It seems an age since Tiger Woods was telling us how he had cast his vote in the US presidential election through the absentee ballot system, before setting off for the American Express Championship at Valderrama earlier this month. And while Woods was giving nothing away regarding his choice of leader, the indications are that golf will probably see George W Bush in the White House.

This is based on several key factors. Firstly, there is the fact that a 1998 report in the US found that Republicans outnumbered Democrats on the golf course by three to one. And with a total of 1,200, there are more courses in Florida than in any other state. Then there is the fact that 100 USPGA Tour and Senior Tour players list Florida as their residence.

Added to that is the manner in which last year's US Ryder Cup team side-stepped a White House invitation from Bill Clinton. Quite apart from George W Bush's rousing "Remember the Alamo" speech to them on the Saturday night at Brookline (was it George W and not Justin Leonard who really won the Ryder Cup?)

African-Americans traditionally vote Democrat, but given his serious wealth, Woods is not your average African-American. Meanwhile it is believed that having to fund their own retirement programmes, the average US Tour players would be concerned about the stock market. Which would make them logical Republican supporters.