Back into the swing of things with Eamonn

'Why would I resent forever being associated with that Ryder Cup winning putt at Muirfield Village in 1987? I did a lot of other things in my career but that putt was history making. It was the first Ryder Cup win for Europe in America. This was one that the guys really wanted to win and we had a great team. All the top guys from Europe were playing - Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle, one of the strongest teams they ever fielded.

'So we flew out on Concorde - that was exciting. When we got there, there were the usual American fanfares and white Cadillacs for everyone. It was all very glamourous. I had played in the Ryder Cup in America when I was 23, in 1975 at Laurel Valley in Pennsylvania, and the team was very different then, with only players from Great Britain and Ireland. Christy O'Connor Junior played in it and John O'Leary from Ireland as well as the likes of Brian Barnes and Bernard Gallagher.

'At Muirfield, I played Ben Crenshaw in the singles on the final day. Crenshaw broke his putter, broke the head off it with a cone - I didn't see him doing it. He was putting from then on with a one iron. He was not quite as good with the one iron as he was with the putter. He was still pretty good though and he sank a few nice putts with it. Our match went all the way to the eighteenth where I sank a six footer down the hill to beat him.

'Ben's a nice guy. I am still in touch with Ben. When I was on the Champions Tour I used to see him all the time and have dinner with him. I will probably see him this week at the Senior Open in Saint Andrews. As it turned out, that putt in 1987 was my last stroke in Ryder Cup in my last appearance. I should actually have played in the one in America four years later at Kiawah Island. I was knocked out by £52 on the money list. I was playing great at the time but I just didn't play the last event that counted - the German Open. It looked like I could not get caught, but I was.'

Eamonn has made a good living at his chosen sport:

'Golf is a lonely enough profession. You have to be very single-minded. It looks more glamourous than it is though it is obviously glamourous if you are a really good player nowadays. It's a different game than when I was playing, it's just huge business. My highest world ranking was 15th, which was in 1976, Seve Ballesteros was number one, I think. On tour, I palled around with Christy O'Connor junior. We did everything together.

'I won the Sumrie twice, named after Ronnie Sumrie who had a clothing company. I won the Dunhill at St Andrews and the Belgian Open and the Greater Manchester Open and the Spanish Open. I won in Dubai. I also won quite a lot around the world - the Zambian Open, the Mufulira Open (also in Zambia), the Kenyan Open, the New Zealand Open. I won the West Lakes Classic at Adelaide in Australia, on one of the best courses I have ever played, and also the Gold Coast Classic down there.

'I have never won much in the senior tours, though I was beaten in a few play-offs - story of my life, losing play-offs. I must have lost seven or eight. I won just the one, that Gold Coast Classic, beating Sam Torrance.'

He has been very loyal to Europe:

'Tom Weiskopf wanted me to play the US Tour, thought I had the game for it. I wasn't really interested because it meant living in America. I lived in England for twenty years, in a lovely part of the country, at a little village called Marlowe, right on the Thames, near Henley where they have the regatta. It was close to the airport.

'I came home 25 years ago when I was still very active as a professional, back to Wicklow. I was the pro at Delgany GC, though I was there much and I was never the sort of pro who gave lessons to members.

Then Druid's Glen opened and they asked me would I join them. I still represent them to this day.

'I am married to Suzanne who comes from Shankill. We are married 18 years and she is not a golfer. She is into the horses. We live in Enniskerry, half a mile as the crow flied from the Powerscourt golf clubhouse, in a hunting lodge which belonged to the Powerscourt estate.

I used to enjoy a bit of hunting with the Brays and the Wicklows but not anymore - I have a hunter, Mister Lord, but he is retired, on palliative care at 30 years old. I have always loved horses - my first ambition was to be a jockey. I still ride a bit in the winter time but I don't hunt. I had a couple of falls near the end of my hunting days and didn't hop back up off the ground like I used to.

Golf has given me a life that I love. I like the country life, simple things, the outdoor life. I could not live in a city.'

Best Irish golfer he ever played with?:

'Christy O'Connor Senior. He was still active in 1971 when I joined the tour. I played with him and Christy Junior when I was starting off. The three of us would play a practise round each week before the tournaments. Christy never won a major but he still gets my vote because he won 70 tournaments. He played in 10 consecutive Ryder Cups while holding a job down as a club pro. If he was around today, with the natural raw talent that he had, he would be a world beater. Christy never had a lesson in his life while Padraig Harrington has a coach and his own personal trainer.

Best player?

'Jack Nicklaus. I played against him in the Ryder Cup and he won. I got my revenge. He was the captain of the American team at Muirfield village when I holed that putt. We don't exchange Christmas cards but he put this arm around me that day - there's a very famous photograph - and walked me off the green saying this putt should be remembered for the rest of your life. He was the greatest player ever, there's no question, phenomenal. The Tiger (Woods) can't take it away from Jack.'

Ryder Cup 2018:

'This year's Ryder Cup is due to take place in France at the end of the season and Europe have a fantastic team. The Americans have a great team too of course but Paul McGinley keeps me informed - he knows all the stats. The worst ranked tour on the European team is inside the world's top 20. It's a 50-50 shot but I think I would be edging towards Europe.

Still playing:

'Do I still enjoy playing? Yes, sometimes, but I am always sore when I play, physically sore. When I start off I am always sore. I take painkillers. Most of the guys my age are stiff - there's no more falling out of bed and whacking the ball - those days are gone for me, unfortunately. Time waits for no man. I still probably hit the ball 280 yards off the tee. Zach Johnston (Open winner in 2015) probably hits it just ten yards further - but then Rory McIlroy probably hits it 340 yards. I am the oldest on the Staysure Tour for seniors - Des Smyth and myself. I think I will know when it is time to go. Why would you keep playing if you can't compete at all?

'I have never shot my age but I went within a shot of it in Switzerland last year. I shot 65 and I was 64 at the time. I play tough courses. I play Druid's Glen - for me to shoot 65 around there, that would be hard going, though I have shot 66's there.'

The new generation:

'It's great to see Paul Dunne doing so well. I have played with him and he is a lovely young fella. He has a great attitude and he works so hard on his game. I think he can be top 10 in the world. He definitely has the short game and that is the most important thing. If Paul could putt for Rory McIlroy, he would win everything. Paul comes from a lovely family. His dad Collie set a tournament up and asked me would I put my name to it. The Darcy Cup at Greystones and it's for scratch players.'

Wicklow greats:

'Other guys who were any good go way back. Harry Bradshaw was from Delgany. Jimmy Martin was from half a mile from Delgany and Delgany claimed him but he grew up playing in Greystones, the same place as Paul Dunne. I have his putter at home. He made it look like a magic wand playing in the 50s and 60s.'