Des Smyth will round off a remarkable year with a $100,000 appearance for Gary Player's Rest of the World side against Arnold Palmer's USA at Kiawah Island later this month.

But the 48-year-old Drogheda man has his heart set on an even bigger prize in 2006 ­ captaincy of the European Ryder Cup team at the K Club.

"It would be a huge honour to be chosen to captain the side and I would dearly love to do it in Ireland," said Smyth this week. "They appear to be spreading the Ryder Cup around with it going to Celtic Manor in Wales and to Scotland in the future, so it would be wonderful to be there in charge at home in 2006."

One of the nicest guys ever to swing a club on tour, it has been said that Smyth doesn't have the steely resolve need to command a dozen multi-millionaires in the heat of Ryder Cup battle. But the man from Mornington in County Louth feels that a captain needs to have his finger of the pulse of the Tour and simply know the players and their needs.

"After 26 years on Tour I've been out there long enough to know what the players want. They need someone who knows what's happening on the Tour and I feel that even in 2006 I'll still be very much in tune with what's happening out there.

"I can already see the talent coming through and I could probably tell you half of the side in 2006 already," he added.

Smyth expects Ireland's big three of Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley to hang on to their places until the big date at Michael Smurfit's Straffan paradise.

He added: "Darren is a big player and he isn't going to go away, I don't imagine. Then there's Padraig, who is considered to be the most improved player in the world right now and Paul, who has just got into the team.

"Players are coming through the system all the time and the future is bright for Irish golf too when you look at the way Graeme McDowell and Michael Hoey played in the Walker Cup in America this summer."

McDowell and Hoey are both set to turn professional in the near future and Smyth doesn't rule out their chances of making it into the team at the K Club in 2006.

Players such as England's Paul Casey and Luke Donald or Justin Rose and Ireland's McDowell and Hoey are part of a new generation of players that is set to continue to make life tough for the US in the Ryder Cup.

Smyth, meanwhile is still basking in the glories of his most lucrative season in years. An early season victory in Madeira coupled with 13th place in the Open at Lytham saw him pocket a cool IR£196,537.09 in prize money on the European Tour this year before he won the Smurfit Irish Professional Championship for the sixth time last month.

Not only did his Madeira Island Open win make him the oldest winner of a European Tour event since Neil Coles at 48 years and 34 days, it also guaranteed him his tour card for 2002, smoothing the path to the European Seniors Tour in 2003.

"I can still deliver a performance of high quality," he said, "but I can no longer do it as often as the young guys. Though I had seven previous victories, apart from playing twice in the Ryder Cup, it is like an elusive dream when you haven't won for so long."

But there was still more to come. Smyth's closing round of 71 in the Open at Royal Lytham secured his exemption into next year's championship at Muirfield.

Now the Irishman has been chosen to play on Gary Player's Rest of the World side to take on Arnold Palmer's US at Kiawah Island in the inaugural UBS Warburg Cup from November 15-18.

The event, which will feature players aged 40 and over, will pit 12-man teams in a Ryder Cup-style format. "It will be like playing the 1981 Ryder Cup at Walton Heath again," said Smyth. "We'll be up against Nicklaus, Floyd, Irwin and Nelson so it's going to be fantastic."

"I'm not playing in the Volvo Masters after finishing 75th in the Order of Merit. Only the Top 50 get in but I haven't been wasting my time and I've just finished a two hour practice session down at Seapoint," he said.

Looking at Palmer's side, Smyth and Co. will need to be at their best to win the inaugural event. Apart for Irwin and Nelson, it also boasts Scott Hoch, Loren Roberts, Mark O'Meara, John Cook, Curtis Strange and Mark Calcavecchia.

Smyth, meanwhile, will join Bernhard Langer, Sam Torrance, Jose Maria Canizares and Nick Faldo from the European side that lost 9.5 0 18.5 to the US in '81.

But with the likes of Ian Woosnam, Frank Nobilo, Isao Aoki, Stewart Ginn and two others to be determined by European Senior Tour's money list making up the side, it's not going to be a walkover for the Americans.

With $100,00 for each member of the losing team, Smyth will be keen to take the $150,000 a head that awaits the winners.

"At this stage of my career it's a huge bonus for me to play in these events. My season has been way above my expectations and I'm just loving every minute of it."

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Ireland will have a magnificent seven at the second stage of the European Tour qualifying school in Catalonia next week. Raymie Burns will miss out because of a broken wrist but Paddy Gribben, Damien McGrane and Damien Mooney will be at tree-lined Pals as Francis Howley, John Kelly, Peter Lawrie and Gary Murphy do battle at wind-swept Peralada.

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Six of Ireland's top clubs have joined forces to combat the tourism crisis. Since the September 11 terrorist attacks Mount Juliet, the K Club, Rathsallagh, Luttrellstown Castle, Druids Glen and Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links have lost a huge amount of business from US visitors. But under the banner of Green Isle Golf these courses hope to offset the crisis in 2002. With the American Express World Championship (Mount Juliet), the Seve Trophy (Druids Glen) as well as the Smurfit European Open, Murphys Irish Open, AIB Irish Seniors Open and the PGA Cup matches set for next season there are huge opportunities to promote Irish golf as a world-class destination.

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Amateur champion Michael Hoey will make his final appearance for Shandon Park later this month. The Belfast club will defend the European Club title in Rome starting next Thursday (Nov 7-12) alongside Irish champions Mallow. Big-hitting Hoey will be joined in the side by Philip Purdy and Alistair McKinley before he begins his preparations for next year's US Masters in April. "I'll head to South Africa after Christmas to play in a few events that are co-sanctioned by the European Tour before I play in the Masters. "I'll continue to use the ERC II driver here and in South Africa but I'll probably switch to a Taylor Made model for Augusta because it's not sanctioned by the USGA."

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© Brian Keogh 2001

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