Professional golf's much-maligned journeymen will take some heart from the proli"c John Feinstein's new book Tales from Q School. Although this latest tome falls well short of A Good Walk Spoiled, the author reveals his dislike for the word "journeyman" in a section where he talks about the PGA Tour journeyman, Paul Goydos, who has won twice on the circuit in his 14 years there.

"It implies mediocrity, which is ludicrous, " Feinstein writes in the section. "To play on the tour consistently for that long, one must be an extraordinary player. . . Players like to point out that playing on the PGA Tour is one of the few jobs on earth where someone can make more than $500,000 in a year and get "red."

That viewpoint is also echoed by Casey Martin: "If you're on the PGA Tour you are well within the top one per cent of people playing golf in the entire world. In almost any other business that makes you a superstar . . . you're a CEO or some kind of stud at what you do. Not in golf. In golf, you're a journeyman or a minor leaguer."

WOODS TO THE RESCUE IN A CADDIE'S ROLE

The world's best players aren't the only ones who approach the 17th tee at Sawgrass with trepidation. On the eve of the Players Championship, the caddies had an opportunity to strut their stuff with a nearestthe-pin competition on Pete Dye's famous island green. One shot only, with a borrowed club from the boss.

For much of the day, it seemed as if Freddie Jacobson's caddie, Mark Sherwood who finished nine feet, three inches from the hole, would do the business, however, in the end, Ray Farnell, who works for Greg Owen, took home an expensive watch, a plaque and some cash after his impressive tee shot to five feet, three inches.

There was some confusion when Bubba Watson's caddie, Ted Scott, prepared to hit.

Concentrating so much on the job, it appeared that the righthanded Scott forgot for a moment that his boss was lefthanded. The problem was solved when Tiger Woods handed Scott his eight iron.

TIME'S A HEALER BUT PREPARE FOR LONG WAIT Much talk once again about the Players and it being the game's fifth major. While it boasts the best field, and a bigger first prize than its four rivals, it still lacks the cachet of a major championship as Sandy Lyle once pointed out. Lyle's victory at Sawgrass came in 1987 two years after he won the British Open at Royal St George's, and he was asked about the difference between the two.

"About 125 years, " he deadpanned.