The golfing weekend

Two winners of whom you may not have heard on the European Tour and US PGA and a boost to the European Ryder team when Europe thrashed Asia were the features of the weekend … not to mention a massive win for Pargie.

The European Tour is still in South Africa in Johannesburg. Last year I was more of a Jeremy Chapman than Steve Palmer fan when it came to recommendations. Last week Steve bagged over ten grand in backing young Branden Stone. So I noted that he favoured another South African youngster Haydn Porteous. I backed him for top five and top ten and bless me he goes and wins it. He played steady golf as others fell away. My only criticism is that I have rarely see a slower golfer. Every putt he laboured over and in fact I do not know if it helps as he hardly sunk a longish birdie one. He and his partner Zander Lombard were warned which was unfair on the latter whose game was clearly affected though he was not the guilty party. Porteus carried on hitting the greens in regulation and making his pars. He rather reminded me of Bernard Langer another painfully slow putter.

Over at Hawaii, I thought I had backed Brandt Snedeker. When I realised I did not, and he was leading and playing excellent golf, I backed him at shortish odds. Bless me if Argentine Fabian Gomez hits seven connective birdies. It went to a play-off which Gomez won. A lot of the big names were absent, chiefly Jordan Spieth who carded a 32 under the week before to make the tourney a procession.

Darren Clarke must have been pleased that Ryder hopefuls Andy Sullivan, Chris Wood, Danny Willett and Matt Fitzpatrick all played well in a 13 point win over the Asians. In the Eurasia Cup in Kuala Lumpur,  with Shane Lowry and Benrd Wiesberger playing too, we shall see some fresh new faces come the Ryder Cup in late September.

With the Xmas credit card bills coming Mrs Pargie has ready fixed her beady eye on my winnings whilst admonishing me for not backing Porteous each way which would resulted in a four figure haul. In his hilarious Racing Post column Steve Palmer reported he bought his young daughter a dragon in the  face of his wife’s criticism that she had a similar duck. No such insubordination in the Pargie household. I told my missus she should be grateful that I’m such a clever punter.