European Golf Tour – The Jakarta Indonesia Open Golf 2009
February 2009 Chiangmai:
Going into the final hole with a commanding two-stroke lead,
you would think nothing could go wrong for leader Thongchai
Jaidee of Thailand, or for that matter if it was any of the
professionals that we are so used to watching these days,
especially if the last was a less-than-imaginative, lengthy
612-yard Par-5 with the grass on the green thick enough to
leave traces of the ball, and certainly not giving much hope
for anything more than a birdie, if not always a regular par
at best.
Already at the penultimate Par-4 17, Jaidee switched to
safe-play mode by teeing off with an iron obviously hoping
to just par the last two holes and the title would be his.
The commentators of the TV channel certainly thought so even
as the then very self-assured Jaidee was shown walking on
the fairway to the ball for his third shot landing on the
last green, smiling at the camera and waving to whoever was
watching at home.
If you recall, Rocco Mediate of the US was more or less
doing the same at the US Open 2008 going into the last hole
where he unusually missed the putt and thereby having to
enter a play-off with Tiger Woods to whom he found the
trophy eventually slipped off his grip.
As it happened on this New Kuta Golf & Ocean View Golf
Course of Bali for the Jakarta Indonesia Open, what would
have been a simple pitching shot to the hole for Jaidee, it
went too long and nearly found the wall of the club house.
The putt back to the hole for the 4th.; about 12-15 feet
again went too long for comfort, 5 feet off the hole. Was
Jaidee, who would have become the Asian player with the most
wins ever on European Tour if he bagged this, nervous when
found himself under the spotlight?
The story of this article is to highlight the need to
maintain the level of concentration however assured it might
seem of what's on the scoreboard, at least till the last
putt. It may seem self-concluding when the
fast-approaching-40 Jaidee could well had been nervous after
not winning big for the last few years. We leave you to come
to your own conclusion based on your own golfing experience
and judgement on what ought and ought not happen.
Jaidee, for all the confusion that must have surrounded him
after finding his approach shot having gone unusually too
long and then immediately repeated it on the putt to the
hole for a safe par for the last hole must count himself
lucky at this crucial moment of play having had to face a
young if not extremely talented opponent in Alexander Noren
of Denmark. Noren had just made an eagle followed by a
birdie in the last two holes making him the only player that
could have any chance of taking the title from Jaidee. It
could have become another classic finish of the last US Open
if Noren had not missed the birdie putt and Jaidee did not
make the 5-foot putt for a par. But was it nervousness alone
that caused the uncalled for 'excitement for the
spectators', anxiety for Jaidee?
Author Bio: Francis Huang is not a professional writer but
nonetheless keeps regular diary for anything interesting he
encounters on his frequent travels, particularly in
Southeast Asia. Hopefully an article like this will help
improve his website: http://www.GOLFnTours.com as well as
increase exposure of his golf tour business to many more
interested.
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