Norman pays flying visit to promote his Irish interest

When a major winner, albeit one in the past tense, pitches up at a tournament that is in a different time zone to where he normally lays his sun visor, it usually means one of two things: he is being paid appearance money or has a vested interest in a nearby course.

Greg Norman's presence at the K Club here for the £2m Smurfit European Open is explained by the latter. The Great White Shark has designed an up-market course at Doonbeg in County Clare and will unveil it next week.

"The courses in Ireland are among the best anywhere in the world,'' Norman said, hoping that in the near-future somebody will say something equally generous about his creation. In the twilight zone from being a top performer to reaching the age of 50 and gaining eligibility for the seniors' tour, players continue to make a lucrative living, on and off the course.

Nick Faldo spends as much time overseeing courses as playing in tournaments. Faldo, however, is fighting against the dying light of his career – witness his joint fifth finish in the US Open won by Tiger Woods at the formidable Bethpage State Park last month.

Faldo has withdrawn from the tournament here, complaining of gastro-enteritis, but Colin Montgomerie, who intermittently complains of back problems, has once again risen from his bed with, if not a spring in his step, then a pronouncement of almost regal import from his management team that the ailing one-time monarch of the European tour has taken a hearty breakfast.

"Monty has had a very positive day and is very pleased with the way he is playing,'' proclaimed a statement. "He has spoken with the people who are providing the ongoing medical support on his back and he is hopeful to play this week, next week at the Scottish Open and the Open at Muirfield."

Coincidentally, of course, Monty is turning prime agricultural land a few miles from here into yet another golf attraction called Carton House.

In the first two rounds Montgomerie will play with Lee Westwood and Bernhard Langer. The German, who plays most of his golf in America, is also in the design business having put his name to the Portmarnock Links. However, whether they put much more than their name to these signature courses is open to debate.

The K Club estate was ostensibly designed by Arnold Palmer but since winning the right to stage the Ryder Cup in 2006 has undergone extensive changes. The man responsible for that is not Palmer but the course superintendent Gerry Byrne. No disrespect to Mr Byrne but selling a lay-out designed by Arnie rather than Gerry is the name of the game.

Darren Clarke came close to breaking 60 here in 1999 and last year won the European Open, the first Irishman to win in Ireland in 19 years. Because of changes – the length is now 7,337 yards and is likely to be increased even further by 2006 – Clarke's round of 60 three years ago does not survive as a course record and is unlikely to be ever repeated.