Ulstermen stand firm on shores of Fermanagh

GOLF DUEL ON THE LOUGH: On a course where signs have warnings along the lines of, "Ssshh... Bats Sleeping", there was plenty of craic and banter, writes Philip Reid

AS IF the lakes in these parts needed any more water. On the sort of day which geese and ducks adore, four of Ireland’s finest golfers – Younger and Older from the North, Young and Old from the South – ignored the persistent downpours to provide a good old battle in the Lough Erne Challenge.

The bragging rights, by the narrowest of margins, went to Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke over Shane Lowry and Pádraig Harrington.

For the record, the Northern Irishmen shot a better-ball 66, six-under-par, to the Republic of Ireland pairing’s 67. And, on a course where signs have warnings along the lines of, “Ssshh. . . .Bats Sleeping” and “Watch The Otter” to remind you of the environmentally friendly message, there was indeed plenty of craic and banter between players who have been to the fore in punching above their weight internationally in Ireland’s golfing cause.

Indeed, it says something about the strength of the game in these northern parts that a major champion, Graeme McDowell, was an absentee from the event which attracted a large gallery – close to 4,000 – who made good use of umbrellas, waterproofs and, of course, their voices.

And newly selected European Ryder Cup vice-captain Clarke, while happy to watch his partner McIlroy steal most of the thunder with a plethora of birdies, including four in a row from the second to give the North the initiative, made a rather impassioned call to Harrington to ensure the Dubliner makes the team for Celtic Manor in October.

“We need Pádraig on the team. We want Pádraig on the team. And we all hope Pádraig is on the team,” said Clarke.

On the point of captain Colin Montgomerie’s wild card picks, Clarke added: “The captain’s decision is always going to be tough. I am a prime example of that (at the K Club in 2006). It just so happens he has got some world-class players that are not in the team right now. I am sure he is hoping some of those guys, Pádraig being one of them, will have a really good tournament.

“We all want Pádraig on the team. Without a doubt, you want Pádraig on that first tee in the Ryder. That’s how good he is, that’s how much respect he has among all his peers and I have no doubt that he will be there.”

Harrington, for his part, knows exactly where he is positioned.

“Yeah, a precarious position,” he remarked of his Ryder Cup standing, which has him ninth in the world points list and 17th in the European money list.

“I’ve told him to play better,” interjected Clarke, with the sort of humour which his addition to Monty’s back-room team (even if he still has ambitions to make the team himself) will likely bring.

If he were to do it all over again, Harrington might have played more European Tour events in the qualifying process to try to make the team by that route.

Although he has had no fewer than 14 top-10 finishes on tour inside the last year, Harrington has remained only on the fringe of automatic selection.

“Would I have switched and played some more European tournaments?” he pondered. “Yes, in hindsight I would have. Definitely. No doubt about it. As it has turned out, I am just as close nearly in the money (list) as in the world rankings.

“When I started out, it was all about the world rankings. With four spots and a lot of guys playing well, it is a tough one to get into. It is really, really tight.

“I should have focused more on the money end of things. But then I thought the world rankings was more where I would be focused. It hasn’t quite worked out that way. As of yet!”

The intensity with which Harrington emphasised the “yet” brought a smile to Clarke.

“He’s stubborn and talented,” remarked Clarke of his long-time Ryder Cup colleague.

Harrington can play his way into an automatic place with a good finish in any one of the Irish Open at Killarney next week, the following week’s Bridgestone Invitational or the US PGA the week after. Even then, he has the bail-out of adding the Johnnie Walker at Gleneagles to his itinerary.

No such worries, of course, for McIlroy, who is already a shoo-in on the qualifying. On Tuesday night, he released some of the leftover frustration from St Andrews by joining his friend Niall O’Connor for some kicking practice at the Ulster rugby team’s work-out. Yesterday, though, he was back to what he does best: playing golf, and playing it extremely well.

The players in unison claimed Lough Erne had the best greens they’d played on all year and was entirely worthy of playing host to a European Tour event – should the finances come available for such a tournament in these challenged economic climates.

As it was, Messrs Clarke and McIlroy produced the goods, with the younger making the decisive blow with a birdie (his sixth) on the 16th.

A good day, apparently for golfers as well as ducks and geese.