Minnows at Olympic Club

With twice the regular Golf Masters' prize money on offer at the US Open, now just a week away, we're expecting frantic activity on the transfer market next Tuesday and Wednesday. Managers of John Huston and Glen Day have no need to remove the first and seventh (respectively) top bargain buys of the year from their line-ups for the tournament because both have won a place in the field having made it in to the list of the top 10 money winners on the US PGA Tour for 1998.

Day is one of 12 sub-£1 million Golf Masters players to have so far earned exempt status for the US Open, so, if you're looking for a bargain, here are the other 11: Brandel Chamblee, Brad Fabel, Steve Pate, Don Pooley, Curtis Strange, Brent Geiberger, Willie Wood, Olin Browne, Joey Sindelar, Pete Jordan and Omar Uresti. (Be warned: none of the 11 has been in sparkling form so far this year, but at least you earn £1,000 Golf Masters for missing the cut at the US Open). Our leading manager, Kevin Barry, who has no transfers left, will be hoping that Paul Azinger makes an appearance at the US Open. Azinger hasn't played in a tournament since back pain forced him to withdraw from the MCI Classic in week seven. He is in the field for this week's Buick Classic, the final warm-up for the US Open, but he was also in the field for last week's Kemper Open and didn't appear. Steve Elkington, who also has exempt status for the US Open, did appear at the Kemper Open, his first tournament in a month since he contracted viral meningitis. He won his patient managers only £500, after missing the cut, but at least looks set to play in the season's second Major.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods' physical therapist has assured the world that his client's recent back problems shouldn't keep him out of the US Open, which will come as a relief to those managers who spent £5.5 million of their budget on him. Bad news, though, for the 362 managers who employ Robert Gamez - he won't even make it to the sectional qualifiers for the US Open this week (and won't play again for at least a fortnight) after he suffered a bruised spleen and liver when his car hit a tree in Maryland last week. And just to add to his woes, he received a speeding ticket as soon as he recovered from the shock.