for the first time last year, will be making a limited number of visits to this side of the Atlantic this summer. His participation in the Irish Open is likely to be, followed by appearances in the following weeks at the Scottish Open at Carnoustie and the British Open at, Royal Lytham and St Annes.
A native of Johannesburg, Els' - widely regarded as the newest addition to the golfing superstar club - was a natural sportsman who could have taken a number of paths. He was a scratch golfer at 14; at the same time he was Eastern Transvaal's senior tennis champion; was also a fine cricketer, and a number eight rugby player.
But he chose to follow a career on the world's fairways and, when at the start of 1992 he achieved the first hat trick of South African Open, PGA and Masters, titles since Gary Player some 13 years earlier, Player said of him: "Ernie has a power and perfection you seldom see in a kid."
His win in the US Open in 1994 was just the fourth by a foreign born golfer in over 67 years and catapulted him into one of the game's top drawing powers. Els also won the Toyota World Matchplay crown and the Johnnie Walker World Championship that season.
This year's Irish Open at the new Druids Glen course near Newtownmountkennedy will be the richest event held in this country. Murphy's have announced a prize find of, £750,000, an increase of £100,000 on last year. The winner will receive a record £125,000 in prize money, confirming the tournament's status as one of the top five in Europe.
"We are conscious of the responsibility vested in us as custodians of the Irish Open and are satisfied that in the pass two years a new dimension and awareness of the event has been achieved, both nationally and internationally. This year we are delighted that Druids Glen, a remarkable tribute to Irish golf course design, will be the host venue," said Marien Kakebeeke, Managing Director of Murphy's Brewery Ireland.
Indeed, the early capture of Els - and, obviously, the hope that he will do well at the US Masters in April - suggests he is the ideal man to follow in the footsteps of John Daly in 1994 and Norman last year.
