Eamon Scanlon, and one of Crail’s finest left-handed exponents of the ancient game, was clearly ‘steaming’ after an incident at the 16th hole on day one of the 2015 Bushnell/Odyssey Lisbon Challenge.

Of course, it didn’t help that the match between he and Andy Braid against myself and the much-lover Alastair McMeekim was at a delicate stage.

However let me preface the story by saying Eamon by his own admission has some two dozen balls in his golf bag but none with any markings.

After one of the most controversial decisions in golf Eamon agrees to mark his ball with a green Sharpie.

We agreed he played a Srixon off the tee.

However after the agony of seeing his par putt at the short par four 15th hole horse-shoe, Eamon tees off at the long par three 16th only to see his ball veer right of the hole.

Now here is where the story gets interesting!

Alastair, in looking for his own ball sees a ball buried deep in lateral hazard but in seeking to identify the ball slips down the embankment of the hazard and is immediately in pereain having fallen heavily on his backside.

I’m thinking this could result in mouth-to-mouth procedures to get Alastiar back on his feet.

Fortunately, Alastair seems okay and while regaining his composure I say to him:  “Don’t move.  I’ll get your ball”

And in picking up the ball lodged between rocks in the hazard I said to Alastair:  “Are you playing a Callaway or a Srxion?”

So I am standing the hazard with a Srixon ‘4’ in my hand when Eamon appears looking for his golf ball.

However, and herein lies the root of the problem, as Eamon was not sure if he hit a Srixon ‘3’ or a Srixon ‘4’.

Not for a second are we doubting it was Eamon’s golf ball but the poor fellow wasn’t sure if he it an Srixon ‘3’ or a Srixon ‘4’.

Fast forward a few minutes and I win the hole with a double bogey – yes, a double bogey!

Alastair comments don’t say a word and let’s go the 17th but assures me Eamon will still be commenting on the incident for the next four years.

‘Four years?’

Eamon was full steam ahead for the next four hours!

However with St. Patrick’s Day just hours away, and given Eamon’s Irish background, I offered him a green coloured Sharpie with the advice:  “Eamon, I love you but take this Sharpie and bloody mark each one of your golf balls so that we can continue to play this ancient game without your mutterings of any wrong doings.

Of course, the all-star duo of Alastair and myself had come from 3 down with five holes to play and win the anchor match 1up.