Irish cheered by card of the course

A grizzled caddie with a reputation as a bit of a character, is playing a key role in Ireland's challenge for the World Cup, starting here on the Ocean Course tomorrow. Having organised a replacement caddie for Paul McGinley, Tallaght's John O'Reilly is being looked to as an on-course entertainer.

Naturally, O'Reilly's primary task will be discharged at the side of Padraig Harrington, his "master" for the last two seasons. But he will also have to ensure that both Irish players don't fall victim to boredom, during a notoriously slow event.

"Whatever about previous years, we are fully prepared for six-hour rounds on this course," said Harrington yesterday. "In that respect, John is going to help all of us with his good-spirited chat. Part of his job will be to keep us entertained."

O'Reilly is a man of many talents, as a former employer, Des Smyth, would testify. So it was that when McGinley's regular caddie, "Edinburgh" Jimmy Rae, was delayed getting here, a replacement was already on hand, courtesy of the resourceful Dubliner.

"Through a problem with flights last weekend, Jimmy said he couldn't get here until Wednesday," said McGinley. "In the circumstances, I told him not to bother, not for one practice round."

McGinley's decision was greatly helped by the fact that O'Reilly's man, a 6ft 4ins Corkman named Alan Kelly, was waiting in the wings. Kelly, who hails from Bantry and spent three years caddying on the European Tour, met up with O'Reilly in Florida last week. "I told him to look out for work for me at Kiawah," said the 27year-old.

The entire episode seemed to further strengthen the bond between players who have been close friends and golfing colleagues since their teen years in Rathfarnham. In fact they were unbeaten as foursomes partners for Ireland during the European Amateur Team Championship in Madrid in 1991 when they also played together in the Walker Cup.

This is McGinley's third World Cup appearance. He and Ronan Rafferty finished ninth at Lake Nona in 1993 and he was tied 15th in partnership with Darren Clarke in Puerto Rico a year later. Harrington, meanwhile, made his debut with Clarke at Erinvale, South Africa last year when they finished 19th behind the rampant host country.

"There's no doubt that our combined talents make us a decent team," said Harrington. "To win this, however, both of us would need to play really well. There can be no room for weakness, which would be possible with partners like Ernie Els, Colin Montgomerie and the two Americans (Justin Leonard and Davis Love)."

Against the background of horror stories from the 1991 staging of the Ryder Cup, both Irish players were somewhat surprised by their first experience of Kiawah. Playing it blind, McGinley shot 70, with two three-putts, and Harrington a 72.

Even acknowledging the calm conditions, both agreed that the greens were a lot less fearsome than they had imagined. They are currently playing to a Stimpmeter speed of about eight or nine, as opposed to the decidedly slippery 13, which they reached during the Ryder Cup.

"Either way, it is clearly a fabulous test of course management," said McGinley. "There's no doubt that the greens hold the key to scoring here and I hate to think of what it must have been like trying to handle them in the Ryder Cup."

Harrington concurred. Though it was not possible to bridge a 258yard carry to the fairway taking a short line off the second tee, Harrington added: "It's a relatively short course (6,833 yards) to, say, The K Club. Still, there would be a helluva lot of trouble out there if the wind blows."

The truth is that the Ocean Course has changed very little in the last six years. Designer, Pete Dye, always insisted that the greens were far too slick during the Ryder Cup and George Frye, the course superintendent, said yesterday: "The cold weather will cause them to firm up a bit but the optimum Stimpmeter speed will be nine to nine and a half."

Additional run-off areas have been constructed around certain greens - a total of five acres of sodding in all. This was aimed at creating more space between the putting surface and the so-called waste areas, which were a feature of the original layout.

The absence of any bunkers arose from the fact that it was impossible to get fescue grass to grow in the South Carolina heat. Strips of Bermuda grass were considered as an alternative but the notion was abandoned because of its perceived incongruity.

So the course builders settled for waste areas, which is the way they remain. It was interesting, however, to note that in practice yesterday, McGinley played recovery shots exactly as he would from a hazard; in other words, he didn't ground his club.

"There are two reasons for that," he explained. "First, I believe you could be improving your lie if you grounded the club in the sand behind the ball. And the second reason is that I don't want to change a way of playing the shot that has become second nature to me."

At a time when the building of golf courses is regularly targeted by conservationists, it is interesting to note the experience of Kiawah. It plays host to 170 species of birds, 30 types of reptiles and amphibians and 18 species of mammals, including white-tail deer, racoon, dolphin and fox, quite apart from the numerous alligators.

Also, the critical nesting habitat of the endangered Loggerhead Turtle has been carefully protected and enhanced. Which, despite criticisms emanating from the EU, would suggest that golf and golfers are probably more concerned than most, about protecting the environment.