Peter Baker shared top prize with fellow Englishman Jon Robson in the Smurfit Christy O'Connor Pro-Am at The K Club yesterday, then pronounced the venue as "perfect for the 2005 Ryder Cup". The English pair shot five-under-par rounds of 67 for a reward of £2,825 each.
It was a fascinating tournament, not least for the company with which competitors shared the course. Christy O'Connor jnr stood laughing on the tee at the short 17th while an American fourball made a handsome contribution to the water fronting the 16th green.
"Eight balls went in," said O'Connor. "And it was only when the four came up to us that I realised one of them was the film star, Jack Nicholson." Either way, Nicholson, who was not involved in the pro-am, looked none too distressed about the loss as he sipped coffee in the clubhouse afterwards.
Then there was Republic of Ireland soccer team manager Mick McCarthy, who got a dream start. After missing the green at the long first in three, McCarthy, who plays off 12, chipped in for an opening birdie.
Meanwhile the team award was won by Leslie Walker, who led in Headfort seven-handicapper Gerry Malone, Irish Women's Close runner-up Oonagh Purfield and local 10-handicapper Robbie Dolan, with a 15-under-par 57. Four-handicapper Purfield, who had a gross birdie at the short 12th, had a three at the ninth, which would have been an eagle off the women's card.
The men were admirably consistent, with Malone carding net birdies at the first and eighth and a gross birdie at the long 18th, while Dolan contributed four net birdies. Surprisingly, in this hotly-contested event, they had a two-stroke winning margin over their closest challengers.
Paul McGinley, the leading Irishman on 68, matched Baker's figures with an inward 31. He closed with three successive birdies, reducing the scene of Nicholson's discomfort to a huge drive, a nine iron and a 30-foot putt.
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