It conjured up a charming image. One could picture this little toddler with miniature golf club and ball in his chubby hands, pottering around the back garden of his home in Sunningdale and shouting "golf, golf, golf" as much to himself as to anyone who cared to listen.

This is Tyrone Clarke, son of you-know-who and only two months past his second birthday. Was he about to rival Tiger Woods as a golfing prodigy? "I've never thought about that," said his proud father. "All I know is that he's obsessed with the game, copying what he sees on television."

Darren Clarke went on: "I didn't have to teach him anything. Off he goes into the back garden where he will tee up a plastic ball and whack it about 40 yards. And no, I haven't given any thought to what it might mean in the longer term. I'm just happy to see him enjoying himself."

Quote: "Can ye see your way to letting me have a golf ball, Jock?" the Scotsman asked his friend. "But I thought ye were givin' up the game," came the reply. "Aye, but I'm doing it by degrees, Jock. By degrees. And as the first step, I've stopped buying balls."