You might find it hard to believe but we're soft- hearted folk here at Golf Masters HQ, so it was with no great enthusiasm that we phoned Paul Dowling this week to confirm what we suspected he already knew - he'd lost out to Noel Kelly in the tie-breaker which was set to determine which of them would win Week Three's fourball after they finished level at the top of the leaderboard.
Noel, from Cornamona, Co Galway, emerged triumphant from the US Masters thanks to Retief Goosen's second-place finish, although Sergio Garcia (eighth) did, at least, give Paul a good run for his money. Still, we loathe being the bearers of bad tidings, especially to a manager like Paul who took his defeat in a most generous spirit.
After breaking the bad news to Paul we were, however, in the rather pleasant position of being able to add: now do you want to hear the good news?
"I do," said our Donard, Co Wicklow, manager.
"You've finished top of this week's leaderboard, so you're going to Carton House after all," we told him, barely able to believe it ourselves.
Being the proud possessor of a team (a different line-up to the one that tied with Noel) that numbered in its ranks Goosen and Jose-Maria Olazabal (combined winnings from the Masters: €280,000), Paul had an inkling that he'd be in with a shout of claiming his second fourball in two years, but he feared the worst, again: "I thought I'd end up in a tie".
In the end he had €16,200 to spare over Padraig Flanagan of Rosses Point, Co Sligo, although it was decidedly closer after that on the leaderboard - so close that Brian Fitzgerald, Gareth Dwyer and Paddy Power all tied for third. Fred Couples' share of 36th place (€17,500) proved enough for Paul to prevail, while the one transfer he made last week - Mark Brooks for Jeff Maggert - paid off splendidly, with the new recruit winning €29,200.
Paul's unnamed team leapt from 747th to 45th overall this week, giving him two teams in the top 50. Colomba Gavigan of Glenties, Co Donegal, meanwhile, regained first place on the overall leaderboard from Dermot O'Donnell.
Sincerest of commiserations to Joan Doyle of Taylor's Hill, Galway, who e-mailed us to let us know what she was considering doing to Costantino Rocca and Miguel Angel Jimenez after their paltry combined earnings last week of €3,000 cost her a fourball: Joan finished a mere €2,001 behind winner Colm Hannon. When this week's leaderboard arrived, we hoped Joan's Seven might go one better, just to keep their manager's spirits up. But, well, it finished 3,917th. Keep the faith Joan, there's a Kartel windcheater in the post.
Those of you with line-ups heavily weighted with European Tour players will not be cheered to hear our only action this week is at the Worldcom Classic at Hilton Head. But from next week there will be a European tournament in 21 of our 22 remaining weeks - so, with a bit of luck, you might even break into our top 10,000.
