James Montgomerie, father of you-know-who, was so upset by the insults directed at his son by unruly galleries at Brookline two years ago that he quietly, and sadly, left the course. Many parents of prominent sports people have found themselves in similar situations. And some are fighting back.

We are told Greg Norman's mother once hit a loud-mouth fan with her umbrella. But the Shark's wife, Laura, produced a much sharper response after hearing two men at a recent tournament in the US arguing whether her husband was a genuine blond. Surely his mane was too bright-blond to be real? The other one suggested the Shark must have stayed up all night bleaching it.

"They were like two catty women," said Laura. "It was as if they were jealous of Greg." Eventually, she decided it was time to respond. "It's real," she said. "Yeah, right," they sneered. "How do you know?" With her sweetest smile, Ms Norman declared: "Because I'm his hairdresser."