Last October, when I expressed surprise that a colleague in a British tabloid was thinking about going to Virginia for the President's Cup matches, he replied that there could be the chance of a good crowd control story. So, it was perhaps predictable that Ryder Cup ranting should have started already, nine months prior to the event.

A decidedly novel approach, however, comes from the inimitable Jesper Parnevik. "I want the atmosphere at The Belfry to be chaotic; I want it to be where I can't hear my caddie talk on the fairway," said the quirky Swede. "If it wasn't for the crowd, the Ryder Cup would be just another event." But he cautioned: "Though I want things wild, I don't want it to get personal."

Parnevik, one of several Europeans competing in the US, plans to play in only 11 tournaments in Europe this year - the mandatory minimum to maintain tour membership.

This day in golf history . . . . On January 20th 1974, the reigning US Open champion, Johnny Miller, completed an aggregate of 272 in the Tucson Open for a third consecutive win on the US Tour. Having won the Bing Crosby Pro-Am and the Phoenix Open earlier in the month, Miller went on to capture eight tournaments that year, replacing Jack Nicklaus as leading money-winner.

TEASER: B's ball was lying badly. B was deliberating what action to take when A, his fellow-competitor, said: "You have no shot at all. If I were you, I would declare the ball unplayable." Was A giving advice, contrary to Rule 8-1?

ANSWER: Yes. A's suggestion could have influenced B "in determining his play." Thus, it constituted advice. It did not constitute "information on the Rules", which is not advice.