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He was fantastic, full of charisma, with a smile that lit up the far eastern fairways.
He had a swing he was blessed with from birth, and an attitude that was magnetic as well as refreshing. He came from the steamy heat of Manila, played the way he was born to play, and I can't wait to see him again.
Juvic Pagunsan didn't win the UBS Hong Kong Open, but he won the hearts of the fans and everyone who was at Fanling Golf Club last Sunday.
He reminded me of a young Seve Ballesteros with his cavalier play, fabulous putting, and for the first time since the mercurial Spaniard burst on to the scene 30 years ago, we had a player who thought golf was fun as well as business.
Juvic is no youngster at 28 years of age, and had he won, he would have gained entry to the riches of the European Tour.
For now, his talent will remain on the courses in Asia. Our loss is their gain, but if he gets another chance to win on the co-sanctioned circuit, he may well go one better. I hope a couple of our sponsors get together and invite him to Europe for a run of tournaments.
Jose Manuel Lara, after four second places, finally broke through. His maiden win will be a relief to him, and all credit to the Valencia resident, he won well. Just when a wobble looked likely around the turn, he regained control of his game, and himself.
Now he has won, we may see the best of a player who has a lot of natural talent. If he now has belief, he can follow the footsteps of the top Spaniards who have won titles around the globe.
A little further east in Japan, Padraig Harrington enjoyed one of his finest moments defeating world number one Tiger Woods in a play off to win the Dunlop Phoenix.
Considering Woods has not lost a play-off since 1998, it was quite an achievement. It's only the start for golf's most improved player. Robert Lee and myself watched him play a few holes one evening before the HSBC in Shanghai and he was surely impressive.
Padraig has never fully realised just how good a golfer he is. Since winning the Order of Merit, he is calmer, more ambitious, and certainly more comfortable when in contention. I believe 2007 can be his year, and a world golf championship along with a major should not be out of his reach.
Harrington: tamed Tiger
When you have gone head to head with Woods and won, you have taken a giant step forward. His 29 second-place finishes should now drift into the background, and his focus should be on the future. I believe it is a bright one for the Dubliner.
I was at one of the very first Asian PGA Tour events back in 1995, and last week I was astounded how far that tour has progressed. They have a good schedule of events which allows a player to learn how to win over 72 holes, and so many have done just that in the last decade.
Joyti Randhawa, Jeev Singh, Thongchai Jaidee and others have won world-wide, and all I can be sure of is that many more will follow the path they have blazed.
I hope the powers-that-be who run the World Cup will consider giving the Indian duo, Singh and Randhawa a late invite to Sandy Lane in Barbados. This event started as the Canada Cup in the fifties. It was a tournament of goodwill, and has remained so over the last half a century.
In the past month, Singh has won the showcase Volvo Masters at Valderrama. Joyti won the Indian Open the following week with Singh second. Both stood alongside Tiger in Shanghai, both were very much in contention in Hong Kong. Singh has sewn up the Asian Order of Merit.
They have succeeded in golf, despite cricket being a religion in their homeland. If they do get the late call to the Caribbean, don't be surprised if they win. If not, they can take great consolation in what they have done for aspiring young golfers in India.
I've enjoyed the extensive travels across Russia, Siberia and Mongolia. On my way home, I couldn't help drawing comparisons between there and the USA.
Everyone in America seems to be the same. When you interview the players stateside, their game always seems to be "solid", whatever that means. Nearly 100 players earned a million dollars. They dress the same, they even look the same. In Asia, we had a mix of cultures, and that alone added much to the tournaments.
In the years to come, we will all realise just how much our former Executive Director of the European Tour Ken Schofield did for golf not just here, but world-wide. The European Tour is just about everything Greg Norman wanted back in 1994.
Outside America, it is a world tour. Welcome India, Korea, the Philippines and China, and look out Uncle Sam, these guys really are good!
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Source: Sky Sports |
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