The European Tour veered slightly off the road map and held the Volvo World Match Play in Bulgaria this week. Yes, they play golf in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria is a former partner of the old USSR and lies in southeastern Europe between Turkey and Romania.
The Bulgarian Bureau of Tourism was a huge recipient this week. The pictures on television from the Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort at Kavarna, Bulgaria were absolutely stunning.
The golf course was opened in 2010 and is a Gary Player design. It is carved from the white cliffs that tower over the Black Sea that curiously was a beautiful deep blue color.
The Volvo Match Play Championship has been one of the premier events on the European Tour since Arnold Palmer won the inaugural tournament in 1964. Gary Player won five Volvo Match Play titles over the first nine years the tournament was held.
Other winners over the years include golf’s greatest names; Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf, Greg Norman and Nick Faldo. Ernie Els won seven Volvo Match Play tournaments. Perhaps the greatest match play master of all time, Seve Ballesteros won this event five times.
Thongchai Jaidee, from Thailand, beat Thomas Aiken in his semi-final match and faced Graeme McDowell in the final. McDowell made eight birdies en-route to dispatching South African, Branden Grace in his semi-final match.
Jaidee, an ex-paratrooper for the Thai army, has 16 professional wins and has been playing in Asia for 14 years. He has gradually been climbing up the world golf rankings and is currently at No. 63. He is No. 31 on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai and will play in all four major tournaments for the first time this year.
Although McDowell missed the cut at the Masters and the Players, he already has a win on the PGA Tour at the 2013 RBC Heritage. He is No. 8 in the world golf rankings and was looking to improve on his runner-up finish to Nicolas Colsaerts in the 2012 Volvo World Match Play Championship.
With birdies at Nos. 2 and 4, Jaidee took the early lead over McDowell in the final match. It appeared he would go three-up at the short par-5 fifth hole when McDowell had to take a drop from an unplayable lie in a bush bordering the green.
McDowell scrambled for his par and Jaidee playing from the front bunker missed his short birdie putt for the half.
McDowell continually made putts for halves throughout the front nine and did not make a birdie until No. 7. Jaidee maintained a one-hole advantage at the turn.
McDowell pulled back to even when both players missed the green at No. 12. McDowell was conceded a par after chipping to within one foot and Jaidee failed to convert his 10-foot putt for par.
Both players drove the ball magnificently, but an errant drive for Jaidee on No. 13 found a thick bush in the left rough. He was forced to chip the ball back into play and was faced with a difficult short iron shot into the green.
McDowell played a safe second shot to the fat part of the green with Jaidee laying three. McDowell won No. 14 and took his first lead when Jaidee was not able to make his 25-foot par putt.
McDowell extended his lead with a short birdie putt on No. 15 to take a two-up lead with three holes remaining.
He closed out Jaidee with a routine par on No. 17. McDowell will pocket $1 million for the win and move to the No. 1 spot on the Race to Dubai. Jaidee earns his largest payday ever with $520,000 for second place.