Scorching round Straffan at the K Club

A day sent from the heavens to tease and tantalise the golfing palates. Men with sunblock rather than windcheaters; women with suncaps in place of woolly hats, and nobody blaming the weatherman.

In many ways, the Smurfit European Open at The K Club - designated venue for the Ryder Cup in 2005 - came of age yesterday. After the bogey horrors of Carnoustie, the players strutted their stuff in the sun and brought the temperatures up a degree or two with a glut of birdies and a smattering of eagles.

Hot weather and hot scoring. Warren Bennett's caddie lumbered around the course with a bag that carried the advertising logo "Thirsty Camel". Apparently, it is a drink that retails in the north of England. In yesterday's conditions, it was extremely appropriate.

The crowd loved it. The players loved it. Happy tales instead of horror stories. A course that has brought so many handicap golfers to their knees and left them withering wrecks served up an opening round appetiser that made it all look so easy. It ain't so, just that these guys make it look that way.

But it's not easy all of the time.

When Jean Van de Velde took out his two-iron on the 72nd hole of the British Open it got him into more trouble than he could have envisaged. When he stood on the eighth tee - his 17th hole - in yesterday's first round, the pressure was nowhere near as great. Yet, the ball was attracted to a watery grave like a magnet to a fridge door.

In Carnoustie, the two-iron approach went right and hit the grandstand and rebounded into rough adjacent to the Barry Burn. His next shot went into the drain. Yesterday, his two-iron tee-shot went straight left and duck-dived into the River Liffey that sweeps along the banks of the course.

As the ball disappeared into the flowing waters, Van de Velde turned to his caddie, Cristophe, and, showing that his sense of humour was undiminished, asked: "Have you got a submarine in that bag?"

Unlike Scotland two weeks ago, the Frenchman didn't revert to taking off shoes and socks and rolling up his trousers legs and prancing about in the water. "The only way I could get near that ball was in a submarine or with scuba diving gear," he joked later. He finished up with a double-bogey six on the hole. What he would have given for that outcome in Angus land.

And, yet, following Van de Velde around the immaculate fairways of the K Club yesterday provided proof that people do remember who comes second. Indeed, in the match immediately ahead, Paul Lawrie, winner of the Claret Jug, had fewer watchers than the man who had his hand on the silverware but let it fall from his grasp.

The twin attractions of Europe's number one Colin Montgomerie and Van de Velde playing in the first round together brought the early-morning gallery with them. Van de Velde, tired from his British Open exertions and the consequent calls on his time, was deeply appreciative of the Irish crowd. "There is no doubt they were behind me today," he said. "All I got was a positive reception, all around the course."

Was there a danger many had only come to see if he would have another disaster? "Many people know who I am now because of that seven in Carnoustie. But I led that championship for 71 holes and nobody beat me after 72 holes. I know I will have another seven somewhere, sometime. I think most people want to see me because of how well I can play."

One thing is for sure, everyone knows who he is. Now.