IF YOU thought the battle for top spot on our overall leaderboard was a lively one it barely compares to the ongoing skirmish for last place, a position currently held by a manager who shall only be known as Fiona.
There is, it has to be said, a certain poignancy to the name of the team propping up the competition: The Birdies Come Easy. Indeed, if it wasn’t for Pádraig Harrington and his €104,500 earnings to date, Fiona’s crew would probably have the bottom spot sewn up, even with 11 weeks to go.
If you subtract Harrington’s efforts the team, which is unchanged since registration, has amassed the grand total of €37,400 to date, with the out-of-sorts Sergio Garcia the only other member with five-digit winnings. Mind you, it doesn’t help a great deal that fellow Spaniard and rheumatism-afflicted Jose-Maria Olazabal has yet to play in a tournament this season.
By their standards, though, The Birdies had a profitable week 10 with Harrington, Gary Murphy and Jose-Filipe Lima combining to bring home €7,250 – and that’s €7,250 more than last week’s overall leader Donal Coleman managed.
Even better news for The Birdies is that they will have four players in action at the US Open, Harrington, Garcia and Michael Campbell joined by Rocco Mediate who, as the first alternative, squeezed in because St Jude Classic winner Lee Westwood was already in the field.
Short of the quartet being disqualified or withdrawing before the end of the second round that will be at least another €4,000 in the team account, which might just help The Birdies close the gap on second-from-bottom Bo Bo Baldies, managed by Brian. They’re currently €28,988 ahead of The Birdies — or behind, if bottom place is your goal.
BIRDIES (DON’T) COME EASY
Pádraig Harrington €104,500
Sergio Garcia €19,900
Gary Murphy €6,750
Jose-Filipe Lima €5,750
Rocco Mediate €3,500
Michael Campbell €1,500
Jose-Maria Olazabal 0
Total €141,900
