Tour warms up in Sun City before hitting the desert

IRELAND'S forces are becoming more formidable as the European Tour progresses to its fourth event of the new season, the Dimension Data Tournament, which starts at Sun City on Thursday. But with Philip Walton still away on a family holiday, the Irish representation will remain below full strength until the end of this month.

That is when the lure of the desert will have all serious Ryder Cup aspirants in Dubai. In the meantime, Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley, Darren Clarke, Eamonn Darcy, Des Smyth, Raymond Burns, John McHenry and David Higgins are in action this week.

The Sun City event is also notable for the first appearance of the season by Seve Ballesteros, the Ryder Cup captain. Currently 20th in the points table, Ballesteros is determined to play himself into contention for a place in the side at Valderrama, however fanciful that might appear to serious observers.

Harrington and Burns are the only Irishmen to have competed in all three events so far, and the Stackstown player remains determined to continue for another three weeks, at least. Though now in only his second full season as a professional, protracted playing stints are not new to Harrington, who competed in eight successive events from the Czech Open last August until a share of eighth place in the German Masters, two months later.

In the US, victory in the Buick Invitational last Sunday gave Mark O'Meara a splendid double - and an unwanted distinction. With back to back wins after his success the previous week in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he emulated the achievement of Peter Jacobsen, who won the same two events in 1995. And he became the 13th back to back winner since 1980.

Entering the La Jolla tournament, O'Meara and Bruce Lietzke were notable for having won the most tournaments in the US - 13 each - without a major triumph. Now, with 14 wins to his credit, the distinction is O'Meara's alone - and it doesn't bother him.

O'Meara has a surprisingly poor record in the "majors", particularly in the US Open in which he missed six successive cuts from 1989. He also missed four out of five cuts in the USPGA Championship at that time.

Masters and British Open performances have been somewhat better, however he shared fourth place behind Fred Couples at Augusta in 1992; was tied third behind Sandy Lyle at Royal St George's in 1985 and shared third place again in 1991 at Birkdale, behind Ian Baker Finch.

"If I were never to win a major, I would still think I'd had a good career," he said yesterday. "I certainly won't lose any sleep over the matter."

Renowned for his strong, early season form, he added: "Timing is very important in the majors and I just don't seem to have hit peak form for them."

O'Meara, who finished ninth behind Bernhard Langer in the Irish Open at Portmarnock in 1987, is entitled to feel proud of his international achievements, including a victory in the 1979 US Amateur in which he beat the defending champion, John Cook, in the final. And he is one of only five players to have won on five different tours in four different continents.

He added the Argentine Open in 1994 to successes in Japan (1985 and 1992), the 1986 Australian Masters and the 1987 Lawrence Batley International in England, so matching the achievement of Langer, Gary Player, David Graham and Hale Irwin, all of whom had won in the US, Europe, Japan, Australia and South America.

The Buick Invitational also marked a milestone in the progress of Sweden's Jesper Parnevik, who joined the US Tour in 1994. As one of seven players to share second place behind O'Meara, Parnevik moved into second position in the US money list with earnings of $414,307 this season.

Last September, Parnevik gained his third European success by capturing the Lancome Trophy.

On last Sunday's form, he is staking a serious claim as one of the two wild card choices on the European Ryder Cup team this year.

. Gerald Byrne has been appointed course superintendent at The K Club to replace Tom Brooks, who has returned to the US to take up a position at the Presidio GC in San Francisco.

Byrne, whose father, Jim, was course manager at Hermitage, has a fascinating background. While developing into an accomplished golfer with a current handicap of six, he retained a keen interest in athletics, to the extent of competing in the New York marathon last year.

He learned his craft under the watchful eye of his father at Hermitage.