Less than seven months have elapsed, yet it has already become the forgotten, great round of 2000. And Tiger Woods wasn't even in the neighbourhood when it happened. I refer to the magnificent 58 by Shigeki Maruyama, during sectional qualifying for the US Open at Woodmount CC on June 5th. With his Sligo caddie Jude O'Reilly, the amiable Japanese reduced the 6,539-yard par-71 Maryland stretch to six pars, 11 birdies and an eagle two. Halves of 29 included a finish of birdie, birdie, birdie. Sadly, Maruyama didn't carry the magic to Pebble Beach where he missed the cut after carding 77 and 80.

Meanwhile, at a time when US President Bill Clinton is completing eight years in the White House, it seems appropriate to highlight the comeback kid of tournament golf. This had to be Des Smyth, who returned to the Irish team for the Dunhill Cup, 12 years after his last appearance.

"I felt some pressure coming into the week as a replacement for Darren Clarke, but I don't think I let myself down," he said at the time. Indeed he didn't. Though he lost two of his three matches, Smyth carded medal matchplay rounds of 69, 68 and 70. This gave him a stroke average of 70.08 for a total of 12 rounds since 1985, making him the lowest-scoring Irishman in the history of the event.