In a coming of age, Ireland will have as many as 21 players in action this season in the PGA European Seniors' Tour, including several who would have been thought of as career amateurs. It is a reflection of the accessibility of a golfing phenomenon which has opened similar doors for players in the US, where the rewards are quite staggering.
But the indications are that they will not be enjoying three events on home soil, as was available to last year's contingent. Though the Irish Seniors is to be upgraded significantly, there appear to be no plans to continue the West of Ireland Senior Championship which had a remarkable staging at the embryonic East Clare course last August, when England's John Morgan triumphed.
Meanwhile, a particularly interesting qualifier later in the year will be John O'Leary, who reaches his 50th birthday on August 19th. Apart from being the last `home' winner of the Irish Open, which he captured at Portmarnock in 1982, he was a member of the Ryder Cup committee which chose The K Club as the venue for the 2005 event.
O'Leary, who is currently in South Africa, has yet to indicate his senior intentions. Either way, he could not be considered tournament competitive at the moment, as his last serious outings on the European Tour were in 1992. That was when he recovered from back problems to compete in the Benson and Hedges International, the Volvo PGA Championship, the Jersey Open and the Irish Open. And he missed the cut in all four. In fact, his last full season on tour was 1989 when he played in 20 tournaments, made the cut in only eight of them and slumped to 148th in the Order of Merit.
Another interesting qualifier is Bernard Gallacher, who captained the Ryder Cup team to a memorable victory at Oak Hill in 1995. He reaches his 50th birthday on June 2nd, while Spain's Manuel Ballesteros and Belgium's Philippe Toussaint will become eligible later that month.
"Players such as Bernard Gallacher, Christy O'Connor Jnr and John O'Leary have had a huge impact on the game throughout their careers," said Andy Stubbs, managing director of the European Seniors' Tour. "Their support can only help to strengthen our growth as we approach the new millennium."
He added: "The presence of these and other charismatic players is bound to enhance what promises to be another exciting year for us."
O'Connor Jnr, who was 50 last August, has already made an impact on the tour, having shared fourth place in the Golden Charter PGA Scottish Senior Open last autumn - his second event. He then went on to play a significant role in the European Seniors' team which retained the Praia D'el Rey Cup by tying with the European LPGA.
The perceived career amateurs among the Irish qualifiers are former Irish Close champions Denis O'Sullivan and Kenny Stevenson, along with Gordon Parkhill and the latest arrivals, Tommy Moran and Bryan Malone.
Malone's status in Category 15 was hard won. It is, in fact, the first official recognition the former amateur international 1964 West of Ireland champion has attained since making the shock decision to turn professional 17 years ago. Malone competed in the West of Ireland Seniors in which he failed to make the cut.
Moran, a long-time member of Hermitage, is in a much stronger position in terms of entry into senior events this year, given that he finished 24 places higher than Malone in the Qualifying School. A regular member of the Hermitage Senior Cup team, his enduring skills were reflected in a handicap of plus one, prior to his venture into senior ranks two months ago.
