You can forget all that hype about Michelle Wie. We mean about her being the world's most gifted 14-year-old around a golf course. Granted she has a US Women's Amateur Public Links title to her credit but what has she ever done against the professionals? She featured well in a women's major and she almost made the cut in the men's Sony Open this year.

Well, almost making the cut isn't good enough for our own 14-year-old phenomenon, Mark Ruane from Sligo.

This week's leaderboard on the non-discriminatory Golf Masters tour shows Ruane top of the pile, with seasoned professionals Dave Tallon, Hilary Park and Roger Mullarkey among those trailing him in the top 10. This was no soft victory.

Ruane may have named his team Luck is Needed but Golf Masters veterans will surely acknowledge the wisdom of replacing Bernhard Langer (who was busy bringing his daughter to her first day in college) with Thomas Levet (in-form player under no pressure for his Ryder Cup place) ahead of the BMW International.

Levet's 80,000 for finishing second helped Luck Is Needed to an impressive winning total of €323,500 but Ruane isn't quite ready to hit the world circuit.

When he takes up his prize of a fourball at The Heritage it will be his first ever game away from his home course at Strandhill. And will he be going for overall victory next season?

"Well, I spend a lot of time on Golf Masters and my mother thinks it will interfere with my Junior Cert but I'll probably enter one or two teams."

Lighten up, Mrs Ruane, this lad looks like he'll go far.