AFTER shooting a first round of 87 in qualifying for the West of Ireland Championship, Garth MeGimpsey wasn't quite sure how he felt. Granted, the weather was grim but it was still a high number. His anxiety was quickly dispelled, however, when a fellow competitor enthused: "Great score."

Though not entirely typical of Rosses Point at Easter, competitors would still identify with that little vignette, as they head this week for the opening championship of the season. Which makes it all the more remarkable that, at 41, McGimpsey retains the taste for battle.

This year, the Ulster Bank sponsored event is being staged at Enniscrone because of problems with the Co Sligo greens. Never having played there, McGimpsey has decided he will need an extra practice round before opening the defence of the title. So he is travelling west from his home in Bangor today.

"I can vividly recall that 87," he said yesterday. "Conditions were horrendous and I ended the day in the top-10, which meant that I had the luxury of easing myself through the qualifying on the second day. And I can remember another time when preferred lies were in operation on the greens.

"But I was fortunate to miss an occasion that was equally memorable for all the wrong reasons. I was later told of a match in which Liam MacNamara reckoned he was 23 over par when beating Colin Glasgow at the 21st. They halved the first two tie holes in seven, six, before Liam won the match with another six at the long third."

McGimpsey has 13 important championships to his credit, including four West of Ireland titles. So, the event is clearly important to him. "I reckon I have played in it 20 times in the last 24 years," he said. "Indeed it has become so much a part of my life that if I didn't go there, I'd be sitting at home, wondering what to do with myself."

He had good reason to be absent from the field on two, rather special occasions. The first of those was in 1986 when, as reigning British Amateur champion, he played in the US Masters at Augusta National, where no less a figure than Jack Nicklaus joined him in a practice round.

In the event, McGimpsey was accommodated in the Crow's Nest in the famous clubhouse and went on to shoot two rounds of 78 to miss the cut. And the experience was no less pleasurable the following year, when he again managed to break 80, with rounds of 79 and 77.

Still he was drawn back to the West. Indeed as a career amateur, McGimpsey was acutely aware of the importance of such events in making the Augusta experience possible. After losing the 1983 final when the aspiring champion, Glasgow, had a hole-in-one on the short ninth, he won the West for the first time the following year. And he regained it in 1988, 1993 and last year.

"It seems to get tougher every season," he grinned. "It would be that my game's getting poor, but I'd prefer to think that there are far more young players out there who are capable of winning. There are far better opportunities than when I was their age and, in fairness, they're making the best of them.

"For instance, a pal of mine was telling me that he recently bumped into Bryan Omelia, who had been practising at The K Club. He is one of a number of our full-time amateurs who happen to be very capable players."

Mind you, McGimpsey has also had his opportunities. For instance, he returned last Wednesday from two weeks in South Africa with a six-member Ulster squad, including two juniors. "We had a fairly hectic schedule - plenty of golf but not much time for practice," he said.

So, how is his game? "Not as good as it might be," he admitted. "But I never get concerned about my form. I'm fortunate in that it doesn't take much to get me into a competitive mood. It's the way I'm made, I suppose." His course management skills have also been a crucial factor in potentially trying conditions.

McGimpsey first made an impact on the Irish amateur scene in 1979, when he lost to Arthur Pierse in a play-off for the East of Ireland Championship at Baltray. Since then, he has been the country's most consistent performer, capturing five North of Ireland titles, four Wests and two Easts, along with the Irish Close in 1988.

Inevitably, representative honours were bestowed by the Royal and Ancient. The high point of his Walker Cup appearances came as a member of the victorious team at Peachtree in 1989. And he had previously shared with Eoghan O'Connell, Peter McEvoy and Jim Milligan in the Eisenhower Trophy triumph at Ullva, Sweden, in 1988.

Among his more memorable successes with Ireland, were the European Amateur Team Championships of 1983 and 1987. It is worth noting that on these and other occasions, when the usual unease occurred among GUI officials regarding the playing of Amhran na bhFiann as the official anthem of the side, McGimpsey, a proud Ulsterman, invariably responded generously.

Meanwhile, he has no thoughts of retiring. "As far at this week's championship is concerned, I don't suppose I could be considered the favourite," he conceded. "But if I were to find myself in the quarter-finals, I'd fancy my chances of going all the way."

He went on: "I just enjoy playing competitive golf. And my plan is to continue playing in the championships. After all, Brian Hoey won the Close for the first time when he was 50 (at Malone in 1984), so that gives me nine more years, at least."

How about fitness? "I'm a stone heavier now that I was when I first went to the West," he replied. Then he quickly added: "But it's well distributed. It helps me to be more durable, which is often an important asset at this time of year.

And does he expect to keep winning? "Who knows. The beauty of golf is that you can always find a role for yourself. Maybe I'll become a tournament wrecker, by taking a few notable scalps before I run out of steam. Either way, I plan to be around for quite a while time yet."

Which could amount to bad news for some of the sharp young blades with their eyes on his title.