NOW that the tournament is to be discontinued, I can admit to the only occasion my emotions got the better of me at a sporting event in the service of this newspaper. It was the late afternoon of October 16th, 1988 at St Andrews and Ireland had just captured the Dunhill Cup, almost 30 years on from the Canada Cup win by Harry Bradshaw and Christy O'Connor Snr in Mexico City.

In the aftermath of the Old Course triumph, Des Smyth remarked to me, in his kindly way: "It was only when I saw the state you were in that I fully realised what we had achieved." At the time, I felt a little embarrassed by it all. Now, it stands apart as a very special memory.

TEASER: Observers of the Solheim Cup last weekend might be interested in this particular situation. In a match between A and B, A played his tee shot out of turn. B requested A to abandon the ball and play in the correct order. However, after B played, he told A not to bother playing another ball. What is the ruling?

ANSWER: A was not obliged to comply with B's instruction to continue with the original ball. B incurred no penalty for giving the instruction. Whether A continued with his original ball or played another ball in correct order, as was his right, the result of the hole should stand as played.