IF LAST week, when the Travelers Championship was our only counting tournament, proved to be a bit unrewarding for the vast majority of our managers, week 13 was, in contrast, profitable in a rather handsome way.

Most weeks we’ll have at least a few teams who fail to score anything at all, but this time around every single line-up in the competition earned at least a few euros from the French Open and/or the AT and T National.

True, six teams won just €1,000, and one – hello Aidan – a mere €500, but at least they didn’t have a “zero” in their weekly winnings’ column.

For several of our leading challengers it proved to be a particularly useful week, three of our top eight managers also appearing in the weekly leaderboard.

James Walsh, who took over from Nicola Kearns at the top of the overall leaderboard last week, was our 19th highest earner in week 13, enough to keep him in pole position.

Tricia Clear, ninth overall last week, moved up to fourth after Julie’s Joys just missed out on the weekly prize while Paul Taaffe, too, made the top 20 in the weekly list, lifting him 10 places to eighth overall.

Shay McGarrity, of Ballinteer in Dublin, is still just over €250,000 short of James’ leading score but if his Shay’s Seven line-up maintains the progress it made in week 13 that gap might well be bridged soon enough.

Shay wasn’t even in our top 50 last week but is now up to 21st overall after a stirring team display at the French Open and AT and T National. Hunter Mahan (runner-up), Lucas Glover (tied for fifth) and Ryan Moore (a share of 11th) were his big winners in Maryland, while Ian Poulter (third), Graeme Storm (a share of 13th) and Peter Lawrie (tied for 21st) did very nicely indeed in France. Only Oliver Fisher, who missed the cut at the French Open, misfired.

German Martin Kaymer beat Lee Westwood in a play-off to win the French Open, which came as quite splendid news to the four managers who transferred him in last week.

Not so good, mind, for the two who transferred him out. On a similar note: congratulations to the 25 managers who hired Tiger Woods in time for his triumph at the AT and T National, which, of course, he hosted.

To the four who fired him just before the tournament?

What can we say?

On to week 14 we go, the Scottish Open and the John Deere Classic our counting tournaments. Keep in mind, too, that the penultimate major of the season, the British Open, is looming in week 15 – although, if you’ve already used up your transfers this reminder is of no use to you whatsoever.

But if you have a transfer left and you’re one of Robert Karlsson’s 35 employers’ you might consider dispensing with his services – last season’s European number one will miss the British Open because of a continuing eye problem.

The joys of management.