Razor Sharp Mullarkey

GOLF: Well, well, well, look who we have at the top of our overall leaderboard. Take a bow, Roger Mullarkey. After an eight-week unbroken stint as our leader, Pat Callanan has finally been overtaken by Roger's Razor Sharp who outscored Paddy's Fourth in week 26 by just under €50,000. They now lead the competition by €32,684, with just two weeks and three tournaments to go. Now that's what we call good timing.

The only consolation we can offer Pat is: it could have been worse. With only three players in action at the European Masters and the Canadian Open, Pat really could have done without Eduardo Romero missing the cut, by one stroke, in Switzerland. But Bradley Dredge and Vijay Singh (not for the first time) saved the day, with top six finishes in the two tournaments.

Razor Sharp, meanwhile, had four men on duty: Jarrod Moseley tied for sixth at the European Masters, where Thomas Bjorn took a share of 23rd, while Per Ulrik Johansson finished joint 20th in Canada. And then there was Justin Leonard.

We are entirely confident, of course, that while Pat wouldn't wish ill on any of his rival's players, he probably wasn't hugely displeased to see Leonard blow his chance of winning the Canadian Open by bogeying the final hole (where poor Neal Lancaster fared even worse - he had a double-bogey), and then miss a long birdie effort in the three-way play-off, won by John Rollins.

So, while Leonard picked up a substantial €75,000 cheque for Razor Sharp it could have been better for Roger, and considerably worse for Pat - not least because the man behind him in third place, Vincent Maloney, transferred Leonard into his line-up in time for the Canadian Open, so could have done with that extra €25,000 to further narrow the gap on second place.

As it was, Vincent had to make do with week 26 winnings of €120,833, putting another €30,000 between himself and fourth-placed David Maune. Vincent might yet have an ace up his sleeve, if he uses his final transfer wisely. He is one of only two top 10 managers - Tony Hynes, in sixth, is the other - to have any transfers left.

Brendan Hill was the only top 10 manager, apart from Roger, to make a significant move this week, rising from ninth to fifth after West Coast Swing 5's efforts in Canada and Switzerland. They were the second highest earning top 10 team of the week, after Razor Sharp, but are still adrift to the tune of a quarter of a million euro.

What Brendan and the rest of Pat and Roger's pursuers could do with is a week like Edward Harvey has just had, when his Tiger's Men line-up brought home €281,300 in prize money. Edward's top earners were Rollins, Leonard and Dredge, and thanks largely to their heroics he will soon be making the trip from Letterkenny to Carton House for his fourball.

So then, on we go to the penultimate week of the 2002 Golf Masters, at the German Masters and the Pennsylvania Classic. But those managers with a transfer still to make, bear in mind: next week's American Express Championship in Mount Juliet is a bonus tournament. Vincent and Tony? Take note.