The weekend golf
Both the PGA RBC Heritage at Hilton Head tourney and the European Shenzchen International Genzon, China, went to play-offs won by Jim Furyk and Kirakach Aphibarnrat respectively in exciting contests. There was also some impressive forecasting by Steve Palmer who advised Aphibarnrat, Peter Uhlein who finished top five and Tommy Fleetwood as top Englishman who proved to be so.
I do enjoy the Far East final day of the European tour. The Pargiter household rises late and slowly of a Sunday so I can get in front of the telly more or less uninterrupted for all the final round from 5.30-9.30 am. What an exciting back nine it proved with 10 golfers in the mix. Aphibarnrat seemed invincible on day three when he was -15 and clear of the pack. However he dropped three shots on the last three holes and his position looked vulnerable come the fourth day. Indeed till he shot an eagle on the 16th, birdied the 17th he was out of it as a young Chinaman Hoa Tong Li had a two shot lead in the clubhouse. Aphibarnrat nearly won it outright on the 18th. It went to a play-off hole with Li which Aphibarnrat birdied to win. His long name, he had an even longer one, which makes him a sub’s nightmare and his 16 stone 9 body weight makes the 25 year old Thai an unlikely champion but he is a very talented shot maker , direct powerful hitter and accurate putter.
Over at the Heritage, Steve did not predict so accurately. One of his picks Sean O’Hair was shaded into sixth place but his other picks didn’t feature. Jim Furyk with career earnings of $63,456,455 but only one major is in that tradition of Tom Kite, a consistently proficient golfer seemingly better at maximising earnings with top five finishes than a hauler of major trophies. His winning cheque was $1m whereas Aphibarnrat earned $368 000 so you need to go for it on the European tour
Pargiter earns considerably less than both so Mrs P, hearing my whoops of joy as she prepared my Weetabix, rather hoped that our arrangement that I pay 10% of the winning to the household budget might produce a week in the Seychelles. Instead it will go to a new blender.
