If this goes on much longer we'll have no option but to refer Paul Sheehan's Golf Masters' activities to the Monopolies Commission. With just two weeks and four tournaments to go, our Dublin manager's closest rival is himself - and he's still in with a chance of an £11,500 clean sweep of the prizes, with Paul 1, the third of his teams, hovering menacingly in fifth place. Niall Murray, last week's second placed manager, was depending on Paul Azinger, Jose Maria Olazabal and Mathias Gronberg to help cut Paul's lead of just under £40,000, but of the three only Gronberg made a significant contribution to Seven Up's account, winning £13,125 at the British Masters (which was a bonus tournament).

Olazabal (who missed the cut at the Forest of Arden) and Azinger (who finished outside the top 50 at the Canadian Open) won just £2,250 between them. And with Darren Clarke's winnings of £24,000 having no bearing on the race for first prize, because he features in every top 10 line-up, Niall saw Seven Up slip back to fourth place, now over £80,000 off the lead.

Almost half that deficit was created by two more well-timed transfers by Paul, who replaced Scott Hoch and Steve Stricker (neither of whom played the Canadian Open) with Costantino Rocca (who won £24,000 at the British Masters) and Andrew Coltart (£6,000). Both players are also in the field for this week's Lancome Trophy.

In total, Paul 8 won just over £80,000 in week 28, while Pauly 7 had combined earnings of £139,625, enough to move them from fourth to second overall. Their top performer was Sam Torrance, who picked up £55,125 for a share of eighth place at the British Masters, helping them move within £24,180 of the leaders . . . . not that Paul minds which one of them finishes top, so long as one of them DOES. Much to her own amazement Susan Coleman, another Dublin manager, is now Paul's closest challenger after her `winners' were the highest earning team in last week's top 10 - thanks, largely, to three successful, but reluctantly made, transfers. "I was afraid to change my team because it's a bit like changing your Lotto numbers," said Susan, who finally took the plunge last week, having stuck with the same line-up since the start of the competition - she replaced Stricker, Patrik Sjoland and Tony Johnstone with Torrance, Gronberg and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

And it paid off, very handsomely. Johnstone was the only member of the sacked trio to play and he won just £2,250 at the British Masters, while the three newcomers won £92,250 between them. Scott Verplank (joint ninth in Canada) and Vijay Singh (joint 22nd) brought in another £51,250, with Katsuyoshi Tomori's £750 (for missing the cut in England) and Clarke's winnings bringing the team total for week 28 to £168,250.

So, Susan, who only made it into the top 50 in week 24, is now just £36,927 adrift of Paul 8's leading total - and she still has one transfer to make, which she is tempted to use this week because most of the big names in America are skipping the BC Open in New York.

While she admits she wouldn't object to winning the £10,000 first prize, Susan (who's making her Golf Masters' debut this year) insists she's already won the REALLY important competition - by 'out-performing' her husband, Golf Masters' veteran Declan O'Neill. "He coaxed me in to entering a team, partly, I think, because he thought I couldn't complain about the phone bill if I was involved too," she said. How many teams did Declan enter? "Twenty." Not doing too well? "No." And how many did you enter? "One." And you're in third? "Yes." Mmm. Poor auld Declan, life can't be easy at the moment.

All Susan was hoping to win this year was a trip to Mount Juliet -- she hasn't so far, unlike Michael Clooney of Waterford, whose Coughlan's Club secured him a fourball with a winning weekly total of £378,042. British Masters' winner Colin Montgomerie, Paolo Quirici (who tied for fourth), Daniel Chopra (joint eighth) and three top 20 finishers at the Canadian Open - Sandy Lyle, Andrew Magee and team captain Richard Coughlan - were Michael's big winners, helping him pip Dermot Hutchinson of Lisburn, Co Antrim, to the prize by under £2,000. A polo shirt is on its way to you, Dermot, as a small consolation.