By Brian Keogh

Padraig Harrington took a battering over his choice of head gear yesterday - from his wife.

The Dubliner wore a woolly hat "like a pimple on an elephant" according to Caroline Harrington.

One observer remarked that it was more like something from the cartoon series The Smurfs.

Mrs H shot back: "Yeah, it's the Smurf-Hat European Open."

(18th to be be restored)

The par-five 18th will be back in action at the Smurfit Course today.

But that's two days too late for Appleby Jewellers, who had put up a diamond worth €100,000 for the first player to shoot 12 under par on the par-fives this week.

Thomas Bjorn was the last player to achieve the feat in 2001 but the failure of anyone else to match him forced Appleby to reduce the target to 13 under last year.

No-one could to it last year either and Appleby's insurers agreed to drop the target to 12 under this year.

But with just three par fives to play for the first two days, the competition has been scrapped this year.

Instead, Appleby have put up a €5,000 voucher to be awarded to the weekend's Best Dressed Lady on Sunday.

(Jones to build course)

Robert Trent Jones Jnr was at The K Club yesterday and revealed that he is to build his first course in Ireland.

The son of the great Trent Jones Snr will build a new track at Douglas in Cork.

Jones' father created Adare Manor and also built the Cashen Course at Ballybunion.