Madrid is the City that never sleeps. A week that everyone, who has been there before, looks forward to with some trepidation. Those of us who like to go out in the evening are aware that we are going to have a tough week ahead, balancing work and play.
If you are not familiar with the social proceedings in the Spanish capital let me enlighten you. A restaurant worth its name will not open before 8.30 p.m., and if you choose to dine at this hour you will feel isolated, probably being the sole patron eating at this ridiculously early time. Only after 10 p.m. will the tables gradually fill up.
If you choose to continue with post-dinner entertainment in the abundance of boisterous bars, cafes and tapas bars then the Madruglena (wee small hours of the morning) is the time you should expect to return home. The siesta is an institution that most of us learn to respect by the end of our stay in this bustling capital, if only as a matter of survival.
With day breaking at about 8.30a.m. the tee times are more accommodating than usual for late night revellers who get Practice balls disappearing into the the hazy skyline of Madrid look more like the a backdrop for businessmen hitting balls before heading to the office than professional golfers getting ready for the first round of the Turespana Masters. of Madrid. It was an urban scene and not the usual remote country club vista.
Set in a vast complex that hosts an equestrian centre, polo grounds, tennis courts, paddle tennis courts, hockey fields, soccer pitches, basketball courts and two golf courses - all within 10 minutes taxi ride of the city centre - Club de Campo is not where the average citizen from Madrid goes to while away his/her free time.
An undulating terrain of sandy soil dotted with brush pine trees, it's a taste of the plains with the city close at hand. The 20,000 members of the sports club (six thousand of these are attached to the golf club) gives you an indication of the size of the complex. Ask a taxi driver in town to take you to the Club de Campo and you will be greeted with a vacant look. This is the type of place where members take a limo, not a taxi.
Sunday, and a handful of the 20,000 affiliates had their family stroll interrupted at the 13th green by Padraig Harrington making a double bogey and thereby creating an interesting finale to the tournament. The smartly dressed families seemed to view the gathering more as an inconvenience than a spectacle to be proud of at their home club. With a miniscule attendance it was obvious that the amateur golfers had found somewhere else to play for the weekend.
Harrington was not daunted by his minor disaster. "You cannot win a golf tournament without being able to chip," he told me on completion of his second victory at Club de Campo (the previous was in 1996). "I learned this in Malaysia earlier this year when I lost due to bad chipping. You are going to miss greens even when you are playing well, due to adrenaline or miscalculation, so you are always going to have to make some vital up-and-downs." That is precisely what he did on the 12th and 14th to keep himself ahead of his closest pursuers.
Harrington, like most of us who have seen his name on the leaderboard in four of the last five events he has played in, was not unduly surprised by his success in Madrid. He had changed his irons at the Belgian tournament last month which was a huge step in the winning direction, according to him. He also discovered a putting aid designed by the putting guru, Dave Pelz, on Thursday evening last. The Australian Jarrod Moseley had a small piece of metal attached to his putter face (just bigger than the width of the ball) which indicates quite vividly you are striking the ball in the middle of the face consistently. When Harrington arrived on the practice putting green he watched Moseley's stroke with fascination. When the Australian had finished his routine (with a piece of metal worth about five pence, but fetching $50 with Dave Pelz's name on it) Harrington attached it to his putter and practised till darkness descended.
The next day, of course, Harrington shot 64 with a brilliant putting display. "It made a significant difference to the longer putts but if anything I was worse from a shorter range," said Harrington. A crucial 18 foot putt for par was testament to that on the 16th on Sunday, keeping him two ahead of the field with two holes to play.
The Irish have performed exceptionally well in Madrid over the years. Jimmy Kinsella was the first foreigner to win the Madrid Open back when General Franco still ruled the roost in Spain. David Feherty, Des Smyth, Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington have since followed Jimmy's lead by winning in Madrid. The Irish golfers ate dinner together during last week's tournament creating a sense of camaraderie, which is something that Harrington was quick to emphasise on completion of his victory.
This time Harrington had Dave McNeilly's sage counsel on the other side of the bag. It was the veteran loadlugger Johnny Reilly who assisted Padraig on his maiden tour victory in Madrid four years ago. Johnny has since retired from caddying and has been penning a book of tour tales which is due for release soon.
It's been a tough week of socialising in the Spanish capital, something that the Irish seem to have mastered. We have never had a problem mixing work with play.
