TOM WATSON will be at Ballybunion next Thursday and Friday, preparatory to a match with Fred Couples in the Shell Wonderful World of Golf series at Mount Juliet on Sunday, But then, another visit by Watson, prior to the British Open, is pretty much ho-hum news at the illustrious Kerry links.
The big question concerns Tiger Woods and whether he is ready to realise a treat he promised himself earlier this year. After a skins match with Watson, Couples and John Daly, it seems that Woods indicated he would prepare for the British Open by savouring the links terrain of Lahinch, Ballybunion and Waterville.
"The place is buzzing with rumours but we've heard nothing from the player," said Ballybunion secretary/manager Jim McKenna last night. "Obviously we would make him very welcome, but my belief is that if Tiger decides to come here, he will do it unannounced, for obvious reasons.
The connection has to do with Woods's close friendship with Mark O'Meara, a neighbour in Orlando, Florida. O'Meara played Ballybunion prior to the British Open at Royal Lytham 12 months ago.
In that context, it is interesting to note that following his victory in the Western Open at Cog Hill last Sunday, Woods told the American media that he planned to spend this week at his home, "resting and working on my game for the British Open." But it is known that he will play Valderrama with US Ryder Cup skipper Tom Kite, either before or after Royal Troon.
Watson's arrival on this occasion is particularly interesting for the fact that he will be accompanied for the first time by his caddie, Bruce Edwards, obviously with Mount Juliet in mind. And his 14-year-old son, Michael, will also be in the party.
Meanwhile, another former British Open champion was extremely active at Ballybunion last Sunday. Ian Baker-Finch, winner at Royal Birkdale in 1991, was there with his coach. He played a total of 28 holes, 10 of them with McKenna who suggested, gently, that the Australian is still affected by a punishing hook which has effectively made him non-competitive since 1994.
If one were to believe the American media, there were fears that Woods was taking the same route, simply because he hadn't won since the Byron Nelson Classic in mid-May. The groundless nature of such nonsense, however, was more than exposed by Sunday's performance in which he shot a final round of 68 for a 13-under-par aggregate and a three-stroke win over Frank Nobilo.
It was Woods's seventh win as a professional - six on the USPGA Tour and one in Thailand - since he turned professional last August.
And the four days has brought his US earnings this year to
That is only
and this is still early July. Indeed to place it more sharply into context, Woods has reached that target in only 13 tournaments, whereas Lehman needed 22 to reach his total. One can only imagine the sort of record earnings Woods will amass before the year is out.
In the belief that the 21-year-old was actually superhuman, alarm bells began to ring in the US when Woods carded rounds of 74, 67, 73, 72 for a share of 19th place behind Ernie Els in the US Open at Congressional. And his supporters became almost suicidal when, in the Buick Classic a week later, he slumped to a share of 43rd place with rounds of 72, 72, 71, 72 for an aggregate of 287 - no fewer than 19 strokes behind Els.
Now, the so-called Tigertailers can relax. Not only has he regained the winning touch, he is back at number one in the Sony World Rankings. It means that in successive weeks, Woods, Els, Greg Norman and Woods again, have filled the top position. And the 150 points earned in the Western Open have pushed Woods past Lehman to the top of the US Ryder Cup standings, with 1,165 points.
It was his third appearance at Cog Hill, having missed the cut as an amateur in 1994 and finishing 57th the following year, again as an amateur. And he has now completed a notable double of the Western Amateur and Open titles. Interestingly, the tournament also holds a special place in the career of Watson insofar as it marked his first victory on the USPGA Tour, in 1974, when he beat JC Snead and Tom Weiskopf by two strokes.
"Rest had a lot to do with it," said Woods, who spent last week fishing. "It meant that when I came to Cog Hill, I was able to have intensity for all 18 holes and not have to come in spurts and then all of a sudden go lackadaisical."
All of which should leave him set fair for the challenge of Troon, which he will be facing next week for the first time. In last year's championship at Lytham, he had no difficulty in claiming the amateur medal, given that he was the only amateur to make the cut. But his performance was nonetheless impressive. With rounds of 75,66,70,70 for 281, he finished in a share of 22nd place behind Lehman.
