Rejuvenated Feherty takes time out for family matters

DAVID FEHERTY returned to the US yesterday, richer by £44,011, after an impressive return to competitive action in two tournaments in South Africa. Having warmed the hearts of many Irish supporters who had feared his career might be at an end, he now plans to spend two weeks with his children in Dallas, before rejoining the European Tour for the Dubai Desert Classic on March 14th to 17th.

While stopping over in London en route from Durban, Feherty telephoned his parents in Bangor to assure them of his current well being. "It made a pleasant change to be giving them some good news alter all that's been happening in recent months," he said, referring to the break up of his 10 year marriage.

"They told me everybody back home was pleased to see me playing well and my reaction was that they couldn't be half as pleased as I am. I must say that I've been very lucky with my friends. Instead of rats deserting a sinking ship, my rats seemed to multiply."

Dubai will revive happy memories for the Ulsterman of his performance there in 1990 when an aggregate of 280 gave hind runner up position in the Desert Classic, behind compatriot. Eamonn Darcy. Indeed, Irish players filled the top three positions on that occasion, with Des Smyth sharing third place alongside Seve Ballesteros. His last appearance there was in 1993 when he missed the cut.

Fehert's South African form runner up to Sven Struver in the Alfred Dunhill PGA Championship and fourth behind Wayne Westner in the FNB Players' Championship last Sunday confirmed for him the importance of a clear mind in competitive situations. "Ninety per cent of this game is mental and people have different ways of coping," he said. "My defence mechanism is my sense of humour."

Even that seemed to have deserted him, however, as he battled through a divorce settlement which was eventually sorted out about a month ago. "What was happening in my personal life really destroyed me," he said. "It left me with very little emotional energy to play golf. I need to be happy to compete effectively, and I was very unhappy."

His target is to play about 20 events in Europe this year from a base in Dallas, so that he can be near his sons, Shey (aged seven) and Rory (three). And though he failed to hold onto his placer's card in the US, he intends to compete in five tournaments there, on sponsors' invitations.

It looks like a forbidding schedule, but from the experience of two seasons on the USPGA Tour, Feherty has got used to travelling "long distances in the course of his work. "I was depressed about losing my US Tour card at the end of last season, but I'm a lot better now. There's plenty more golf left in me," he said.

Meanwhile, Philip Walton was also in an up beat mood as he set off yesterday morning for the defence of the Open Catalonia, one of the two European titles he captured last season. In the process, he has put behind him a rather unhappy South African episode, involving a disqualification in Sun City and his failure to make the cut in the next event in Johannesburg.

"As far as I'm concerned, the European season starts this week," he said."My game is in good shape and I'm taking a lot of good memories with me to Barcelona."

Walton will be joined there by compatriots Paul McGinley, Raymond Burns, Francis Howley, Padraig Harrington, John McHenry, David Higgins and Jimmy Heggarty. Darren Clarke is taking a week off he will resume activities in the Moroccan Open and the Desert Classic and will then take a month off for his marriage to Ulster woman Heather Tosh.

Harrington actually made his European Tour debut at The K Club last September when he failed to survive the cut. It was only last weekend, however, that his challenge started in earnest,

On the other side of the Atlantic, Irish observers would have taken a greater interest than usual in the outcome of the Nissan Los Angeles Open. Craig Stadler became familiar to them through a fine performance for a share of fourth place behind Sam Torrance in the Murphy's Irish Open at Mount Juliet last July.

In the event, Stadler almost stumbled to his 12th tour victory, having covered the last four holes in two over par for what proved to be a winning aggregate of 278 six under par.