North Course bites back

The pre-tournament spiel had been upbeat: lush, verdant fairways complemented by smooth, slick putting surfaces, the latter softened by rain - considered ideal attributes by professionals when appraising a golf course. The consensus among those that teed it up at The K Club was that the set-up would lend itself to attacking flagsticks.

There was an acknowledgement that the softer conditions would reduce run on the fairways but this wouldn't unduly worry the elite. After yesterday's second round those preconceptions proved a little wide of the mark, a chastening experience for many, excruciating for some.

Italy's Emanuele Canonica started the day on one over following Thursday's opening round but by the time he signed his card for a 15-over-par 87, his plans for the weekend had altered dramatically.

Canonica may be just 5ft 2ins but he thumps the ball a country mile, manifest in the fact that he won the Data Driving distance category on the European Tour in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2002.

At the fourth hole on the opening day he smoked a drive 350 yards, a paltry 345 yesterday, and his driving average for the two rounds was 321 yards.

Length is not an issue for the Italian, nor was his 87 attributable to putting woes. He only three-putted once, and on three occasions required just a single putt, albeit taking 34 in total. Somewhere between tee and green the Italian lost the plot. He hit just five of 14 fairways and seven of 18 greens in regulation.

Turning in three-over-par 38, a double bogey at the third the chief culprit, Canonica produced the sort of figures that would leave an 18 handicapper seriously disillusioned. A triple-bogey eight on the par-five 10th proved a precursor to numbers that would only be cherished by cricketers or card players. A couple of pars was succeeded by double bogey, bogey and then a poker of sixes to finish.

His figures on the back nine read, 8 (5), 4 (4), 3 (3), 6 (4), 4 (3), 6 (4), 6 (5), 6 (4), 6 (5) for 49 blows against regulation figures of 37.

Canonica was not alone in his misfortune. Leslie Walker recorded an 86 before being disqualified, Greg Emerson signed for an 84, local professional John McHenry, Jamie Spence and Warren Bennett shot 83, Gary Birch 82, Sven Struver 80.

There were other casualties on a day when the stroke average for the round was just shy of 74 shots, the North Course at The K Club an emphatic winner on points.