That killer instinct can be learned

If a ray of sunshine were to return to the golfing life of Seve Ballesteros, it was almost predictable it would be through matchplay, at which he is an acknowledged master. Yet there was a time when he almost despaired of being able to handle the special challenge of man-to-man combat.

After his singles win over Colin Montgomerie at Sunningdale last Sunday, Ballesteros made the profound observation: "A good match-player is sensitive to the exact emotional state of his opponent. By doing that, he can gain the advantage."

Darren Clarke would have been conscious of this, en route to a $1 million World Matchplay victory at La Costa in February. And experienced campaigners such as Garth McGimpsey will know what to do should they reach the latter stages of the West of Ireland at Rosses Point over the coming days.

For his part, Ballesteros had actually captured the British Open (1979) and US Masters (1980) titles before making the discovery. This could be attributed in part to his never having had a competitive amateur career. Either way, the realisation eluded him until the semi-finals of the 1981 World Matchplay Championship at Wentworth.

That was when he met Bernhard Langer in what was clearly a needle match between Europe's top players. Recalling how he took the lead by holing a long birdie putt at the short 10th, the Spaniard said: "When that happened, Langer looked tense. He looked like he did not expect to win." Ballesteros won the match by 5 and 4 and went on to beat Ben Crenshaw in the final.

Yet, on being given a wild-card only a few days earlier, he was forced to acknowledge his failure in five previous matchplay tournaments. And it infuriated him. "I should be a good man-against-man player because I like to beat people," he said.

"But I'm not. Maybe in matchplay I give the other man confidence. He knows I will always make a big mistake."

He then studied the techniques of Hale Irwin and Gary Player, whom he considered to be outstanding match-players, and concluded that while making the odd mistake, they hardly ever made big ones. "Irwin goes par-par and sometimes birdie," he said. "This creates much pressure. I know, I felt it."

As luck would have it, he was drawn against Irwin in the first round - and beat him, by curbing his own natural aggression. "Irwin expected mistakes from me and when they didn't come, he became impatient," Ballesteros recalled.

So came the breakthrough for a player who went on to equal Player's record haul of five World Matchplay titles. And it was fascinating to note last Sunday that even with a game in serious decline, well-formed competitive instincts allowed him to produce the shots for a similarly controlled performance.

And all the while, his spirits were lifted by the running study of Montgomerie's discomfiture. Just as had happened with Langer, 29 years previously.

"To be a professional golfer, you have to be a self-centred, tremendously driven, selfish, mean, nasty SOB."

- Tom Weiskopf on why he prefers the life of a golf-course designer.

On November 15th, 1970, a few months after he had won a world-record first prize of £25,000 in the John Player Classic at Hollinwell, Christy O'Connor Snr was made a freeman of Galway, his native city. At that stage, he was only the 12th to be so honoured, joining four presidents, five cardinals, a papal nuncio and a former mayor of New York.

Councillor Martin Divilly, the then mayor of Galway, did the honours. And it was especially interesting for the fact that O'Connor was the first sportsman to be accorded the distinction. He recalled to the assembled dignitaries how, as a lad, he had assumed the freedom of Galway GC by scaling the perimeter wall in pursuit of his passion.

Now, 30 years on, his nephew, Christy Jnr, becomes the second. When the ceremony takes place prior to Declan McDonnell's mayoral ball next month, he will, in fact, be the 22nd freeman of the western city, following directly behind Hillary Clinton and John Hume, who were honoured last year.

What is truly remarkable, however, is that an uncle and nephew should share such a distinction. Can any city anywhere match this sporting double?

While Vijay Singh was battling to a share of third place in the MCI Classic at Harbour Town last week, Michael Calvin of the Mail on Sunday was in North Borneo, where the US Masters champion worked as a humble club pro in the mid-1980s. And he discovered that Singh earned respect there as "a diligent man whose only emotional release was a weekly game of bingo".

In the immediate aftermath of his Augusta triumph, Singh described his sojourn at Klube Golf Keningau as a "peaceful struggle". But according to the Mail man's guide, "no one goes there unless they have to".

Johnny Kulai, president of the golf club, concurred, saying: "Had he a choice, Vijay wouldn't have come here." Then he added: "He was down, really troubled, but this is just the sort of place in which he could sort himself out. We gave him simple things, like a freezer and a pot in which to cook his rice. But we also gave him time to think."

As things turned out, those close, country people gave him the tools with which he is fashioning a remarkably successful career. Third place at Harbour Town, however, fell short of the 1985 achievement of Bernhard Langer, who had back-to-back wins in the Masters and Heritage Classic.

At a function on the Saturday of Masters week, I met Charlie Yates, the oldest member of Augusta National. And he smiled broadly when I accused him of being no friend of Irish golf. Perhaps I should explain that he beat Cecil Ewing in the final of the British Amateur at Troon in 1938 and went on to beat Jimmy Bruen in the Walker Cup at St Andrews the following week.

Having accorded him due deference as a sharp-witted 86-year-old, I have since discovered that Yates is but a lad compared with some of the other, six survivors of the first Masters in 1934. Incidentally, the seven, from an original field of 72, have been married an average of 63 years.

In order of seniority they are: Harry Cooper (95), Mike Turnesa (92), Paul Runyan and George T Dunlap Jnr (both 91), Errie Ball (89) and Willie Turnesa and Yates (both 86). Between them, they have won two USPGA Championships, three US Amateurs, and two British Amateurs, while Runyan and Cooper are members of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

As it happened, Runyan was the only one of the seven to mount a serious challenge in 1934, when he received $500 for sharing third place, two strokes behind the winner, Horton Smith. Willie "The Wedge" Turnesa, the 1947 British Amateur champion, attempted to regain the title at Portmarnock in 1949, but was beaten 2 and 1 by Ireland's Max McCready, in the final.

The return of the West of Ireland to Co Sligo this weekend reminded Fergal Bracken of the great debt he owes the celebrated links, especially its famous, 424-yard 17th hole. "It was responsible for me winning the captain's prize at my club, Belmullet," he said.

Bracken explained: "During a casual round at Rosses Point in 1994, I hit a career-best five-wood second-shot to within a few feet of the pin at the 17th. Then, shortly afterwards, I happened to read that in the heat of competition, you should always think of your best shot. So, when the captain's prize was held for the first time on the new Carne links in 1995, I kept thinking of that amazing five-wood at Co Sligo's 17th, any time I felt under pressure. And I won - off 18."

This day in golf history . . . On April 22nd, 1984, Nick Faldo gained an American breakthrough by capturing the Heritage Classic at Harbour Town. With a perfect progression of 66, 67, 68 and 69 for an aggregate of 270, he took top prize of $72,000.

Teaser: A pitch-mark made by the ball as a result of the previous stroke interferes with a player's backswing. Before playing his next stroke, the player steps on the pitch-mark, improving the area of his intended swing. Is this permissible?

Answer: No. The player was in breach of Rule 13-2 which prohibits improving the area of the intended swing by pressing down irregularities of surface.