Golf:  We're not sure how Eoin Kirk spent the winter, but whatever he was doing certainly seems to have sharpened his management skills. Having played Golf Masters for several years without ever making much impact, he has featured significantly every week so far this season.

Eoin may already have forgotten Simon Wakefield, but he was the player who made up the numbers in his Lillywhite Lob Wedges selection that topped the Week One leaderboard. Eoin knew little about Wakefield then and doesn't need to know much more now. He has served his purpose.

In Week Two, the Lob Wedges were joined in the overall top-20 by Kirk's Cut Bush Birdies and Ballysax Bogeymen and the latter rose to top spot overall last week and stayed there this week.

If Kirk wants to keep them there he has, presumably, considered recruiting a couple of big hitters ahead of this week's Shell Houston Open.

Hank Kuehne, John Daly and Geoff Ogilvy, who lie first, third and fifth in the Tour's long-driving table, are all in the field and all on the Golf Masters roster. They can really let rip at the Houston event, which is being staged at the 7,508-yard Redstone Golf Club.

The sponsors have invited Nationwide Tour player Victor Schwamkrug, whose average drive of 339 yards makes Kuehne (309 yards) look puny.

This year's shortest hitter, John Maginnes, is also a Golf Masters player with an average of just 260 yards. He has also decided to take his chances at Redstone - if he confounds logic and wins this week, we'll stop handing out tips altogether.

Our other Week Five tournament is the Spanish Open.

golfmasters@irish-times.ie