Past Ballybunion captains want Open

Two past captains of Ballybunion GC lent forceful support yesterday to attempts to overturn a committee decision and have next year's Murphy's Irish Open staged at the club. And their views came on a day when the presence of Greg Norman and his son Gregory, emphasised the international profile of the Kerry links.

Sean Walsh and Jackie Hourigan believe that as custodians of a unique facility, the club owe it to the nation to play host to the event, especially to mark the millennium. And there was also a reminder of the financial help given to Ballybunion from clubs throughout the country, in their battle against coastal erosion, 22 years ago.

Hourigan, a local publican and restaurateur, was captain of the club in 1977 and president in 1997. But it is in his capacity as chairman of the Ballybunion Development Co, that he lent his signature to a motion handed in yesterday, calling for a special general meeting of the members.

"A lot of us feel we owe it to the local community to make the course available for the Murphy's Irish Open," he said. "In my view, the benefits to the town and to the North Kerry region will be considerable and should not be taken lightly."

Hourigan went on: "We're very lucky to be the custodians of a unique links and this is an ideal opportunity for us to share it with the general public. Indeed without putting too fine a point on it, we owe it to Ireland."

Walsh, a highly respected figure in the club for 47 years, during which time he did invaluable work as secretary/manager, was captain in 1959 and in 1991, the centenary year. "Looking at it from purely a commercial standpoint, it is obviously healthy that the club is stuffed with visitors at the moment," he said. "But it might not always be that way."

He explained: "Through a major reliance on Americans, all our eggs are effectively in the one basket. It means that if the economic climate becomes unfavourable, we could be in trouble. I believe we need to promote the club in the UK market and there could hardly be a better way of doing that than through staging the Irish Open.

"British visitors to the south west these days are few and far between. We should be attempting to change the situation and I have no doubt we'd be able to accommodate the Irish Open if Murphy's limited daily attendances to between 10,000 and 12,000. So, my message to the committee is `Wake up boys - we must have this tournament for the good of the club and the community at large."

Walsh then pointed to the help Ballybunion had received from rank and file golfers throughout the country. "I remember Jackie (Hourigan) and myself going cap in hand," he recalled. "And the response was wonderful. We collected about £250,000 which became invaluable in the club's fight against coastal erosion.

"Frankly I'm very disappointed with the attitude of the committee who don't seem to have put sufficient thought into the matter. If it goes to a vote at a special general meeting, I will certainly support having the Irish Open here."

Norman knew nothing of such matters. Nor should he have been expected to care, as he completed a decidedly active day with his 13-year-old son, Gregory. It started for them at 7.40 am with a round at Lahinch and after flying south over the Shannon estuary in a helicopter, they were off the tee at Ballybunion at 1.30 am, having had a light lunch.

"Yeh, I really enjoyed Lahinch," said the Shark, before smashing a drive which pitched to the side of the second fairway bunker, a distance of 285 yards. "In fact it's two firsts for me today - Lahinch and Ballybunion."

What did he feel of the parade of luminaries at Waterville yesterday, preparing on Irish links terrain for next week's British Open at Carnoustie? "It's an individual thing, but I would have thought that the prime reason would be to get over jet-lag," he replied. "And it obviously makes sense to play off the same sort of turf in the same sort of conditions that you're going to experience in the British Open."

Then he added: "But Lahinch wasn't bump and run when we played it this morning. In fact it was very, very soft. And you don't often get conditions like this (glorious sunshine)."

And what about his involvement as designer in the stalled, £12.5 million development at Doonbeg, which he visited on Wednesday. "We're just waiting on planning approval and if we get that on July 29th, I think there will be a lot of very happy people," he replied. "If it happens, we'll be geared up and ready to go. And I'll be back for that."

Meanwhile, Waterville are to confer honorary life membership of the club to six leading professionals in a ceremony this evening. Five of them - Tiger Woods, David Duval, Mark O'Meara, Payne Stewart and Stuart Appleby were in action in scrambles yesterday with Irish financiers Dermot Desmond and J P McManus.

Woods, O'Meara and Stewart were there last year but Lee Janzen, winner of the US Open in 1993 and 1998, will be making a first visit to Waterville today. All are preparing on Irish links terrain for next week's British Open.

John Daly yesterday confirmed his withdrawal from the British Open. His withdrawal follows those of Jack Nicklaus, Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw.