Walton gets chance to resurrect career

Philip Walton, Europe's Ryder Cup hero five years ago, has this week finally been handed the chance to resurrect his career. Four months after losing his place on the European tour and failing to win it back at the qualifying school - a week he described as "like a prison sentence" - Walton tees off today in the Stg £474,000 Qatar Masters in Doha.

He is in the Middle East courtesy of a special sponsor's invitation, the first he has received after writing around pleading his case.

While the tournament is just another stop on the circuit to most of the players - Seve Ballesteros and Ian Woosnam included - to Walton it carries great significance. He cannot be sure when his next opportunity will come.

"With so few starts guaranteed this season I want to try to do myself justice whenever I play," said the 37-year-old Dubliner.

"I can't make a schedule and it's difficult not being able to plan anything, but I hope to play in Morocco next month off my ranking last year, I get into the French and English Opens as a former winner and then there's the three tournaments in Ireland (Irish Open, European Open and West of Ireland Classic) which I would hope to play in. After that I just don't know."

Walton beat Bernhard Langer in a play-off to land the French Open 10 years ago, then defeated Colin Montgomerie in sudden death to become English Open champion in 1995.

He finished that season 13th on the Order of Merit and joined the tour's Millionaires Club. But the year will always be best remembered for his nail-biting win over Jay Haas in the deciding Ryder Cup singles at Oak Hill.

After that, however, Walton's career nosedived and he was forced to the school for the first time in his life after coming 160th on the 1999 moneylist with only £20,500 from 26 starts.

He is literally looking at the circuit with a fresh perspective now after flying to San Diego soon after the school for laser surgery on his eyes.

Strong winds are predicted for the first round and with the thicker rough nobody is predicting that Paul Lawrie's winning total of 20 under last year will be matched - or the course record of 63 held by Andrew Sherborne and David Carter.