Reporters and editors uttered a collective 'Huh?' having remembered that Wood had more or less ruled out the possibility of joining the paid ranks when questioned after his silver medal triumph at the Open last week.

All of that bumf we heard about his not "doing a Justin Rose", then, amounts to nothing more than a few wasted column inches. Wood's about turn is impressive; an expertly thrown dummy had had everyone fooled.

Maybe he's just moving supersonically fast - next week he might release a statement announcing his retirement. *

Among other things, Wood's decision means we may all drag out the odious example of Rose, who followed his fourth place at Birkdale ten years ago with an awful, jaw-dropping run of 21 missed cuts on the trot.

It is the sort of run that will strike fear into the heart of any amateur who turns pro.

If a player as good as Rose was shown up so hideously for so long when he took on the pros, they will think, what chance have I got?

The irony of Rose's first year as a pro is that he never came close to matching his fourth at a major, where the stakes are highest.

That irony will not be lost on Wood, and he may be wise to treat his Open as beginner's luck; a freak accident of form and composure.

Doing so may seem rash, but it will allow Wood no room for delusions of grandeur. Rose was a victim of this condition when he entered the paid ranks and it served him horribly; instead of giving him confidence, it caused a chronic rupture in his self-belief.

Several critics, including this website's own editor in his most recent column, have made the point that Wood is above the wilting Rose syndrome because he is older, wiser and physically more mature.

Valid points, all three, but points that will stand as shaky as they are irrefutable until Wood has been tested.

Wood must not expect too much. And, for the time being at least, we should not expect too much of him.

*Editor's note: A statement released today, shortly after receipt of Matthew Freemantle's blog, disclosed that Wood has in fact been invited to try and make his first cut at the SAS Open in late August.