While Ireland once had three . . .

Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley . . . in the top 20, that number has shrunk to just one with Harrington ranked at 10, Clarke now at 69 and McGinley, who was as high as 18th in 2005, struggling in 106th.

Equally, at this early stage of the season, only Harrington has made his mark on the European Tour order of merit with earnings of nearly 500,000 for 10th place. Still, it's far from gloom and doom for the Irish as Scotland, with Colin Montgomerie, and Wales, with Bradley Dredge, each have just one player in the world's top-100.

OAKMONT TRODS ALL OVER WINGED FOOT After last year's US Open at Winged Foot, where Tiger Woods missed the cut in a major championship for the first time in his professional career, the world number one was quick to give his verdict on the famed New York lay-out. "Of all the tournaments I've ever played, " he said, "no golf course was harder than Winged Foot ."

However, following a visit last weekend to the notoriously demanding Oakmont near Pittsburgh . . . venue for the US Open in June . . . Woods was asked if he'd had a change of mind about what was the toughest course he'd ever played. "Winged Foot's not even close. It's Oakmont, " was the revised opinion.

NELSON'S MEMORIAL NO LONGER SUCH A PILLAR There has been some ire across the pond at the decision of many of the world's leading players to skip the Byron Nelson Championship. In fact, only Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia of the top 15 in the rankings teed it up on Thursday in Texas.

In the past, the late, great Nelson invited some of the best players to compete, and that personal touch made the difference.

But it's not as if, in some act of deference, they should now feel obliged to play simply because he has passed on.

And perhaps some of America's angry commentators should move on.