IN OCTOBER 1993, at Woodbrook, the long-promised arrival of women's professional golf in the Republic of Ireland finally happened. The thrilling prospect of Laura Davies appearing in the Ford Ladies' Challenge was a bit like landing Greg Norman to play in the Christy O'Connor Pro-Am.
Indicative of the enthusiasm of the players was the fact that prior to the main event they competed in a one-day pro-am in which there were no cash prizes. "We are prepared to do this in the hope it will lead to bigger things," said Australian Karen Lunn, who was leader of the Order of Merit that year with £81,266.
As it happened, Caroline Hall gained the distinction of making the first impact on this splendid adventure. The then 19-year-old from Bristol led her amateur partners to a sparkling score of 130 - 18 under par - for a winning margin of two strokes in testing, windy conditions on the Friday of tournament week.
Her victory was sealed by remarkable play of the intimidating, par four 18th where Hall's team had a combined score of only five. This was the product of a net eagle two by former Munster inter-provincial Mary Dowling (nee O'Connor) and a net birdie by Marion Cleary of Royal Tara.
There was a certain irony in the fact that Laura Davies's team finished way down the order on a score of 148 - no fewer than 18 strokes behind the winners. But the Englishwoman was thinking of bigger things. "My hope is that I will he returning here to compete in an Irish Women's Open," she said.
Within 24 hours, another significant blow had been struck in pursuit of that goal. An attendance of 5,900 saw Davies capture top prize money of £5,000 and their response was so enthusiastic as to promise at least another staging of the same event the following year.
"We've been quite stunned by the public's support," said Eddie Murphy, marketing manager of Ford. "A decision as to the future of the event won't be made until the end of this year, but an Irish Open is a distinct possibility."
Those familiar with the women's game in this country would not have been surprised at the success of that modest venture. By their nature, women golfers are far more committed than their male counterparts. All they needed was the opportunity to demonstrate that loyalty.
As it happened, things at Woodbrook could hardly have gone better. Even the weather relented with bright sunshine greeting the climactic stage of an enthralling, 18-hole event which produced play of an admirably high quality.
Carin Hjalmarsson, the former Swedish Girls' and Matchplay champion, set the target with a seven-under-par round of 67 that included seven birdies and no bogeys. A long, strong player, she confirmed her promising form the previous year when she had performed well enough to join Davies in the last round.
It meant that Davies, who had retained the English crown earlier that month, needed to cover the last three holes in one-under-par for victory. After pars at the 16th and 17th, everything hinged on her play of the 346-yard 18th.
Downwind, she hit a two iron off the tee, sweeping the ball 210 yards up the fairway. From there, a wedge of 136 yards landed 12 feet short of the pin. It left her with a putt that would have been daunting in the best of circumstances, but Davies also faced the challenge of negotiating a green that had been battered by the elements. In the event, a perfectly-struck putt found the target for a winning 66, forcing the young Swede to settle for runner-up money of £2,000.
"The people have been fantastic - they certainly know their golf," said Davies afterwards. A measure of the Englishwoman's performance was the reaction of former Irish champion Eileen Rose Power, who would go on to gain Curtis Cup honours the following year.
"There I was with what I thought was a good score, only to discover that Laura Davies was six-under par going to the 10th," she commented wistfully. "The presence of all these fine players is bound to be a great lift to the game in this country."
Ireland's amateurs had, in fact, responded in strength to the opportunity of competing with the professionals. Mary McKenna shot a creditable 75 and Claire Dowling (nee Hourihane) was two strokes further back. But in the light of events since then, it was particularly interesting to note the 82 from a promising young player from The Island, by the name of Aideen Rogers.
Remarkably, by July of the following year, the primary objective had been achieved: the WPG European Tour had established a long-awaited foothold in the Republic. Modest beginnings at Woodbrook had seen the emergence of the Irish Holidays Open which, through a considerable input by Bord Failte and support from Guardian Insurance, carried a prize fund of £70,000. And it was to be staged at St Margaret's, one of the country's fine, new establishments.
Lunn, who had dreamed wild dreams at Woodbrook the previous autumn, was there. So were Davies and Hjalmarsson, who had contested such a dramatic finish to the one-day event. Finally, the years of frustration that had seen unsuccessful moves to stage an event at Malahide were at an end.
One of the more intriguing aspects of the new tournament was the manner in which it revealed the existence of eight Irish professionals - Gillian Burrell, Debbie Hanna, Siobhan Keogh, Jane Leavy, Maureen Madill, Lynn McCool. Yvonne McQuillan and Lynn Sweeney.
Of course, all eyes were on Davies, who would be challenging a par 72 stretch with an overall length of 6,048 yards. "It's playing nicely and requires you to hit every club in the bag," remarked leading English professional Trish Johnson.
The field of 117 professionals included Alison Nicholas who became a highly successful foursomes partner for Davies in the European Team which captured the Solheim Cup at Dalmahoy in 1992. Lora Fairclough was also there, along with Helen Wadsworth of Wales, a winner of the BMW European Masters in Belgium the previous month.
The elegant Marie Laure de Lorenzi was in the line-up, making a return visit to this country where she played as an amateur at Hermitage, 15 years previously. Several Americans also made the journey to Dublin, though their collective challenge was weakened by the late withdrawal of Jane Geddes.
Davies, who had competed in the US Women's Open the previous weekend when she finished 12th, was forced to play the course blind, having arrived in Dublin late on the Wednesday night. In fact her caddie didn't arrive until 1.30am on the morning of the tournament. She offered no excuses after a two under par opening round of 70, which left her two strokes off the pace.
Meanwhile, Patti Rizzo, who shot a second successive 70 to claim the halfway lead ahead of Federica Dassu, was determined to defend her chosen sporting pursuit. "European men don't seem to think us women can play golf, but they'll learn," she said. "We've got some great players."
Nobody at St Margaret's two days later would have challenged that assertion after watching Davies storm through for an eight-stroke victory. Three strokes clear after 54 holes, she proceeded to produce a few, drama-inducing stumbles, just like an accomplished high-wire artiste, before leaving her challengers floundering in her wake.
With a six-under-par total of 282, she was the only player to break the regulation aggregate of 288. "The rough probably had a lot to do with that," she said. "Even with my power, I found it difficult. But I wouldn't change anything about the course. I thought it was ideal and I hope we're back here next year."
She then departed for her cottage in Surrey. With her first European win of the year and the 30th of her career, she had done what everybody had expected of her. Almost single-handedly, she launched a new phase in the development of women's golf in this country.
Typically, Davies then set about scaling new heights in her ongoing Irish adventure. Her wish was granted when the tournament returned to St Margaret's last year as Guardian became significant sponsors. The tournament became known as the Guardian Irish Holidays Open, in which the prize money was boosted to £100,000.
During a preamble to the tournament, a long-driving competition was held. It prompted memories of Rizzo and her comment about the male perception of women's golf. In the long-driving challenge, Davies smashed the ball 312 yards, a full 77 yards clear of her nearest rival, Philip McKeever, a three-handicapper from the Old Conna club.
Meanwhile, there was an obvious confidence about the way the event was organised, not least because of the quality of the player centre-stage. As opposed to the stunning, single round of 66 she had produced in the Ford Challenge, her performance on this occasion was a positive tour de force. On the way to capturing top prize money of £15,000, Davies set new standards for the women's game internationally.
With rounds of 67, 66, 66 and 68 for 267, she established a world record of 25-under-par for 72 holes. Her 16-stroke victory margin over young Swede, Asa Gottmo was also unprecedented. The only significant target which failed to fall to the English woman was her own European aggregate record of 267, set against a modest par of 69 at Biarritz in 1988. But she equalled it.
"This is the best I've ever played," she said afterwards. "I'm thrilled with what I've done." So well she might, having smashed by no fewer than five strokes, the previous world aggregate of 20-under-par. set by in 1985 by no less a figure in the game than Nancy Lopez. The rest of us could feel the full impact of what had been achieved since those embryonic days at Woodbrook, 21 months previously.
