"He'd want to be out of his mind to try it." This was the verdict of English caddie Julian Phillips on the chances of John Daly being tempted to make the most treacherous carry in Irish golf. "My man Chris Hanell tried it in practice yesterday and we didn't find the ball."

Phillips was referring to the 471-yard 13th, which has been the scene of much grief since the Murphy's Irish Open came to Druids Glen three years ago. Seve Ballesteros had a wretched nine there in his opening round last year, when even the winner failed to emerge unscathed.

Remarkably, David Carter found water for a double-bogey six on the final day and still succeeded in forcing a play-off with Colin Montgomerie. Yet the first time he played it in competition 12 months ago, Sergio Garcia reduced it to a drive, eight iron and four-foot putt for a birdie.

Handicap-players are thrilled to see their drive sail out into the blue yonder, clear of the stream some way below and coming to rest anywhere on the short grass. But the really serious carry, which has never been negotiated successfully, involves further water, where the same stream goes on to traverse the fairway.

"Taking the shortest line, that would be a carry of more than 350 yards to an unbelievably tight landing area, just beyond the bridge," added Phillips. "It might be possible for Daly to make it downwind, but I don't think even he would try it."

Yet the hole remains fascinating for the manner in which it humanises professionals in the eyes of their lesser brethern. "I have certainly found myself tensing-up as I've made the walk up the hill from the short 12th," said the 1996 Czech Open winner, Jonathan Lomas. "And the situation isn't made any easier by the fact that there's generally a wait on the tee."

He went on: "The drive is straightforward enough, in that the wind will dictate whether you hit a driver or a three wood. But the second shot is the real test. Going up to the ball, you're just thinking about getting a par and moving on. Do the wrong thing and you could easily end up making a right fool of yourself."

Which is something that Daly seems determined not to do this week, certainly in the aftermath of a highly-controversial finale to his US Open challenge at Pinehurst 11 days ago. "I have since written a letter of apology to David Fay (executive director of the USGA)," he said, on arriving at Druids Glen yesterday.

From this promising start to his meeting with the media, however, he simply couldn't resist a penchant for digging holes for himself. "Most of the players I talked to agreed with me (about the way he slated the USGA and the way they set up the course), though the timing was very poor on my part," he said.

Daly went on: "I didn't really want to be interviewed by Roger Maltbie (NBC's on-course commentator) but they pushed it and pushed it and I still should have said no. Roger did a poor job of interviewing me (about his action in hitting the ball on the run while running up an 11 at the par-four eighth)."

He is prepared for a written reprimand from USPGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and agrees that he would probably deserve it. Yet he insisted: "We should be able to voice our opinions at certain times. I just did it at the wrong time. I mean there is no doubt that a lot of US Open pin placements are pretty unfair, but you know that going into the event."

Meanwhile, apart from the recent, horrendous financial disclosures - including gambling losses totalling $9 million, he confirmed that he had signed a club contract worth, potentially, $30 million with the Wilson company during the US Open at Oakmont in 1994. "But they pulled out of the deal on my birthday when I was in rehab in 1997," he said.

Daly then insisted that he was here to play to the best of his abibity, just like he did when finishing second to Bernhard Langer at Mount Juliet five years ago. Which means he won't be attempting that carry at the 13th, unless, of course, the wind . . .