Strong field for Amateur Open

After a lapse of 40 years, a broken chain will have one of its links replaced when the Irish Amateur Open Strokeplay Championship is staged at Royal Dublin today and tomorrow. The event had its first staging in strokeplay format on the Dollymount stretch in 1958, before being discontinued two years later.

It was the occasion when bonfires were lit in Malahide to welcome home the new champion, Tom Craddock, who was responsible for what was then the greatest day in the history of his club. "We're thinking of building a new clubhouse, this trophy is so big," enthused the Malahide captain, Jimmy Nugent.

When the championship was revived in 1995 at Fota Island, Padraig Harrington captured the title. And a measure of its current popularity is that seven of the top10 finishers at Fota last year are back in action. The absentees are Keith Nolan and Richard Coughlan, who finished first and second before turning professional later in the year, and Timmy Rice, who is on scholarship in the US.

The field also contains 23 overseas competitors, including the popular Frenchman, Francois Illouz. He will be recalled as the butt of endless ribbing by his English-speaking compatriots who would tease: "Ah Francois - sometimes ee win; sometimes Illouz."

They also include a strong contingent of US competitors who were in the MGA of New York line-up, beaten 11-5 by Ireland at Portmarnock Links earlier this week. Then there is the fine recent form of Ciaran McMonagle (tied seventh) and Bryan Omelia (tied ninth) in the Lytham Trophy last weekend.

It is difficult to see the trophy going outside of those seven survivors from last year's top-10 who, in finishing order, were: Noel Fox, Karl Bornemann, Garth McGimpsey, Andrew McCormick, Omelia, Michael McGinley and Paddy Gribben. Since then, Fox has enhanced his status as recent winner of the West of Ireland title.

Tony Smith of The Island and Tony Hayes of The K Club are first into action at 7.0 this morning, and from the field of 70, the leading 40 will go through to the final 36 holes tomorrow. And they will do so on a celebrated links where the greens are currently in top-class condition.