Ten years ago today, Payne Stewart was killed in a freak air accident. His passing, while headed in a private jet on October 25 1999 from Orlando to the US Tour Championship in Houston, comes easily to mind with the return next year of the 3Mobile Irish Open to Killarney.

The staging at the Killeen course in 1991 was memorable for four key reasons. It broke new ground as the first time the championship was held outside the greater Dublin area since its revival in 1975. This became possible largely because of a contract which had been signed with a Tuam company in 1989.

Killarney '91 also marked the first of three successive wins by Nick Faldo, at the peak of his powers in the blue riband of Irish golf. And apart from Stewart's presence, it was where David Feherty set a new course record with a sparkling 65 in the final round.

Next year's event will be staged over the August Bank Holiday weekend, just as the European Open was in 1999, when Darren Clarke shot a sizzling 60 on the Saturday but was overhauled by his friend, Lee Westwood, in a victorious surge on the Monday. The Irish Open, however, will finish on Sunday, August 1.

A little-known aspect of Irish Open stagings in far-flung parts of this fair land, is the role played by Eventus Marquees from Tuam. While the championship was moving from Woodbrook in 1975 to Portmarnock and then to Royal Dublin before returning to Portmarnock in 1986, there was understandable disappointment in the provinces.

Yet Carrolls had little option but to keep it in Dublin. It was only in 1989 that a company called Western Pleasure Ltd (now Eventus) was sufficiently large to take on the contract. Prior to that, about 35,000 sq ft of tentage had to be shipped into Dublin Port from Britain. And the cost of taking it on by road to a provincial venue would have been probibitive.

"I worked on the 1989 staging at Portmarnock where we started our first, three-year contract," said John Fahy whose father Frank established the Tuam company four years previously. "It was huge for us and I

remember the way we added touches of green to the structures to enhance the Carrolls identity. And when we went to Killarney in 1991, we had such a great time that most of us didn't go home during the six weeks we were there."

Arising from their Irish Open contract, Eventus got the European Open deal at The K Club and supplied a third of the tentage at the 2006 Ryder Cup. "It was as much as we could manage," said Fahy junior, who is now managing director of the company. "In attempting to reverse the old order, we have since bid for British events such as the European Open at the London Club and next year's Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, but without success."

In these recessionary times, next year's tentage will probably be down on the Killarney stagings of 1991 and 1992. But the size of the Killeen course has gone in the other direction. Significant upgrading, including the reconstruction of all 18 greens and tees, has brought the length from 7,061 yards to 7,223.

Where the course configuration is concerned, the most significant changes from the 1991 card have been to the fifth, which has been reduced from a comfortably reachable par-five, to a strong, 467-yard par four, and the seventh, where an additional 60 yards makes it a 516-yard par five. But there is more, notably an extra 60 yards on the 13th, making it a fearsome, 504-yard par four.

After three moderate days on which, by his own admission, he could have made better swings in a telephone box, Feherty cut loose on the Sunday with a round which contained seven birdies and seven threes. If it was Gary Player, he would have canonised the course afterwards as the greatest he had played, but Feherty being Feherty, spoke instead of a need to re-design certain greens. Though it took time, the club acted on the lines he had recommended and showed off their handiwork in June 2006.

Stewart, meanwhile, was a hugely popular challenger. With flawless timing, he flew into Shannon on the Tuesday morning of Irish Open week having captured the US Open at Hazeltine National in a play-off against Scott Simpson the previous day. In the circumstances, it would not have been a shock had he chosen to withdraw from Killarney, given he was still getting twinges from a back problem which caused him to miss the US Masters that year.

On arriving at the course by helicopter, however, with his wife Tracey and daughter Chelsea, he confronted the issue before it was even raised. "There was never any question of making a late withdrawal because of things at Hazeltine," he said. "Long before I won the US Open, I had an arrangement with Carrolls and there was no doubt about me coming here."

As things turned out, he maintained his US Open form over the opening two days, with rounds of 69 and 71 making him joint leader with Colin Montgomerie at the half-way stage. But jet-lag took its toll at the weekend when he slipped out of contention to an eventual share of 16th place behind Faldo.

Philip Walton, the leading Irishman in seventh place, was Stewart's partner for the final round. "I like the way Philip struck the ball tee to green, but he didn't sink many putts," said the American.

For Stewart and Feherty, there would be a Ryder Cup singles clash at Kiawah Island three months later, when the Bangor player produced the best golf of the tournament in a 2 and 1 victory over his esteemed rival. Later into the 90s, there were trips with US Tour colleagues to Waterville, where Stewart delighted locals with rousing tunes on the harmonica. Small wonder the club decided to make him their honorary captain for the year 2000, a distinction he was delighted to accept.

His last tournament appearance was in the National Car Rental Golf Classic at Lake Buena Vista, Florida, which started on October 21 1999. There, during the second round, he was a little taken aback at being addressed by an Irish voice at the 16th tee on the Magnolia Course. And he was positively jolted when the spectator added: "Congratulations on being next year's honorary captain of Waterville."

"How did you know that?," Stewart enquired. "Are you a member of the club?" Dublin-based solicitor, Tom Duffy, explained how he was on a family holiday at Disneyworld and had taken the day away from his wife and children to have a look at the tournament. Whereupon Stewart asked him if he had any advice to offer regarding Waterville. Duffy replied with a smile: "Yes. Steer clear of committee meetings."

This was greeted with hearty laughter. Whereupon Stewart hit off the 16th tee and was followed on the remaining holes of the round by his Irish fan. And their exchanges weren't finished. As the player walked up the 18th fairway, he spied Duffy once more. Coming over to the fairway ropes, he enquired: "Do you know JP McManus?" "Not personally," came the reply. "Well, if you see him, give him my best regards."

As it happened, Stewart missed the cut by a stroke after a second successive 71. Neither man could have known that this would be the last tournament hole the three-time major champion would ever play. And by a remarkable coincidence, on that very day at a press conference in Limerick, his was among the leading names announced to compete in the 2000 McManus International Pro-Am the following July.

Duffy, a native of Mullingar, later told me: "Though there weren't many people around the 16th tee that day, I was still amazed by his friendliness and willingness to chat. And I was really stunned when he actually sought me out going down the 18th." Then he added: "Obviously it's dreadfully sad that he is now gone from us, but I will treasure those beautiful memories of a generous and charming gentleman."

During their July visit that year, I was fortunate to be at The Old Head of Kinsale where Stewart, Tiger Woods, Mark O'Meara, David Duval, Lee Janzen and Stuart Appleby played the most remarkable six-ball ever witnessed on Irish golf terrain. And walking down the long 17th, there was the moment when Stewart said in mock rebuke to his teasing colleagues: "I'm the old guy who just won the US Open (at Pinehurst, a few weeks previously)."

Which, minus the reference to age, he could have said with equal accuracy at Killarney eight years earlier.

Sunday Independent