Marie-Laure de Lorenzi captured the thinking behind the event when she said: "Something different always attracts publicity." The stylish Frenchwoman was speaking in her capacity as captain of a European women's team who face a rather special challenge in Portugal next month.

That her rival captain happens to be Tommy Horton offers a significant clue to the nature of the inaugural Praia D'el Rey European Cup. It is, in fact, an unique match between the European Seniors' Tour and the Women Professional Golfers' European Tour, which will be played to a Ryder Cup type format on November 14th-16th.

"It should be fun for both the spectators and those watching on television," added Lorenzi. "Now I want to make sure we can gather as strong a team as possible. I'm certainly looking forward to the match which we're determined to win."

The top eight players from each tour will qualify automatically and the 10-member teams will be completed by two wildcard picks from the respective captains. "It will be interesting to see if we can come up with some former Ryder Cup pairings," said Horton.

Of the current top-eight, Horton (1st), Antonio Garrido (4th), Malcolm Gregson (6th) and Maurice Bembridge (8th) are all former Ryder Cup players, but they never formed a pairing.

Meanwhile, it would seem that the only chance of having an Irish representative in the side is for David Jones, currently 12th in the Order of Merit, to receive a wild card.

When the event was first mooted, there were fears that it might not receive the necessary commercial backing to make it viable. But those fears have now been removed by what is described as "exceptional interest". This week, the promoters announced three official sponsors and four other companies who are prepared to act as official suppliers.

The attitude of the men was summed up yesterday by Australia's Noel Ratcliffe, who is certain of making the team. "We'll be expected to win so, in a way, we have everything to lose," he said. And knowing the potential strength of the opposition, he quickly added: "My belief is that we'll find it very difficult." It should be fascinating.

"I have no special secret. All I know is that you cannot live in the past. I'm one of those people who can forget what is behind me and focus on what is ahead. That's what everybody should do." - Bernhard Langer after winning the German Masters last Sunday.

IF success in professional golf is essentially about money, then Darren Clarke is very successful indeed. In fact his tournament earnings so far this season are higher that such notables as "major" winners Ian Woosnam, Nick Faldo, Lee Janzen and Jose-Maria Olazabal.

Entering the Toyota World Matchplay, Clarke's take from 24 tournaments world-wide was $798,069, giving him 26th place in the international money list. Predictably, this is headed by Tiger Woods, who has taken $1,965,468 from 19 events. The only other Irish player in the top-80 is Padraig Harrington in 75th position, with $406,328 from 28 events.

Meanwhile, Paul McGinley needs to make only £29,565 to reach the £1 million mark in career earnings, so joining compatriots Ronan Rafferty (£2,681,220), Clarke (£1,883,182), David Feherty (£1,662,287), Eamonn Darcy (£1,494,192), Des Smyth (£1,466,431), Philip Walton (£1,458,333) and Christy O'Connor Jnr (£1,066,161). At the moment, McGinley is 67th in the all-time European list with £970,435.

It is delightfully appropriate that in a month when Bernhard Langer won his fourth tournament of the season, the American magazine Golf Digest should have decided to re-run a piece about the German, written by the late Peter Dobereiner in 1993. Among other things, it recalls Langer's early days on tour, when he was known affectionately as Fritzie.

The story concerns a tournament held to celebrate the opening of the Aga Khan's luxury resort in Sardinia. The area being a notorious hotbed of the Mafia, all those involved with the event were advised to stay well clear of the local tavern and, most especially, the local maidens.

At the end of the tournament, however, two hell-raising South African players were missing when the time came to depart for the airport at Cagliari. Eventually, the last bus could wait no longer and headed off through fearsome, kidnapping country where "a bandito could crouch in his maquis and be invisible to pursuers a yard away on the roadside".

Dobereiner takes up the story: "After about an hour's driving, two bedraggled figures hailed the bus. Barefoot, their clothes torn and drenched in blood, they barely resembled the two missing pros. They were almost incoherent through drink, but before collapsing into insensibility on the back seat, were able to convey the urgent message that we should drive like hell.

"There now arose the question of the safety of the bus and the possibility of having to repel boarders. There was only one sensible precaution that could be taken and the mood of the passengers was unanimous: `Fritzie! Go and sit by the door'."

Dobereiner concluded that when Langer took up his position by the door "nobody was going to get past him". His would-be challengers in Berlin last weekend, would have known the feeling.

If today's competition at Mount Juliet matches the qualifying stage of The Irish Times Lexus Challenge, scoring should be very close indeed. As it happens, three of last year's finalists are back in action, including the champions, MMI Stockbrokers, and third-placed Frank Keane Holdings.

A total of 27 different organisations have now taken part in an event that has grown enormously in appeal since its launch in 1995. Aer Rianta were the inaugural winners but, interestingly, no organisation has succeeded in qualifying for all three finals.

Indicative of tight scoring during this year's qualifying process is that only nine Stableford points separates the top team, AGF Irish Life Holdings, from the 12th team, which happens to be the holders, MMI. This compares with a gap of 30 strokes between the top and bottom qualifiers last year.

A new dimension to this year's event is that the winning team will receive a £5,000 cheque which will go to the charity of their choice.

This day in golf history . . . On October 11th, 1981, the winning cheque in the World Matchplay Championship at Wentworth was £30,000, the same as the first round losers received this week. Such a detail would have been of only minor concern, however, to Seve Ballesteros, on the occasion of his first triumph in the event.

As winner of the British Open in 1979 and the US Masters in 1980, the young Spaniard had added another significant title to his growing list of achievements. And he did it by beating such notables as Hale Irwin, Greg Norman and Bernhard Langer, before gaining a one hole victory over Ben Crenshaw in the final.

Ballesteros went on to win the title again in 1982, 1984, 1985 and 1991, so equalling the record of five victories by Gary Player from 1965 to 1973. In his inaugural success, Ballesteros was 27under-par for the 130 holes he needed over four matches.

In brief: Little more than a year after undergoing open heart surgery, Mullingar's Joe Healy is back winning golf competitions. Now playing better than ever, according to my correspondent Michael Duffy, Healy won the Long-Handicap Matchplay tournament last week, beating George Lambden in the final . . . Roger Ballagh of Rathfarnham's centenary committee will be especially pleased to hear from anybody who was a member during the club's Butterfield years. Indeed any information that would contribute towards a centenary history would be welcome. Carlow GC are also approaching their centenary and Des McDonnell would welcome similar help in the compiling of their history.

Teaser: A pitch-mark made by the ball as a result of the previous stroke interferes with a player's backswing. Before playing his next stroke, the player steps on the pitch-mark, improving the area of his intended swing. Is this permissible? Answer: No. The player was in breach of Rule 13-2 which prohibits improving the area of the intended swing by pressing down irregularities of surface.