WINNING, according to American television pundit Johnny Miller, means abandoning the role of a thoroughbred sheep and "being willing to do what the other guys won't" in pursuit of success. Europe's leading players will get to know that feeling when the battle for Ryder Cup places reaches a climax next August.
Clearly, this season's European Tour, which got under way in Australia two days ago, will be dominated by the biennial clash with the US. For the vast majority of the tour campaigners, however, there will be much more at stake than the hope of recognition at Valderrama.
This is particularly true of Ireland's contingent. Tournament victories last season by Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke have given hope that the younger brigade may be about to break through to serious success.
By that, we can be referring to only one level: the major championships. Over the years since Fred Daly's British Open triumph at Hoylake in 1947, and since the narrow failures of Christy O'Connor Snr, it seemed fanciful to consider an Irish player for such a distinction.
For the first time in the history of Irish golf, however, the country is to have three representatives in the US Open: Clarke, Harrington and McGinley, naturally. The British Open, which will have its 126th staging at Royal Troon in July, seems a far more realistic objective. Or is it?
John Jacobs, a contemporary of O'Connor's and widely acknowledged as the tap golf tutor on this side of the Atlantic, has an interesting view. "I believe that Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke and Andrew Coltart are capable of winning a major championship this year," he said, while watching the trio in practice at Valderrama last week. The former Ryder Cup captain even went so far as to suggest that: "All three are as good as Nick Faldo was before he won The Open for the first time in 1987."
The idea of crowning a second Irish major winner, after a lapse of 50 years, may not be so far fetched after all. Perhaps the key lies in the fact that the country's leading young players seem to be prepared to break from the herd. This is - especially true of Clarke, who responded to some timely criticism from Colin Montgomerie to win the German Masters last October.
Having the discipline to suffer for one's craft isn't easy in the context of the European Tour, where a player can gain huge rewards, even without winning. For instance, England's Roger Chapman has now amassed £1,153,736 in 15 seasons on the circuit - without capturing a title. Indeed, a measure of the tour's financial strength is that Montgomerie was the world's top tournament earner for 1996 with a record $3.071.442.
Ireland will have to fully exempt Tour competitors this season: Ronan Rafferty, Clarke, Harrington, McGinley, Raymond Burns, David Higgins, David Feherty, Philip Walton, Eamonn Darcy and Des Smyth. This is four fewer than last season when Christy O'Connor Jar, John McHenry, Francis Howley and Jimmy Heggarty failed to retain their status.
Ireland's contribution to the tournament schedule has never been stronger, certainly not since the launch of the Tour in 1975 when competitors were playing for a total of £427,917 in 17 events. This welcome situation derives from a new August date for the Smurfit European Open, which becomes the penultimate qualifying event for the Ryder Cup.
Interestingly, prize money won there and at the Loch Lomond World Invitational will count double towards places in the European line up. The Scottish event, which had its inaugural staging last September, on the week before The K Club, now fills the plum July slot vacated by the discontinued Scottish Open.
Prospects for the Murphy's Irish Open at Druids Glen are especially encouraging. While affording Ryder Cup skipper, Seve Ballesteros, the opportunity of monitoring the form of Valderrama aspirants, it is also expected to mark the return of Nick Faldo to competitive action in this country.
Whatever the tournament, however, it will be difficult to escape the Ryder Cup, largely because of the manner in which European successes have gripped the golfing public on this side of the Atlantic. Those who might be anticipating quite a few new faces from the victorious Oak Hill line up, however, should note some interesting developments over the years.
Since the first European side took to the fairways in 1979, no successful team has had more than two new caps in action. At Walton Heath in 1981 (five newcomers), Palm Beach Gardens 1983 (four), Kiawah Island 1991 (five) and The Belfry 1993 (four), Europe were beaten.
When they were victorious in 1985, Jose Rivero was the only debutant; when they won at Muirfield Village two years later there were two, Jose Maria Olazabal and Gordon Brand Jnr; in the drawn match in 1989, Rafferty was the only rookie, and in 1995 only Walton and Per Ulrik Johansson were new to the side.
These were competitors who rid themselves of the mental cushion of top-10-itis, which can seriously inhibit the progress of a talented player.
Recalling his brilliant tournament days, Miller said: "We never talked about a top 10 finish. The only thing that mattered was playing the best we could and really shooting for the win."
Glittering prizes beckon the brave.
