Old hand Eamonn Darcy said goodbye to the European Tour yesterday - after an incredible 610 events and 31 years on the road.

The Darce, as he is affectionately known, carded a three under par 69 on his farewell appearance on the main tour to finish on one over for the tounament.

But this is only the beginning of a new era for the man with the strangest swing in golf.

Darcy turns 50 on August 7 and he is hoping to qualify for the US Seniors Tour and then captain Europe in the Ryder Cup at the K Club in 2006

Said Darcy: "I've probably played in over 700 tournaments worldwide. During the week I wasn't in the best of form and when I thought about why it was probably because this was my last tournament.

"I think it is time to get out and leave it to the young fellas. I have had a very good run and it is not as if I am stopping. I am looking forward to playing with a lot of my old pals on the Seniors Tour. There are a lot of kids out there now and good luck to them"

Darcy has seen a lot of changes and played with all the greats since he turned professional in 1968 and headed for the tour in the early 70s.

"I remember the Ryder Cup in 1975. They gave us rubber golf shoes and the team photographs didn't look great because everyone was getting Footjoys and there were guys with black and brown and white shoes on."

He added: "The guys now are a bit spoiled and it would have been nice if they had seen a little bit of the other side."

A four-time winner on the European Tour, Darcy has ten other wins to his name worldwide and has earned almost £2 million in a career that stretches back to 1971.

He won the 1977 Greater Manchester Open, the 1983 Benson & Hedges Spanish Open, the 1987 Volvo Belgian Open and the 1990 Emirates Airlines Desert Classic

As well as recording an amazing 95 top ten finishes he also won the Irish PGA twice and captained Ireland to Dunhill Cup glory with Ronan Rafferty and Des Smyth in 1988.

But he is best remembered for the four foot downhill putt he holed to defeat Ben Crenshaw in the 1987 Ryder Cup matches as Tony Jacklin's European side beat the Americans on their home patch for the first time.

Recalled Darcy: "At the end of the day we play for cash but when it is a team event it is much sweeter when you play you're reperesenting your country. That's why the Dunhill is so memorable. The Ryder Cup is one of the biggest highlights and the obvious one.

"But when I captained Ireland in the Dunhill Cup with Ronan and Des, that was a great week for Ireland."

Darcy teamed up with Christy O'Connor Jnr to win two Sumrie Better Ball tournaments in the 1970's.

"It was great fun and it all seemed so easy then. We had a few jars and still shot 68. Now we have a conscience and think that we shouldn't have done this or that. When you are young you just go out and give a hoot about it and just go out and play it."

For Darcy, the young players are far too serious now but he is more worried about staying in touch with the new generation and maintaining his credibility as a possible Ryder Cup skipper in 2006.

"I would love to be captain and it would really make my career. But the biggest problem is trying to stay in touch with the younger players and that is going to be difficult."

Darcy strongly feels that and Irishman should be given the captaincy in four years' time.

"I think whoever gets it should be an Irish captain," he said yesterday. "It is a way of saying thanks for contributing so much since the war to the Ryder Cup. If it isn't an Irishman I think it will be a big blow to an awful lot of guys who have given so much to the game."

Now Darcy wants to get back in the winner's enclosure for the first time since 1990 - as a senior.

"I want to win again. Everybody is saying that the way I am playing I should win. And I agree bit it has been a while since I won so I have to be a little bit careful that I am not to hard on myself. You still have to play good to win.

"You still have to be able to manage the situation to get across the line. That is the next thing I have to sort out in my head. I know my golf is good enough to win on the Senior Tour, it's just a question of confidence. That's it."

Christy O'Connor Jnr has already made a handsome living in the US and Darcy hopes to follow suit.

His manager, Chubby Chandler, is busy trying to organise some invitations to US Senior Tour events before Darcy returns to the US to play in the November qualifying school

"Will I play full time in the US? I'll play it by ear. It's serious money out there. Maybe a couple of years and then I'll put the feet up."

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© Brian Keogh 2002

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