As you will see below, the Bangkok Post's Somchai Poomlard had a busy four days following the world's most famous golfer around the course. Sinking a dramatic putt

He, of course, is Tiger Woods, a young man who holds a special interest for us here in Thailand since his mother is Thai.

The Bangkok Post had extensive coverage of the tournament on its sports pages and I have reproduced some of it for you on this page. Each of the excerpts in this section was written by the Bangkok Post’s sports editor, Roger Crutchley. As you will see, Roger was interested in describing much more than just the golf competition. He wanted to give his readers a feeling of what it was like to be at Alpine watching Tiger Woods play. I think he succeeded rather well.

Here are some short excerpts from the columns written by Bangkok Post’s sports editor Roger Crutchley during the four days of the Johnny Walker Classic which was held here in Thailand last month. Like many sports writers, Roger tries to give his readers a sense of what the atmosphere was like at the competition. It makes for some entertaining reading. Day 1 A modern-day Pied Piper? Tiger’s magnetism was evident from the moment he stepped onto the putting green at the Alpine yesterday morning. No one had taken much notice of the other golfers practising their putts, but once word got round that Tiger had arrived the place was mobbed. And when Tiger moved off to the driving range one observer noted "he looked a bit like the Pied Piper," with this long trail of fans in his wake. He did admit the mobile phones were bit of a pain. "I had to back off a number of times because of cellphones ringing and cameras clicking, but otherwise the gallery was fine." However, he probably wasn’t thinking so benevolently on the fifth hole when a cellphone went off just as he was about to putt. After backing off, he then proceeded to miss what for him was a very likely birdie. evident clear gallery the crowd watching the competition benevolently kindly 1. The word "magnetism" obviously comes from "magnet". What do you think it means? In what way is Tiger Woods magnetic? 2. The Pied Piper is a favourite children’s story in which the piper’s music is able to attract first rats and then children to follow him out of town. In what way is Tiger Woods similar? Day 2 No love for cellphones "The cellphones were a lot worse today," said Tiger. "They got Michael (Campbell) on the downswing a few times." What Tiger didn’t know was that one of the culprits was nearly lynched at the 16th hole when his phone burst into song just as Campbell was about to putt. The fellow had to be rescued by a course marshal from a decidedly unpleasant fate – a severe umbrella spiking. Maybe this spontaneous expression of "people power" will eventually knock some sense into these numbskulls. culprits wrongdoers; guilty people lynched killed by a group of people (obviously, the writer is not being serious here) spontaneous unplanned numbskulls stupid people 3. Explain what the problem was with the phones. 4. How did the people in the gallery feel about the phones? Someone who has been experiencing an exciting tournament in his own way is Scotland’s Dean Robertson, who at the latest count has scored a direct hit on four different spectators including two marshals in the opening two rounds. Unfortunately Robertson won't have the opportunity to add to his tally as he finished at two over par for the two rounds and didn’t make the cut. But at least Robertson had the consolation of knowing he left an unforgettable impression on four members of the crowd. tally total score the cut the process of disqualifying all players above a certain score (the cut-off) from playing in the last two days of the tournament. consolation comfort; a feeling of limited satisfaction 5. What exactly did Dean Robertson do? Day 3 Tiger isn't normal! New Zealand's Michael Campbell, the defending champion, must be wondering just exactly what he has to do to retain his Johnnie Walker Classic title this year. After firing a brilliant course record of 63 at the Alpine yesterday, which included 10 birdies, he could have been forgiven for thinking that he had done enough to put the trophy within his grasp. There was one minor hitch...a certain gentleman by the name of Tiger Woods. So instead of running clear from the pack as he could rightfully expect after hitting a 63, Campbell still finds himself chasing Tiger’s tail by three shots. You can see how Tiger’s opponents might just get a little frustrated at times. defending champion the winner of the previous year’s tournament within his grasp having a good chance to win hitch problem clear of the pack ahead of the other competitors 6. What is the best score anyone has shot on the Alpine golf course? 7. How do you know the answer to the above question? 8. Did Tiger Woods shoot a good score on day three or a bad score? It is not only Campbell who has been left scratching his head as to how to tame the Tiger. The world number one’s Aussie playing partners, Geoff Ogilvy and Rodney Pampling, yesterday both performed admirably, which would have had them at the top of the leaderboard under normal circumstances. But playing against Tiger isn't normal. Ogilvy observed: "Tiger’s a freak. I have just shot a 67 and I've lost ground to him. I was two shots behind him at the start of the day and now I am four – what can I say?" You can see his point. scratching his head being very confused; not knowing how to deal with a situation freak a very unusual or abnormal person or animal 9. The word freak often has a negative meaning. But it can also be used in an amusing (funny) way. Which way do you think Geoff Ogilvy was using the word? It hardly needs saying that it was another great day of golf at Alpine yesterday, so great a dog even came out onto the 18th fairway near the close to find out what all the fuss was about. He discovered pretty quickly when a tee shot by Jesper Parnevik whistled past his nose and the hound sensibly decided to continue his sniffing somewhere less exposed to hurtling white missiles. hurtling moving at a very high speed 10. What are the "white missiles" mentioned above? Day 4 Tiger in a familiar pose When Tiger Woods teed off at the first hole of the Alpine yesterday his aim was to hit a 65, the magic figure he felt would ensure his victory in the Johnnie Walker Classic. It will come as no surprise that Tiger did exactly that – he hit a 65 for the third day in a row. Such are his skills it seems he can now virtually name his score. Tiger has a 100 percent record in Thailand as a professional, and yesterday’s effort at the Alpine was perhaps the most convincing of all. But Tiger is not one to boast. "I played quite well," he said, like it was just another day at the office. One suspects that anyone else who had shot an amazing 25-under par, commencing with a 68 followed by three rounds of 65, might have been a bit more ebullient. ebullient very positive and happy 11. Did Tiger seem extremely excited over his victory. 12. What were his scores over the four days of the tournament? 13. What was his total score? 14. What is the par for the Alpine course? It was left to Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy, last year’s runner-up, to take up the challenge which he did admirably, firing a brilliant 64 including a back nine of just 30. Yet against Tiger Woods it wasn’t enough. "It’s ridiculous,’ said Ogilvy. "That was as good as I could have played. All credit to Tiger. He’s the best. He's the king." So Ogilvy had to settle for being runner-up for the second year running. There was understandably a festive feeling at the 18th hole as the final groups came through yesterday. There was lots of ball tossing into the huge crowd, and plenty of autograph signing. It wasn't just the kids, either. Middle-aged ladies were spotted battling to get precious signatures on their visors. Tiger, who along with other golfers in earlier rounds had been disturbed by mobile phones in the gallery, was not troubled by them yesterday. "They were okay," he said. "Fans are different everywhere you go. In fact I enjoy playing in Asia. The fans are more subdued than the United States. It’s a much better environment to play in." runner-up the second place finisher subdued controlled; rather quiet 15. What does it seem crowds are like in the United States?

Exploring the Premier league Leed's Oliver Dacourt scores the winning goal against Arsenal. Where will he be playing next? The next matches (The home teams are listed first.) Arsenal v Southampton Aston Villa v Newcastle Bradford v Coventry Chelsea v Man City Ipswich v Derby Leicester v Leeds Liverpool v Charlton Man Utd v Tottenham Sunderland v Everton West Ham v Middlesbrough 1. Outside of London, there are two cities which each have two teams. What cities are they and do either of them have both teams playing at home this week? 2. This game takes place tomorrow in the Premier League’s eastern-most city. What city is it and which two teams are taking part? 3. This game takes place in one of the Premier League’s newest and best stadiums. It sits high on a hill within sight of the North Sea. Interestingly, the rival team is situated near the coast of the Irish Sea across the country to the southwest. Where is this game being played and who are the two teams involved? Note: This lesson requires a map. The best map for our purposes is the one which you can find by clicking here.

concede Concede is not a word that Tiger Woods uses often, but it is common with players who play against him. Actually, the word has a number of meanings a number of related forms. Here are some examples. Even top players like Geoff Ogilvy and Michael Campbell quickly conceded that no one was going to beat Tiger Woods on the final day of the tournament. Al Gore telephoned George W Bush to concede defeat in the US election, only to call back a short time later and retract his concession. Mr Tarrin conceded that the economic recovery was not complete, but he said things were much better now than when he took up his position as finance minister. US soccer coach Clive Charles said, "We were playing extremely well, then, all of a sudden we conceded a penalty and that changed the game completely." An agreement can only be reached if both sides are willing to offer concessions. 1. It is clear that the word concede is a verb an adjective a noun an adverb 2. Concession is a verb an adjective a noun an adverb 3. From the example sentences we can see that concede can have each of the following meanings except… to admit or give up something to claim credit for doing something good to accept a negative result to give up a point or score to an opposing team Go to, then bookmark our words in the news so you can check out new words six days a week.

TEACHER'S NOTE

Exploring the Premier League continues this week. As usual, the questions are based on the map we published on November 17. If you don’t have that map, the exercise tells you how to get it.

The questions are a little more sophisticated this week and they are similar to what your students might find in some standardised examinations or university examinations. Your students will have to be able to read the questions and form a picture of what is required. They will then have to refer to the schedule and go to the map to find the answers. This is clearly intensive reading practice.

Next week: Understanding news photos