Fortune hunter Des Smyth packed his bags for the $50 million Champions Tour and roared: I'm afraid of nobody.

Smyth, who turns 50 on Wednesday, flies out to Florida tomorrow where he will make his debut in the $1.6 million Ace Group Classic.

But the Laytown legend is not trembling in his spikes at the thought of taking on superstars such as Hale Irwin, Tom Kite or Tom Watson.

He said: "I won't be in awe of them because I played with them all in the Ryder Cup - Hale Irwin and Raymond Floyd and those guys. I've been around long enough not to be worried about all that"

Instead, Smyth is focussed on finishing in the top 31 on the money list so he will be guaranteed his card for next season.

"I'm as keen as mustard but I'm trying not to think about the money. If I can come back here next year and say, 'Yes it's true - the money is great', I will. But the one thing I know is that if I don't perform I won't get it."

Only then will Smyth start to worry about the big name players that are set to muscle in on the action over the next 18 months.

He admitted: "I think it's the newer breed that I'll have to contend with because there is a whole new bunch of guys coming through and I'm hoping to get a little jump on them.

"Jay Haas is 49 but he nearly won on the main tour last week. Mark McNulty and Curtis Strange are coming on and then on our side we have Sam Torrance, Mark James and Eduardo Romero."

He added with a smile: "I'm not wasting any time. I turn 50 on the 12th and tee it up on the 14th - got to try to get a few bucks in quick."

All Ireland is wishing Smyth well and as President, he got a massive send off from his friends in the Links Golf Society during an outing at the Island during the week.

Under supremo Cecil Whelan, a small group of golf professionals, low handicap amateurs and showbiz personalities have run charity golf days and raised over ¤8 million (euro) for charity since 1966.

But Tuesday's outing was Smyth's first round of golf for two weeks and although he's not hitting the panic button just yet, his preparation hasn't been ideal

"I've been very quiet. The weather hasn't helped my preparation and haven't done much. I played a pro-am in the West Indies and that's all I've done.

"I'm going out there and I am not really sure about my game. I find I can correct things better when I am competing. When you are just practising you can never see your weaknesses because they are never shown up in practice.

Raised on links golf at Laytown and at Baltray and famous worldwide as a wind player, Smyth is trying to hit the ball higher so that he can play target golf in the US.

"Yes, I have been working on trying to flight the ball higher. But I don't practice in the wind any more because when the wind starts hitting me I automatically start hitting the ball much lower.

"As a rule now, if it's windy or cold I won't practice. But if the weather is good I'll practice all day with a big full swing to get the ball in the air all the time. Even though I know that when I'm under pressure I'll hit the ball low again.

"I'll start a tournament and hit it high down the first - flighting the ball. But I know come Sunday that if I am doing well an automatic switch goes in my head and I start hitting it six feet off the ground - but I hit it straight.

"Straight is all that matters. Maybe to get to the score that you want to get you have to hit it high but I know under pressure I can't do it. It's in-built."

Smyth will need plenty of control if he is to earn enough money to stay on the mega-rich Champions tour next season.

A top 50 place will guarantee his card but if he drops out of that group he have to return to the Qualifying School next winter.

Smyth plans to play around 20 events this season to make sure of a place in the top 31 that would guarantee him a spot in every tournament next year.

But he is trying hard not to focus on the huge rewards available, even though he jokes with every well wisher that comes along.

"Don't squeeze that hand too much," he joked with one man. "It's going to make a whole pile of dough."

But the reality is that Smyth is wary of getting ahead of himself.

He claims is blissfully unaware of the fact that the man who claimed 31st spot last season - Japan's Isao Aoki - earned a cool $653,836.

Last season the top 18 players earned over $1 million and as Smyth plans to secure his card 'comfortably' he is secretly eyeing a million dollar pay-out just to meet his goals.

He admitted: "There is no doubt the fact that the money is serious money. I have created an opportunity that most people could only dream about.

"It's a buzz and I'm really excited about it and looking forward to it. But it's very competitive and it's really important that I play well and confirm my position.

"If I get off to a ripper of a start - and my preparation hasn't been what I panned - then I may be able to say I can afford to miss the Senior British Open and play the Irish Open at Portmarnock.

"But if I'm just going along and still not hitting near my targets, or near to my targets, I have to stay out there. I'm under no illusions. My target is to comfortably get into that top 31."

In order to maintain his focus, Smyth is going to do things the way he has always done them - by setting his own goals at the start of the week and ignoring what everyone else is doing.

"I like to keep my mind on my game. I'm not looking at who I'm playing against. My strategy is to look at the course. I analyse the course myself and say to myself '69 would be a really good score around here'.

"I normally pick a figure for myself for the tournament - 10 under, 12 under or two under depending on the course. But I always have a good idea what a good performance is and if I play to that I'm happy. If it wins fine. I'm still happy once I perform to a certain level."

Smyth will be hoping for a repeat of his Senior Qualifying School form, where he beat Seiji Ebihara in the final round to win the tournament.

A repeat performance would surely bring him the money he never really saw in his days on the European Tour.

"Sport has changed with Sky TV and the new channels because there is more money filtering down but the game is the same. If you play well, you will get the rewards."

The time has come for Smyth to cash in on his considerable talents.

(Mac and Mick)
Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley has solved his caddie problem - by keeping it in the family.

McGinley has called on his little brother Michael to carry his bag when he plays his first two events of the season.

Regular bagman JP Fitzgerald now works for Darren Clarke and McGinley's new caddie won't be available until March.

"It will be a holiday for me," said Michael. "I had a week off coming up so I took another one so I could go with Paul. I don't think I've ever been away with him for two weeks before."

A scratch golfer and former North of Ireland Amateur champion, Michael McGinley knows he will have to be on his toes.

"Hopefully I'll be working on the weekends," he added. "But it's so demanding working for a professional. You have to know how a ball will react on each green so that by the final day you get no surprises."

(Darren)
Des Smyth is backing Darren Clarke can be one of golf's greats.

Clarke has changed his caddie, coach and clubs in an effort to get back into the world's top ten.

And Smyth believes he can get even better if he improves his attitude.

He said: "With Darren there is that nothing would surprise me. He's going to have to come to terms with the reasons why he hasn't done as much as you would expect him to and work out why.

"When he's on it's scary. And there is no substitute for talent but Darren is probably missing out in other aspects.

"Winning one tournament a year is not an achievement for him with the game that he has. He should be winning three times a year - minimum.

"I've seen guys change a lot and become better players. And Darren's desire his huge. It would be different if he was the kind of guy that drops the head down - but he's not."

(K club)

Arnold Palmer could be back at the K Club - to see his new South course in full bloom.

The Kildare club will host the Ryder Cup in 2006 on the existing course but Palmer's ¤10 million creation is set to create huge interest.

The course won't be ready for play until later this year and The King is due to make a visit before the end of the summer.

The 7,300 yard, par-72 monster is certain to host a future edition of the Smurfit European Open.

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© Brian Keogh 2003

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