So you want to turn pro? Heed the example of Gary Wolstenholme, who is competing in his third event as a professional - the Portuguese Masters - and is finding his new life to be harder and more costly than he had ever dreamed.

"Frankly," Wolstenholme said before going out for the first round of the tournament over the Victoria course at Vilamoura golf club, "if somebody came to me and offered me a place in next week's tournament, I'd have to say I couldn't afford it.

"The plan was to go to the Asian qualifying school in December, hopefully get my card and play a bit out there next year. Unless more money is forthcoming, that is pie in the sky. This week alone is going to cost me over £2,000. That is not the sort of money that I have got. I am lucky that a friend has helped me out this week. My house at home is bleeding me every week. I have storage costs of £160 per month. If I don't get some money I may have to think about stacking shelves."

Wolstenholme missed the cut at the qualifying school and at his first event, the Kazakhstan Open, and thus has not won any money. That is in part why he is short of it. More realistically it is because two potential sponsors have withdrawn from making a commitment to him because of the current economic crisis.

But it is not just the lack of money that has struck him since he turned pro last month. He is having trouble finding time to do his administration, which includes finding new sponsors, and his practice. "Mentally I am in disarray." He doesn't know where his next sum of money is going to come from.

Most of all, though, he has been made aware of how far so many of his rivals hit the ball. "If I had another 20 yards I'd be happy. None of the par 5s are in reach for me this week. If I make two or three birdies a round then a sub par round is not out of the question but this is not an easy course for me."

But then the Wolstenholme optimism came through. The spirit that made him turn pro at 48, when some people are retiring never mind starting a new line of work, is evident when he considers whether or not it was the right thing to do. "Amateur golf was not offering me anything. The England captaincy was a one year appointment. If I am captain I would want to be involved in the management and selection as well.

"My game has improved. I think that turning pro was right but only time will tell whether it was as good a move as I thought it was going to be. I might be bankrupt five years from now and working as a dustman and if you came to me then and asked if I had done the right thing I would probably say no. I am sure that pro golf is the way forward for me if I want to be able to compete on the Seniors circuit. I am playing now to sharpen my game for then."

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Paul Azinger, the captain of the US Ryder Cup team, on the aftermath of that victory over Europe: "It's funny, I haven't been out much since we won but when I have a lot of people come up to me and say 'thanks' not 'congratulations', I realised that for that week, we were all Americans. It was a beautiful thing to see."

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There is such a sense of shock at the news that Seve Ballesteros has a brain tumour, part of which has been removed, and is recovering in a Madrid hospital that it is worth retelling some of the anecdotes journalists in the US and Canada have been recounting in their columns. It gives a sense of just how big and widespread the Spaniard's reputation is.