The sun shone feebly through thick grey clouds at the Murkdale Country Club, the traditional venue for the West Quagshire Invitation Only Golf Tournament. On the final day, the two players at the top of the leaderboard, Bobcat Forrest and Squirmie Eels, were fighting it out over 18 holes.
"How about a little side bet?" Eels suggested.
"Depends on what you have in mind," said Forrest guardedly.
"The odds will be in your favour," said Eels. "For every hole that you play under par, I'll pay you £7 if you're one stroke under par, £14 if you're two strokes under, £21 if you're three strokes under and so on. But for every hole you play over par, you pay me £5 if you're one stroke over par, £10 if you're two strokes over, £15 if you're three strokes over and so on."
Forrest thought about it. "You're not betting on how I play against you," he said, "but on how I play against par."
"Don't you think you can beat par, Bobcat?" said Eels.
"Of course!" said Forrest hotly. "You're on!"
Forrest played a round of 71. While he never shot more than two over or under par on any hole, his total round was over par, and he assumed he'd lost. But when they did the sums, a surprised Eels found that he had to pay Forrest £29.
What is the par score at Murkdale Country Club?
Prospect invites you to solve the puzzle and send us the solution. Correct answers will be entered into a draw. The winner will receive a copy of The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow (Allen Lane, £20).
Send answers to info@prospect-magazine.co.uk by 15th August. The winner will be announced in our September issue.
