The golfing weekend

The Indian golfer Lahiri won the European Tour Malaysia Open though it would be more accurate to say Bernd Wiesberger lost it. When he birdied the first two holes in the final round he was surely home and hosed but his game collapsed when he then bogeyed five holes. Charl Schwarzel and Martin Kaymer did much the same in previous events but Rory Mcilroy’s nerve held last week. In his Racing Post column in between moaning about his poor betting week Steve Palmer reckons Rory could be better than Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus. I can’t see it. One of the interesting features of a golf career is you can never be precise when it it is ended. Ernie Els won the Open what three years ago, Nicklaus won the PGA in his forties and Tom Watson very nearly won the Open at 62. Tiger and Mickleson seem finished but you can’t be sure.

In a tight finish Jason Day beat JJ Holmes in a play-off at the Torrey Pines course, a trophy that in the past rarely left the cabinet of Tiger. JJ Holmes only had to sink a putt on the 18 th to win but did not, costing me my bet. I had no winners at the golf except a measly £2.73 on Lee Westwood who finished tied fifth. Lee lost his mojo on the final back nine when no one seemed able to assert their game for a lead. Lahiri hit one shot waywardly that it looked certain to go out of bounds. In fact luckily it stopped on a path, he got a free drop and made his par. In retrospect that won him the trophy.

If golf served the Pargiter betting account badly then football did not. My philosophy here is to lay, back against, a team on short odds. When Burnley were two up against West Brom I counted on Tony Pulis to hair dry the team at half time. He must have said something forceful, as the Albion pulled back to draw. With Manchester Utd, Arsenal, all failiing to win I was quids in and up. Okay I not make the bags (thousands) that Steve does but when JJ Holmes missed that putt it does not send my blood pressure soaring or me for my pen to tell readers how unlucky I am.