The first shots in a war that will resound around the golfing world were fired yesterday. The Callaway golf company announced that it was suing the Royal Canadian Golf Association because that body has banned one of its clubs, the ERC driver.

The move has huge implications for the game. Callaway has developed a driver that, according to Colin Montgomerie yesterday, routinely hits the ball 20-25 yards further than the standard drivers in use.

But the United States Golf Association, now joined by the Canadians, is worried that the character of the game and the viability of championship golf courses could be ruined by the ever-increasing distances the ball is being hit, and has banned it.

That has led to the lawsuit, which, because of the way the game is run, could be just the first skirmish in a most bitter battle. At stake are the millions of dollars the manufacturers stand to make by developing new technology, against the issue of who makes the rules and protects the integrity and spirit of the game.

Since it launched the new driver, Callaway has been spoiling for a fight. It seems to want to determine, once and for all, its right to make whatever golf clubs it deems necessary without interference from the ruling bodies.

That, after all, is its raison d'etre. It has shareholders (Montgomerie is one) to satisfy, and profits must be made to keep them happy. Callaway fears, quite rightly, that if the game is to be frozen at a particular moment in time then that will rob it of the research and development side of its business.

Callaway, and other manufacturers like Ping, are especially proud of this aspect of their companies, feeling it gives them the edge over their competitors.

Meanwhile, Jean van de Velde, left out of the first two days of last year's Ryder Cup by Mark James, was none too happy about yesterday's announcement by new captain Sam Torrance that James will be one of his assistants at the Belfry next year.

"Don't expect me to be pleased about Mark James being involved," said van de Velde. "I would have hoped that the captain would have gone for someone new."

Torrance took over the captaincy in November, James having always intended to stand down, and at the start of this year named Ian Woosnam as his vice-captain, provided the former Masters champion does not play his way back into the side.

James has agreed to become the second vice-captain on the same basis.

All three are playing this week at the Belfry in the £1 million Benson and Hedges International Open, as is van de Velde.

There is a seven-man Irish challenge in the field: Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley, Eamonn Darcy, Des Smyth and Gary Murphy.