Given that the inclusion of at least one Irish player in each team is compulsory for Golf Masters managers, it's hardly surprising that the eight are amongst the more heavily traded. The shifts, since the start of the competition, give an interesting picture of how the players have fared compared to pre-season expectations. Clarke's disappointing early season form caused a number of his employers to cash in his services while Paul McGinley, Padraig Harrington and Eamonn Darcy have all been attracting attention.

Most impressive in terms of transfer numbers has been the showing of Des Smyth, whose form over the first five months of the campaign has prompted a 40 per cent increase in the teams employing his services.

It is Eamonn Darcy, however, who is providing the best value for money of the local talent although his impressive earnings to cost ratio, has attracted only a hundred or so new bosses.

His progress has not gone unnoticed by the leading contenders, with seven of the top 25 including him in their sides.

Overall the show of faith in our local boys is less than impressive with only a little over 500 teams out of almost 20,000 including two or more Irish players.