Open Diary

McGinley on mend: If all goes according to plan with Paul McGinley's recovery from knee surgery, the Ryder Cup star could be back competing as early as the Wales Open in two weeks, although the US Open at Winged Foot in June might be a more realistic return date.

"The operation went really well, they cut open the side of my knee to remove the piece of bone and the surgeon is hoping this operation will give finality to the problems," said McGinley.

"It was quite a large piece of bone that was removed, larger than I anticipated, about the size and width of the top of a finger. I've been aware for years that there was a piece of bone at the back of my knee, but only recently it had floated to the front and that was causing the problem."

There is never a good time to undergo surgery, but given that the bone moved to the front of the knee McGinley was able to take a positive outlook on the situation.

"There was both good and bad news. The bad news was that it was causing more discomfort than I had experienced before, but the good news was that it meant the bone was easier to remove. Had it remained at the back of my knee my recovery period would have been at least 6-10 weeks, but now I hope to be back hitting balls in 10 days."

Steep learning curve

It's never easy making the transition from top amateur to carving out a successful career in the professional ranks, and no one knows that better than British Amateur champion Brian McElhinney.

The quietly-spoken 24-year-old from North West club, who turned pro at the end of April, received the last invitation to the Irish Open but was unable to take advantage and crashed out at the halfway stage with rounds of 79, 78.

"I struggled with my game and didn't play very well," said McElhinney. "Playing on tour is a totally different game, it's obviously a lot tougher and the standard is a lot higher. You really need to be on top of your game to compete.

"In amateur golf you can be playing average and still make cuts or win games in matchplay situations. Out here there is nowhere to hide, and playing strokeplay every week you simply have to play good solid golf all the time.

"I'm still very much on a steep learning curve. It's all about getting as much experience as I can for the rest of the season and try to get my game to where it needs to be to compete."

Whither the Open?

It's not clear where the Irish Open will be staged next year, or even if Nissan will continue to sponsor the event.

It is no secret spectator numbers have been in decline recently, and one reason for that undoubtedly is that the event has been plagued by terrible weather.

But perhaps more significantly, it's time to move the event out of Leinster and, in particular, Dublin, so that it has a chance to breathe away from other high-profile sporting occasions.

The Irish golfing fraternity will remember the carnival atmosphere and sense of occasion surrounding the Irish Open when it was staged at Fota Island in Cork in 2001 and 2002.

As for the sponsorship issue, Nissan are due to announce their intentions when play concludes on Sunday evening.

Fashion honours

Given the appalling weather, Wellington boots instead of golf shoes and leggings wouldn't have been considered inappropriate footwear. However, that didn't stop a large number of women parading in high heels and stylish frocks for the first Ladies Day to take place at the Irish Open.

In the end, the honour of Best-Dressed Lady went to mother-of-two Molly Healy, from Maynooth, who collected a €5,000 shopping voucher courtesy of Dundrum Town Centre. The prize of Best Dressed Couple went to Lorraine O'Neill and Txiscko Frias, while sisters Jennifer and Laura Halton picked up the Best Dressed Group of Friends.