Events on the 11th hole at Augusta National last Sunday would have been watched with particular interest by two members of the club staff. And they could be forgiven for having decidedly mixed feelings when Tiger Woods, with a birdie to a bogey, achieved a potentially decisive two-shot swing over playing partner, Phil Mickelson (below), one of his closest challengers.

Long-time locker-room attendants, Richard Germany and Roland Gray, were clearly interested in all aspects of the climactic battle. But judging from their delight when last year's champion Vijay Singh peeled off several $50 bills by way of a parting gesture, it would have been entirely understandable had their thoughts strayed from the Grand Slam to monetary matters. In that context, they would have been aware of how Kultida Woods imbued in her son a keen sense of thrift. Granted, Woods has shown himself to be quite generous in certain situations, but he would not be rated in the same league as Mickelson, a locker-room legend.

While on the subject, Darren Clarke, with $200 tips, has a reputation for generosity in the US. So has Billy Andrade. And while USPGA Tour policy requires each player to leave a minimum tip of $20 per tournament, two-time US Open champion Lee Janzen is among those who are happy to give considerably more.

"They're very helpful," he said of locker-room attendants. "They shine your shoes, replace your spikes, take care of your dry-cleaning, make restaurant reservations and give you directions. A lot of little things go into the job."

In return for such services, some players are notoriously tight-fisted. But Mickelson, who has been known to tip $50 for an on-course drink, is the leading benefactor, closely followed by John Daly. In the locker-room, the game's top left-hander gives a standard tip of $500 if he misses the cut; $1,000 for a top-10 finish and $2,000 to $3,000 for a win. And he has been known to tip a further $500 to security guards.

"I know it sounds like a lot, but you've got to remember that we're taking over their entire facility for a week," said Mickelson, who has also been known to enjoy a flutter. "That's a week's worth of members' tips they don't get. We have an obligation to make up for it." Meanwhile, Janzen still blushes at the difficulty he found himself in after winning his first US Open at Baltusrol in 1993. "I was in a total daze, didn't have any cash, so I ended up writing the locker-room guy a cheque for $250," he recalled. "When I got home a few days later, I couldn't remember who I'd written the cheque to, so I stopped payment on it."

The upshot was that the newly-crowned champion got a letter from a crushed Baltusrol attendant complaining: "Hey, I thought you were legit." Janzen made good on the original amount, with a few extra dollars thrown in by way of compensation, but the embarrassment remains.

So, what did Tiger leave the locker-room at Augusta National last Sunday night? Nobody's saying, but whatever the amount, the suspicion will remain than Mickelson would have left more.

"Green is kind of a tough colour. Tiger doesn't look as good in green as he does in some colours."

- David Hagler, director of apparel for Nike Golf and co-ordinator of Woods's outfits, when asked why the Masters champion rarely wears green.