Anyway, Tom Lehman arrives to offer an open invitation to the Europeans to come and join the Americans at their post-match party. The Europeans presume that things are really kicking off chez their opponents, so with the night still young, they depart en masse in anticipation.

At this time, we'll let Woosnam take up the story. "But when we got in there, they weren't at the bar, they were playing ping-pong. Now where I come from, ping-pong is not how we party."

If only Payne Stewart was still alive.

BOOTH COMES OF AGE WELL BEFORE TIME Having been at the British Masters at the Forest of Arden a couple of years ago when the precociously talented Carly Booth won the proam with Sandy Lyle, it came as no surprise recently that Booth was named in a Britain & Ireland amateur squad. At of 14, it appears that Booth is the youngest player around these shores to earn that sort of recognition. The Scot, who has been awarded a scholarship to the David Leadbetter Academy in Florida, was named in a 15-player panel which includes Carlow's Tara Delaney.

FURTHER PROOF OF CONTINENTAL DRIFT More evidence of the shifting of the balance of power in world golf is contained in the end-ofyear rankings with the top-50 players guaranteed a place at the Masters next April. Of those 50 invitees, only 13 are American, with 17 spots going to European players. However, if the places are boiled down to countries, then America has an advantage over Australia with six, followed by South Africa, Sweden and England on "ve.

A TIMELY INTERCEPTION FROM BABB. . . AT LAST The award-winning magazine, 'Golf Punk', which had run into financial difficulties, has found a white knight in the guise of the former Ireland defender Phil Babb. An early investor at the outset along with a group of Sunderland players, Babb has taken control of the title through his company JF Media.

Rumours that Mark Kennedy is to come in as editor are apparently unfounded.

YOUNG SAM'S REFINED TASTE OF THE HIGH LIFE "He's one of the guys who has the classic 'I was abducted by aliens last night' look when he gets in front." At first we thought David Feherty's take on US journeyman pro Bob Estes was probably the golf quote of the year, but after much agonising, the award goes to Sam Westwood, five-year-old son of Lee.

Clearly accustomed to the comforts of travel on the private jet his dad owns in conjunction with Darren Clarke, Sam was heard to make the following observation when the Westwood family flew with a commercial airline to Mauritius.

"Daddy, what are these people doing on our plane?"