Update 21st June 2013
At the start of the year, Jesper joined the team at Cobra-Puma, alongside Rickie Fowler and Ian Poulter, in their high-profile media adverts. Jesper has failed to perform to the standards set by either Poulter or Fowler and has managed to make it through to a Sunday twice this season.
Jesper is playing on a medical exemption for the 2013 PGA Tour season. He will have 12 events this season to earn $620,087, which, coupled with 2012 earnings of $10,340, would equal No. 125 on the 2012 money list.
So far, he has played in 9 tournaments and earned just $49,241. This means he needs to play in at least three tournaments (plus any sponsors' invites) to accrue some $570,846, and if he does it, this would be one of his biggest achievements.
His best finish of tied 51st at the Northern Trust Open in February earned him just $15,444, ultimately disappointing after two opening rounds of 70 followed by weekend scoring of 74, 73. Since then, he hasn’t shot a below-par round in the next six tournaments.
A quick overview of his season so far illustrates his scoring struggles:
20/01/2013: Humana Challenge 67-73-69 (-7) CUT
03/02/2013: Waste Management Phoenix Open 70-73 (+1) CUT
17/02/2013: Northern Trust Open 70-70-74-73 (+3) T51th $15,444.00
03/03/2013: The Honda Classic 72-76 (+8) CUT
17/03/2013: Tampa Bay Championship 72-72-72-77 (+9) 74th $10,560.00
21/04/2013: RBC Heritage 72-72-73 (+4) T78th $10,440.00
28/04/2013: Zurich Classic of New Orleans 72 W/D
05/05/2013: Wells Fargo Championship 72-75 (+3) CUT
19/05/2013: HP Byron Nelson Championship 70-70-72 (+2) T73 $12,797.00
His best round of the year was a 67 at the Humana Challenge, his first round at his first tournament, but this promise quickly faded as he went on to miss the cut. The story all season has been a nearly promising start that fades away either finishing well down the field or missing the cut entirely.
Jesper has been in a group hovering on the cut mark three times, which means a secondary Saturday cut is being implemented. Three times, he’s failed to get through to Sunday.
His performance at the RBC Heritage best illustrated this when Jesper had a putt on the 36th green of no more than five feet, which would have meant a whole weekend of play. It turns out Jesper missed the put, meaning a staggering 91 players cut, 21 more than would have if Jesper had holed the putt.
Jesper Parnevik’s missed five-footer on the 18th hole had shifted the cut line to 2-over, and after the round, to his credit, and epitomising his sense of humour, Jesper tweeted, "Everybody in the field at +2, put your envelopes in my locker…"
Injured again
Injury struck again while playing in the Zurich Classic, forcing Jesper to withdraw due to a back injury. His back injury is now a footnote to the various stresses his body has suffered in recent years, including a hip operation, a broken bone in his back, and a freak motorboat finger injury.
Meanwhile, his latest tournament entry was the HP Byron Nelson Championship, where he settled for a share of 71st place at 2-over-par with rounds of 70, 70, and 72, missing a Sunday finish by just one shot.
Tour stats
Ironically, if you look at his tour stats, it's not putting that’s the problem. He ranks 13th in Strokes Gained Putting, but that once efficient, clipped swing doesn’t give him any advantage on the tee anymore, as he ranks 185th in Total Driving and 186th in Greens In Regulation.
As of June 16th, Jesper is 1212th in the official golf rankings. At the start of the year, he was ranked 1404 and reached a year-high of 1178 after the Northern Trust Open before drifting out of the top 1200.
Whatever happens in the next three starts, Jesper Parnevik continues to attract more interest in golf than most. Let's hope he can shine some light on possibly his final season on tour. He might need just one great week with a smooth putting stroke still in his locker.
To find out more, follow Jesper's Twitter
@JesperParnevik.
