Portmarnock to revel in amateur spirit

IF IRELAND'S top player, Keith Nolan, happened to meet Juraj Zaris of Slovakia in a handicap strokeplay competition, he would be conceding no fewer than 28 shots. That is a reflection of the golfing democracy which characterises the 20th European Men's Amateur Team Championship, which starts at Portmarnock today.

And the 25-handicapper should consider himself fortunate in that his travelling expenses are being met by the Slovakian Golf Federation. This contrasts sharply with the members of the Croatian side each of whom has had to pay about £2,000 for the privilege of competing here.

The Corinthian spirit is, indeed, alive and well on the celebrated north Dublin links, where Slovakia and Croatia are newcomers among the 22 competing nations. Their presence means that Estonia, who finished last on their debut in Antwerp two years ago, have a splendid chance of improving on that showing.

Scotland will be defending the title, with Barclay Howard and Graham Rankin from the team which triumphed two years ago. And England, attempting to reach the final for a sixth successive time, have the so-called Tiger-tamer, Gary Wolstenholme, in their line-up.

Wolstenholme, it will be recalled, gained the distinction of beating Tiger Woods on the opening day of the Walker Cup matches at Royal Porthcawl in 1995, even if the American gained revenge on the second day.

Ireland, meanwhile, will have Nolan as the first player off the tee at 8.0 this morning in the opening round of strokeplay qualifying. As it happens, it will be the first competitive appearance there for the Bray member, whose handicap dropped to plus three when he retained the Irish Strokeplay title earlier this month.

Then comes Jody Fanagan at 9.10 off the first tee, Garth McGimpsey (9.10, first tee), Richard Coughlan (12.20, 10th tee), Noel Fox (12.30, first tee) and Peter Lawrie (1.40, 10th tee). McGimpsey, who was a member of the victorious Irish side in Austria in 1987, is making his ninth appearance in the event.

Zlatan Juras, the Croatian player-captain, is a 16-handicapper who works as an engineer in his country's national theatre. "Our federation have no money, but we feel it is very important for our country to make a start in this competition," he said. "That is why myself and the other players are paying with our own money.

Poignantly, he added: "You know there has been a war in our country and things are very difficult for us. Sure, I care about the money, but I care more about being here."

The only golf course in Croatia is on the Adriatic island of Brijuni, known locally as Tito's island, but most of the country's golfers play at Bled in Slovenia or across the border in Austria.

Zaris, burly and bearded, was sporting a sweater from the American club, Ridgewood Lakes. How did he like Portmarnock? "I am a little afraid of it but I like it very well," he replied. How did he score? "I had four pars today one more than yesterday," he beamed.

In 1994, three years after the split from the Czech Republic, Slovakia joined the European Golf Association. Their only course is near the capital, Bratislava, but the team captain, Juraj Lupsina, informed me that a further two courses are under construction.

"It is possible that some of our players will not break 100 here but we will give living proof that our federation exists," said Lupsina. "We must make a start, no? Our players must see how the great nations play the game."

Against that background Estonia could have been forgiven a certain smugness as old hands from the Antwerp staging. Still it was hardly surprising that Tiit Kask remained somewhat apprehensive as he looked out at the wind-swept links, where Nolan and Fanagan were short of the 7th with two drivers, earlier in the day.

Kask's son, Carl Johan, who is also a member of the Estonian team, was only 14 when he played two years ago. Both father and son are four-handicappers. "In Antwerp, five of our players were based in Sweden and only one lived in Estonia," said Tiit Kask. "Now, only two players live in Sweden. So we are making progress."

All of this reflects exciting times for the expansion of golf in Europe. For the time being, however, the pecking order remains largely unchanged, with Spain, Sweden and the four home countries likely to dominate the next five days. After strokeplay today and tomorrow, the leading eight qualifiers go into the top flight; the next eight into flight two and the remaining six will make up the third flight.

"It is possible to win the championship with three outstanding players," said English skipper Peter McEvoy, who played 153 matches for his country. "Essentially, you need win only one foursomes and three singles." McEvoy believes he has at least one out-standing player in 16-year-old Justin Rose, recent winner of the St Andrews Links Trophy.

Having won "just about everything" at boys level, Rose made his senior debut in a friendly against Spain at La Manga six weeks ago when he took three-and-a-half points out of four. "I think he is better than Nick Faldo or Sandy Lyle were at that age," said the skipper.

Significantly, the halved match was against the gifted young Spaniard, Sergio Garcia. The Spaniards received a set-back, however, when a visit to Beaumont Hospital with a damaged wrist failed to keep Alvaro Salto in the side. A replacement, Juan Vizcaya, is being flown in.

Portmarnock, in superb condition, has drawn rich praise from the visiting players. "I have never seen the fairways so good," said McEvoy. Which means that the inconvenience endured by the members last winter has now paid off. "We set out to have the course back to its best and it's very gratifying to know the effort is appreciated," said honorary secretary, Moss Buckley.

It may be stretching a point, however, to include our Slovak friend, Zaris, among that number.