My sporting weekend

Last week my football wins bailed out my golf losses and this weekend it was the other way round.

I backed each way for a top ten finish Sergio Garcia, Correy Connors and Daniel Berger for the Players Championship at Sawgrass a tournament won by Justin Thomas.

Thomas put in a fantastic run of birdies in the back nine and eagles in the final round to pull way from hardy perennial Lee Westwood.

With his fiancée and fitness coach Helen Storey on his bag the Worksop man continued from his Road To Dubai win to be a decent runner up at the fifth Major.

I found yesterday ‘s viewing compelling. As the Sawgrass course designer Pete Dye said “Golf is an unforgiving game so why not make an unforgiving course’.

It’s a stern examination with the signature 17th island hole providing no margin for error.

If he could putt lethally Garcia might have won this and more than one Major but by last night it was either Westwood or Thomas.

The North London derby beforehand was a drab affaire. I backed a draw.

Brighton ‘s entertaining win at Southampton has made the relegation battle a lot more interesting than the Manchester City procession at the other end of the table.

Next Saturday Brighton play Newcastle in a decisive encounter.

In my most enjoyable sporting event of the weekend, England’s Six Nations victory over France, I took no position at all though I thought England might shade it.

France are never comfortable as favourites and Eddie Jones had a case to prove after the Wales defeat.

It was a stirring match with that absorbing ingredient of each team close to victory and the mercurial French that capacity to produce something special out of nothing.