Even with menacing water eating into the approach to the green, the long 18th at the K Club took quite a mauling yesterday in the Smurfit Christy O'Connor Pro-Am. Three of the four leading professionals had eagles there, and it also fell victim to amateurs making a late contribution to the team effort.
The format clearly suited England's Gary Evans who had a best-of-the-day 66 - six under par. "I've come to the realisation that there was too much effort in my golf and not enough fun," he said after carding a back nine of 30, culminating in a beautifully-struck drive, three-wood and six-foot putt for an eagle three at the 18th, naturally.
Paul McGinley didn't have an eagle at the 18th, but Roger Chapman did to be level with the Dubliner on 67. under a new arrangement, however, the serious money went to the professional of the winning team. Which meant that American Robin Byrd, with 73 on his own card, was helped to a handsome prize of £3,150 by his amateur partners.
It was very much a local, family affair. Dublin businessman Sean Barron and his sons, John and Richard, all K Club members, joined Byrd to produce 54 stableford points, which, with one score counting, worked out as a birdie on every hole.
The eagle at the 18th from this quartet was of the nett variety, from 13-handicapper Richard Barron who hit a three-wood second shot of 220 yards to 35 feet and got down in two putts. Handsome, earlier damage had been done by his brother John, who carded seven net birdies off 12 handicap and a nett eagle at the long 13th, where an eight-iron third shot was followed by a 10-foot putt.
They were a stroke clear of Padraig Harrington's team which included local expert Bill Cullen, winner of the Smurfit European Open Pro-Am on three occasions. Kilkenny hurler, D J Carey contributed two nett birdies and a gross birdie; there was a nett eagle from Ciaran Dunne who followed a six-iron approach with an eight-foot putt at the 15th and Harrington eagled the last, hitting a three-iron second to 15 feet.
Chapman, with Delgany caddie, Darren Reynolds, on his bag, actually finished 3,3,3 - birdie, par, eagle. "With all the trees they've planted, it's a much tougher test now than when I first played it," he said afterwards. The sort of figures which would be dearly bought in the 2005 Ryder Cup, however, came from another Englishman, Robert Coles, who finished birdie, birdie, eagle for a 68.
Evans, who was seventh in the European Open last year, will also be remembered here as a member of the 1991 Walker Cup team at Portmarnock. Using his blade to excellent effect on the homeward journey, he took only 13 putts, four of which delivered birdies at the 10th, 13th, 14th and 15th, before his spectacular finish.
