SO THEN, the 2008 Golf Masters is up and running. Just under 13,000 teams were entered in the competition this year and for most of their managers the 21 weeks ahead will largely be a blend of frustration, exasperation, irritation and disappointment, especially in those weeks when the player they transferred out of their teams goes on to win a major, and the fella who replaced him misses the cut.

That, then, is what lies ahead for most of you. Indeed, for the managers of 226 of our teams the competition got off to a quite spectacular start - and we mean spectacular in a very bad way. Yes, 226 teams earned precisely nothing in week one, with not a single representative in the US Masters' field between them.

For them the only way is up. As opposed to Brian Carty: "It's all downhill from here. An absolute miracle," said our Rathfarnham manager when we contacted him yesterday with the good news that his Hallmark line-up, much to his amazement, left almost 13,000 teams trailing in its wake in week one, finishing top of our first leaderboard.

"How did I manage that?" he asked. Well, Hallmark was one of just 46 teams to enter the fray at Augusta with one Trevor Immelman on board, the South African's €5 million price tag - only 18 of our players cost more - evidently putting off most prospective buyers.

It was, though, the inclusion of Steve Flesch (who tied for fifth) and Brian Bateman (who took a share of 20th), with Vaughn Taylor and Michael Campbell chipping in with another €2,000 combined, that held off the chasing pack, Brian's closest challenger none other than Eamon Murray, our 2007 Golf Masters champion.

So Hallmark's total earnings at the Masters of €338,000 were enough to win Brian a fourball in Druids Heath, where, we'll trust, he'll stand out from the crowd in his debonair Tiger Woods polo shirt, also part of his prize.

Will he hold on to the lead for the next 21 weeks? "No," he said, betraying a slight lack of self-belief, which, considering he's just won the second weekly prize of his Golf Masters' career, is a surprise. "Pure luck," he confessed, modestly.

But, if Brian's luck holds out he'll be €20,000 the richer come the end of September. Until then there's plenty of prize money to be won by your teams, starting with this week's Volvo China Open and Verizon Heritage Classic.

Newcomers to the competition should also keep an eye on the bonus tournaments in our schedule, when players win one and half times the regular prize-money. There are three such tournaments in a row next month, starting with the Players Championship. (You can see the tour schedule, and lots more useful information about the competition, on www.golfmasters2008.com).

Remember, too, that if an Irish player wins a tournament on Irish soil he collects €400,000 for his troubles, so, with next month's Irish Open in mind, that might be a consideration before you dip in to the transfer market. You only have 10 transfers, though, so use them wisely.

Meanwhile, if you have any tales of woe (eg did you intend including Immelman in your team but keyed in the wrong code and ended up with someone who spent the weekend fishing instead?) or Golf Masters' odes to share with us email us at golfmasters@irish-times.ie - if you raise a hearty chuckle at Golf Masters HQ, or cause us to shed a tear or two, then we might even send you on one of those dapper Tiger Woods polo shirts.