The 1990s proved to be quite a revolutionary time for the Irish Open. Since the championship was revived in 1975, it had become the preserve of venues in the Dublin region - but that policy was changed and, so, the past decade witnessed the event being staged at four different courses in various parts of the country.

There was also a dramatic increase in the prize-fund, over a trebling in fact. In 1990 at Portmarnock, the last time the tournament was held on a links course, there was a total purse of £375,000 but this year's event at Druids Glen will see players fighting it out for a prize-fund of £1.25 million. No Irish player managed to win the championship in the 90s (John McHenry's third-place finish last year being the closest) and, instead, the championship was exported to England (four), Scotland (three), Germany (one) and Spain (one) in that time. There were two multiple winners: Nick Faldo took the crown on three occasions, while Colin Montgomerie was a two-time winner.

1990

Venue: Portmarnock

Prizefund: £375,000 (Winner: £62,485)

Champion: Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain) 67-72-71-72

Winning Total: 282 (-6)

Best Irish: Eamonn Darcy (tied 7th)

If it still sounds crazy now, it'll sound even crazier in years to come. This was the year that Italia 90, and all its associated soccer mania, forced players out with the dawn chorus on the final day. By 10.52 a.m. the last pair had teed-off and, finally, Jose Maria Olazabal was to fulfil his destiny and win the tournament that had tormented him for the previous three years when he'd had three top-six finishes.

Ian Woosnam was seeking to win an unprecedented third Irish Open in-a-row. He didn't. Nick Faldo was forced to withdraw on the eve of the event with a wrist injury. And Darren Clarke was to hint at future glories by rubbing shoulders with the professionals and edged out Paul McGinley for the amateur prize. Elsewhere, the battle for the title was intriguing. The first round lead was held by Mark Calcavecchia - one clear of Olazabal and Frenchman Marc Farry - but the reigning British Open champion fell foul of the weather the next day. "I feel like I've been through a war - my back hurts, my eyes hurt . . . the only good news is that I'm still in the fight," said the American. He shot 75. But Olazabal, who had first made his acquaintance with the north Dublin links as a 14-year-old a decade earlier in the Junior World Cup, ground out a 72 to take a lead he was never to relinquish.

"Who knows when I'll get the chance to play Portmarnock again?" wondered Olazabal, prophetically. "There is an extra challenge in playing a great course in tough, windy conditions; and it became a special challenge because of the way people respected me. They appreciate my play and they sympathise with my mistakes." He was three shots clear of Calcavecchia and Frank Nobilo by the finish.

Eamonn Darcy challenged strongly, but vainly. He resurrected his famous, distinctive black putter from the Ryder Cup at Muirfield Village and used a steel-shafted driver that had been discarded 15 years previously. However, he knew his fate going into the last round. "There was no way a player of Ollie's class was coming back to the field," he said.

1991

Venue: Killarney (Killeen)

Prize-fund: £400,000 (winner: £66,660)

Champion: Nick Faldo (England) 6875-70-70

Winning Total: 283 (-5)

Best Irish: Philip Walton (tied 7th)

Everyone knew who Payne Stewart was. On the Monday before Thursday's first round he beat Scott Simpson in a play-off to win the US Open at Hazeltine. Before a ball had been struck in anger, the tournament organisers had won. Payne flew into Killarney on the eve of the championship, limited himself to a walk of the course, wore the black and white colours of the LA Raiders in the first round and, generally, enthralled everyone. A dapper gentleman.

Nick Faldo, the British Open champion, discovered he was just a face in the crowd. When he forgot his player identification and attempted to gain admittance to the clubhouse, Faldo was stopped by a security man. "I'm Nick Faldo," he informed the guard. "Of course you are," replied the security man, eventually waving him on.

On the eve of the tournament, Faldo said: "I'm here to win - that's the reason I play the game, the reason I'm here." In the first round, he shot 68 and was joined on that score by Colin Montgomerie. "A lovely, beautiful day," said Faldo. The words were no sooner out of his mouth than the weather turned nasty. Five hours later, David Feherty walked off the 18th green and described the day as "ideal for watching television in bed".

The second day proved another tough test. The wind that came in off Lough Lein had a minimum strength of 23 miles per hour and gusted to 40 at times. The big surprise was that Stewart hadn't come down from his emotional high and shared the midway lead with Monty. Faldo was three strokes further back. "I kept guessing right and putting good," explained Stewart. The physical and mental tiredness hit over the weekend, though, and the American fell back to earth.

Faldo, however, never faltered. At his 14th attempt, he finally won the Irish Open and a final round of 70 meant he had three shots to spare over Montgomerie. Philip Walton finished best of the Irish in tied 7th, but Feherty was the one who had them scurrying around the course as word spread of his birdie exploits. He complained that his golf was so bad in the previous three rounds that he "could have made a better swing in a telephone box," but he finished in style with a new course record 65.