superstars.

Tennis ace Pat Rafter, now ranked number three in the world following his US Open victory, is spending more time at his Pembroke residence -- he played as an invited guest in yesterday's Gillette Pro-Am.

Fellow Australian Rodney Eyles, the world's number two ranked squash player, has also put down roots here.

And golfer Nick Price admitted yesterday he too came very close to buying a home on the Island.

"We looked for a good five to six months. We were very serious about moving here,'' said the 40-year-old Zimbabwean. "Basically, what appealed to us more than anything else was the education system. The tax benefits weren't that huge a thing although that was a factor.

"My wife wanted our kids to go to the same kind of school that we went to in Zimbabwe -- where they play cricket and rugby and things like that. At the moment we live in Florida, and my son's playing baseball, which I don't know too much about.

"This island would have been perfect for us, it's a pity it didn't work out.

I think commuting to and from the US might have been difficult in the long run what with having to go through customs and immigration all the time. "But we thought very seriously about moving here.'' *** RYDER Cup hangover? Not according to Lee Janzen and Freddie Couples, two members of the American team which surprisingly lost to Europe at Valderrama in Spain last week.

"Actually, I had more fun than when we won back in 1993,'' said Janzen, who with two wins in three matches was one of the more successful Americans.

"It was disappointing to lose and I wasn't exactly energetic in my practice last week, but it was a great event and I enjoyed playing.'' "The thing is no-one really did anything wrong, so it was difficult to feel too disappointed,'' reflected Couples. "Both teams played exceptionally well, they just made more big putts than us.

"We made a big effort on Sunday but by that time we were just too far back.'' *** GOLF'S first two million dollar man, Hale Irwin, refuses to attach too much importance to his latest historic milestone.

Victory at the Vantage Championship in North Carolina on Sunday was Irwin's eighth Senior Tour win of the season, making him the first pro to exceed two million dollars in winnings in a single season.

"But,'' said the modest Irwin yesterday, "it's just a number.'' "My main desire is still to win tournaments. And that's what I've been doing.

I've had a great run of wins, and with wins comes the cash. Two million dollars sounds great, and I'm very proud of that. But somebody soon will come along and beat it, so I can't attach too much significance to that figure.'' *** IF Hale Irwin was playing down his amazing streak of victories this season, others weren't.

Asked who they would like to be paired with prior to last night's random draw for today's Gillette Challenge, several pointed to Irwin.

"How about Hale and Annika,'' joked Nick Price. "That should be good enough.'' Like Irwin, Sweden's Annika Sorenstam also won on Sunday, clinching first place at the Betsy King Classic in Pennsylvania for her sixth LPGA Tour win of the season.

NICK PRICE -- Zimbabwe golfer says he has thought seriously about buying a home in Bermuda.