Quintin Jardine's blog

My viewing for this week has included the World Matchplay Golf Championship. My enthusiasm for it has diminished, though, since my son pointed out that they have devalued the tournament by downgrading the final to 18 holes rather than the customary 36. That is akin to playing the  FIFA World Cup as a five-a-side event, or the World Snooker Championships as best of nine frames. The one bright spot is that increases the chances of the venerable Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez, who can still knock spots off the field over the sprint distance, at age 47, but would have been struggling if he had to play four rounds on the last two days, as the old format dictated. At this stage, it’s a bit of a gunfight, but if he makes it through to the semis on Sunday morning, he may be the man to watch. I hope so, because the celebration will be epic, if he wins . . . although not here in Spain, sadly, where golf is still a minority sport, and where the great majority of his compadres have never heard of him.