That outburst of applause that encircled the globe last month, echoes of which can still be heard amid circles of clamorous Canadians coast to coast to coast-I was once a sports reporter-vindicated publication of an item in the March issue of this e-zine on Canadian and Irish Golfers. Some of its inspiring passages included the following:

Mike Weir has started off the year 2003 like a cyclone, winning two major titles on the American P.G.A. tour, both times coming from behind in the final round, and one of them in a two-hole playoff.

Padraig Harrington, the peripatetic Padraig Harrington, has proven himself a champion in more countries than you could shake a one-iron at, and a popular one at that, never mind that sports commentators call him anything from Padraig to Pauric to Paddy.

Both have had the distinction of winning against the premier golfer in the world, Tiger Woods. Both are a credit to their countries. If you are operating a web site linking Canada and Ireland, when either wins it is a cause for elation.

Mike Weir, the modest Canadian, has been and gone and done it again, winning the P.G.A. Masters Championship at Augusta on Sunday, April 13, 2003, the first ciotóg (Irish for left-handed) golfer to do so, again coming from behind, and again winning in a playoff, this time on the first extra hole.

Emblamatic of his golfing prowess, he donned the traditional green jacket that is awarded to each year's winner of the Masters, capturing the hearts of his fellow Canadians from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic, and bringing a sense of elation to millions of golfers around the world.

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