My sporting weekend

My 11-1 tickle on Jordan Spieth for the Charles Schwab US PGA event at Fort Worth looked winnable as he was leading by one shot from Jason Kokrak going into the final round.

He bogeyed 3 of the first 4 holes and finished two shots behind Kokrak.

Spieth was a prolific winner of tourneys as a junior and carried this form into his pro career quickly winning 4 Majors.

Then his career stalled but I have noted a resurgence of form these past few months.

As a native Texan with what crowd was there at Fort Worth rooting for him he could win it and he nearly did.

Kokrak, aged 35, is one of those  journeymen who after a winless career started to reverse the trend.

With his bulk and broad Slavic face he is not the most attractive player on the tour and tends to the pragmatic.

Putting was his problem but he has worked on that to win his first title. I still wonder at how badly Spieth played the final day.

I did not think Thomas Tuchel would out-think Prep Guardiola tactically but rather the improvements he has made to the Chelsea defence would result in a goalless draw in real time.

I got it wrong but laying against Manchester City proved fruitful.

It was far from cagey – as most such finals are – but an entertaining almost exhilarating game in which Tuchel stymied City but also his Chelsea were productive in counter attack.

Finally I must mention a superb documentary I caught purely by chance on the Sky golf channel on Tom Watson.

His 1976 duel with Jack Nicklaus at Turnberry in the Open was as good as it gets.

On the 18th Watson played a safe drive down the left. Nicklaus’s drive was wayward and finished under a  bush.

Most golfers would hack out onto the fairway. Jack is not most most golfers. Unbelievably he blasted out onto the green.

Watson’s  green placement was accurate. Jack only sinks his 30 foot putt.

The pressure was on Watson who sunk his putt to halve and win the Open.

Jack hugged him, the embrace of man who had given his all but had been beaten on the day by a better golfer.

Jack not only won 18 Majors he finished runner up in another 19.

There can be no doubting his status as the greatest golfer of all time.

I would also laud him as the greatest sportsman too.