If you drew a graph to represent Michael Campbell's week-by-week representation in Golf Masters' teams this year it would very nearly follow the contours of the Magillicuddy Reeks. He's been hired and fired, re-hired and re-fired, and hired again so many times that his graph would show one long series of peaks and troughs (and troughs and peaks).

Of course, if he'd publicised his itinerary for the season just a little bit better he wouldn't have been our second most popular player at registration time, seeing as he spent the first nine weeks of the competition winning a few bob on the Australasian Tour.

By the time he finally turned up for Golf Masters' duty, in week 10's French Open, almost 500 managers had abandoned him, but just under 250 had taken him on, on hearing of his imminent return. Their reward was great and patience was, indeed, a virtue for those who stuck with him - Campbell has averaged earnings of £34,725 in each of his five tournaments to date, a more than decent return on a £1.9 million investment.

So, midway through the 2000 Golf Masters the New Zealander holds the unusual distinction of being our second most popular player (after Darren Clarke), and the player who has been transferred in and out of teams most often. So impressed was the USGA by these quirky statistics they offered Campbell a special exemption to play in next week's US Open. Well, we assume that was the reason for their decision.