Memories are made of this

After 24 hours savouring the luxury of the five-star on-site hotel, Per-Ulrik Johansson decided yesterday that it was time for some work. So, the Smurfit European Open champion of the last two years, set about some gentle practice in his build-up to defending the title at The K Club.

As one would expect from a pragmatic Swede, it was all done to a purpose. "I'm in the middle of a very demanding schedule and have deliberately decided to take things easy," said Johansson. "It means I will not have a practice round before the pro-am."

Johansson, whose share of 23rd place at the Sahalee CC in Seattle last Sunday made him the leading European in the USPGA Championship, was given a sponsor's invitation into the Sprint International in Denver, Colorado this week. Geographically, it made for a very appealing schedule, given that he will be competing in the World Series at Firestone, Ohio, next week.

But he never considered not returning to The K Club. "As champion, I feel a certain responsibility to the tournament, to Ireland and to the sponsors," he said. "Then there is the possibility of doing something really special by winning it for a third time."

He went on: "Obviously I have set myself a tough schedule by coming here and then returning to the States next week. I don't necessarily expect to win but I certainly expect to do well. And once you put yourself into a challenging position for a title, anything can happen.

"This place is full of good memories for me. I was aware of them from the time I checked into my beautiful hotel. Those sort of feelings breed confidence, which is obviously very important in our job. You always feel better wakening up if you've had a nice dream. That's the way I feel about returning to The K Club."

Twelve months ago, Johansson compiled a stunning aggregate of 267 - 21 under par - to retain the title by a six-stroke margin over second-placed Peter Baker. In his moment of victory, he attributed his success to, among other things, freshly-squeezed orange juice and Irish soda-bread.

The Swede smiled at the memory. "It's true," he insisted. "And one of the first things I did when I arrived here yesterday morning was to order some soda-bread from room-service. There was already a supply of orange juice in the fridge."

He added: "I have my junk-food-days but generally, I like to be careful about what I eat. There's a lot of talk about diet these days and as an active sportsman I try to take it seriously."

Johansson has a solid record in the USPGA Championship in recent years, having finished eighth at Valhalla in 1996 and survived the cut at Winged Foot 12 months ago. His effort at Sahalee was particularly impressive for a final round of 68 which, as it happened, was the same, closing-day score as the winner, Vijay Singh.

An even stronger performance this week would help considerably in Johansson's target to end the season with a top-10 place in the Order of Merit. His best so far was 11th last year. "I'm playing well right now but we'll see how things work out," he said. In the meantime, he'll be stocking up on soda-bread and orange juice.