GOLF EVENTS FROM THE WEEKEND 20TH FEBRUARY

Well it was another exciting weekend on the Professional Golf Tours from around the World.

Kristie Smith with the Pegasus New Zealand Open Trophy

First I will start with the Pegasus New Zealand Women's Open hosted by Christchurch, which was played at the Pegasus Golf and Sports Club in Christchurch, New Zealand. And it was the young Australian Professional Kristie Smith (Australia) who scored rounds of 71-1, 64-8, 73+1 and a fine 68-4 in very strong winds for a 72 hole total of 276-12. She won by 3 shots and it was her 1st win on the Ladies European Tour.


It was Kristie Smith (Australia) 1st win on the Ladies European Tour in only her 2nd year playing it. It will be pleasing for her Father Wayne Smith (Australia) who played the Australasian Tour and Asian Tours for years with lots of success. He now is caddying for his daughter. She won $33,333.33 Euros for her win and she is now exempt on the Ladies European Tour till the end of 2013. She moved to 2nd on the Ladies European Tour Henderson Money List 2011 with $37,255.21 Euros from the 3events she has played this season. The win will give her a big boost of confidence to have a huge year. In my Opinion she is destined to be one of the superstars of women’s golf in the years to come.

Tiffany Joh (USA) was tied 2nd on -9, 3shots back after a final round of 70-2, as was Giulia Sergas (Italy), Giulia blew the final round after leading for 54 holes. She shot a final round 76+4 in the very windy conditions. But considering she had the flu all week it can be considered a fine performance. The Amazing 13 year old Amateur Golfer Lydia Ko (New Zealand) just keeps on getting better. She was the lower New Zealand golfer after 72holes. She tied for 4th on -7, with rounds of 70-2, 68-4, 72even and 71-1 in the windy conditions of the final round. She is destined for a huge future in the game. There are rumours going round of her accepting a Scholarship to Stanford University in the USA at the end of the year. So I wish her luck with her golf Career.

Next best New Zealander was Caroline Bon (New Zealand) on -5, tied 15th; a disappointing final round of 75+3 slipped her down the leader board some places. But the finish will give her confidence in her rookie season on the Ladies European Tour. Next best New Zealander was Cecilia Cho (New Zealand) also another amateur; she is only 16 years old as well. She recovered well from a shocking 1st round 77+5, to post 66-6 in the 2nd round. But had a poor 3 rd round of 75+3, but fine par round in the final round left her +2 after 72 holes and in tied 33 rd place. I suspect she will turn professional in the next few years.

They were the only New Zealand players to make the cut. The Australian Ladies PGA Tour now takes a break till next summer. But the Ladies European Tour now moves on with the next event being the Lalla Meryem Cup played on the Soleil Golf Course, Agadir, Morocco. The 1st round is on Thursday 31st March and with €325,000 in prize money on offer, it is going to attract the best women players in Europe. I will report back the results once the tournament is completed.

So to the European Tour and the Race to Dubai and this week it was the Avantha Masters that was played at the DLF Golf and Country Club, New Delhi, India. S S P Chowrasia (India) scored a final round of 67-5 to go with his 1st round 70-2, 69-3 and 67-5 for a 72 hole total of 273-15. He won by 1shot and it was his 2nd win on the European Tour after he won his 1st in 2008. The interesting thing is that both his Victories have come in his home land of India. He won € 300,000 Euros for his win and now moves to 6th on the Race to Dubai money list with €300,000 Euros. Alvaro Quiros (Spain) is still on top with €558,376 Euros from 4 events played. South Africa still has 4players in the top 10 on the list.



S S P Chowrasia (India) acknowledges the crowd
after winning the Avantha Masters



It will give S S P Chowrasia (India) a huge boost of confidence to his golf career and it also gives him a 2year exemption on the European Tour till the end of 2013. And he may well be able to play in the WGC-Golf Championships Events with his improved world ranking. Robert Coles (England) was 2nd on -14, 3rd was Gregory Havret (France) on -13, Robert-Jan Derksen (Netherlands) was 4th on -12, Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) and Sujjan Singh (India) were both tied for 5th on -11, Mark F Haastrup (Denmark) and Chinnarat Phadungsil were tied for 7th on -10, and Shiv Kapur (India) and Angelo Que (Philippines) were tied for 9th on -9.

There were no New Zealanders entered in the field. Next week the European Tour heads to America for a Co – Sanctioned event with the USPGA Tour and it is the 1st WGC World Golf event of the year. It is the WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship that is being played at the Ritz-Carlton GC, Dove Mountain, Marana, USA, with the top 64 players on the world rankings qualifying for it. It is knockout 18 hole match play and with $US8,500,000 up for grabs and players like Tiger Woods (USA), Martin Kaymer (Germany) and world number 1 Lee Westwood (England) competing, there is going to be some exciting golf to watch. I will report back who won next week.

And now to the USPGA Tour and this week it was the Northern Trust Open, it was played at the Riviera CC, Pacific Palisades, California. And it was the Australian Golfer Aaron Baddeley (Australia) who took home the trophy. He was the only player in the field to score 4rounds in the 60’s. His 4 rounds were 67-4, 69-2, 67-4, and 69-2 to finish at 272-12 after 72holes. He won by 2shots. It was 3rd win on the USPGA Tour and his 1st in just over 4years. When he holed the winning putt his Wife and kids were at the 18th Green to congratulate him. He won $ US1,170,000.00 for his winning, and got 500 FedEx Cup points that places him 4th on the FedEx Cup list with 658 points from 5events. He is 351 points behind Mark Wilson (USA) who is still on top with 1,009points from 5 events.


Aaron Baddeley (Australia) after winning Northern Trust Open



It was a fine showing in the last round by Aaron Baddeley (Australia). After getting it to -13 after birding the 10th hole, he 3putted the par 4, 12th for Double Bogey. And suddenly his lead was only 1shot. But he composed himself with holing an excellent curling left to right 30foot putt for birdie on the 13th hole to get to -12 and kept it there by making 5consective pars to finish. The win should boost his confidence to have a great year. But the real fairy tale story was Fred Couples at age 52 years; he started off his final with 3consective birdies and was tied for the lead at -12. But a Bogey on the par 4, 6th and a Double Bogey on the par 4, 7th hole, and when he bogeyed the par 4, 10th hole he slipped to -8. But a birdie on the Par 5, 11th kept his hopes alive. But further bogeys on the 16th and 18th holes caused him to finish with a final round of 73+2; he eventually finished -7, tied for 7th with K. J. Choi (South Korea). But it was a fine effort from Fred Couples (USA). And he gave up a chance to defend his Ace Group Classic title on the Champions Tour. It shows how much he likes playing at this course having won on two previous occasions in the early 90’s.

Vijay Singh (Fiji) had a great tournament finishing 2nd, at -12 and won $US 702,000.00 and got 300 FedEx Cup points for his efforts that places him 7th on the list with 564, from 5events, only 445 points behind Mark Wilson (USA). It has been a great start to 2011 for the 48year old. Kevin Na (USA) was 3rd on -9, Jimmy Walker (USA), Robert Allenby (Australia) and Ryan Moore (USA) was tied 4th on -8. Rounding out the top 10 was J. J. Henry (USA), David Duval (USA) and Justin Rose (England) tied for 9th on -6. The 1st New Zealander to play on the USPGA Tour this year and the only New Zealander in the field Tim Wilkinson (New Zealand) shot 80+9 in the 1st round but came back with a 70-1 in the 2nd round. He finished 150+8 but missed the cut by 4shots.

Next week there are two tournaments on the USPGA Tour, the 1st one is WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship that is being played at Ritz-Carlton GC, Dove Mountain, Marana, USA and is combined with other word tours. And with the top 64 players on the world rankings qualifying for it. It is knockout 18 hole match play and with $US8,500,000 up for grabs and players like Tiger Woods (USA), Martin Kaymer (Germany) and world number 1 Lee Westwood (England) competing, there is going to be some exciting golf to watch. And for the USPGA Tour players that haven’t qualified for it, they will play the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun and it is being played at El Camaleon, Riviera Maya, Mexico and Cameron Beckman in the defending Champion. I will report back the results next week.

And now to the Champions Tour and this week it was the Ace Group Classic that was played at The Quarry, Naples, Florida. And Bernhard Langer (Germany) shot a final round 66-6 to go along with his 1st round 64-8 and 2nd round 66-6 to finish at 196-20. He won the tournament by 4shots. He earned $US 240,000.00 for his win and now has 240 Charles Schwab Points from 3events he has played this year. He is 214 points behind the leader of the Charles Schwab Points list, Tom Lehman (USA). He continues on the brilliant from last year where he recorded 5wins and won the 2010 Charles Schwab Cup. And he is well on the way to defending the title he won last year.

Bernhard Langer (Germany) in action during his win at
the Ace Group Classic on Sunday

2nd was the straight hitting Fred Funk (USA) on -16, tied for 3rd were Fred Funk (USA) and Nick Price (Zimbabwe) on -15, Mark Calcavecchia (USA) was 5th on -14. Olin Browne (USA), Rod Spittle (Canada) and Mark O'Meara (USA) were tied the 6th on -13. Mark Wiebe (USA) was tied 9th on -12 and round out the top 10 players were David Peoples (USA) and Tom Pernice, Jr. (USA) who were tied 10th on -11. Peter Senior (Australia) came back well from the disappointment of last week. He finished tied 12th at -10.

The Champions Tour now takes a 3 week break and starts again on the Thursday 11th March with the playing of the Toshiba Classic that is being played at the Newport Beach CC, Newport Beach, California. I will report back to you all who won in 3 weeks time. So until next week, remember fairways and greens, equals great scores.

 Source: let.com, europeantour.com, pgatour.com

Golf Events from the Weekend 13th February

Yani Tseng (Taiwan) with the 

ANZ RACV Ladies Masters Trophy

Well it was another exciting weekend on the Professional Golf scene. First I will start with the ANZ RACV Ladies Masters that was played at the RACV Royal Pines Resort in Queensland. And again it was the Amazing Taiwanese Golfer Yani Tseng (Taiwan) that won again. She went back to back after winning the Handa Women’s Australian Open last week in Melbourne, Australia.

With rounds of 67-5, 66-6, 63-9 and 68-4 for a 72 hole Total of 264-24 and won the Tournament by 4shots. She earned $AU 75,000 for her efforts and with her win she takes the Number Woman’s golfer ranking in the world. These back to back wins will give her a huge boost of confidence when she heads back to the USLPGA Tour soon. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she wins one of the Majors on that tour this year. Maybe it will be the US Open or British Open?

2nd equal place went to Stacy Lewis (USA) and Nikki Campbell (Australia), they both finished 72holes at -20 on 268. But the most amazing performance of the weekend went to the young New Zealand Amateur Golfer Cecilia Cho (New Zealand) from the Pakuranga GC in Auckland, New Zealand. She shot 4 rounds in the 60’s and they were, 69-3, 67-5, 68-4, 67-5 for a 72 hole total of 271-17. Had she been a professional, she would of won $AU 17, 250. The 16 year old golfer will now head back to New Zealand to play in the NZ Open that is starting on Thursday (17th Feb).

Lee-Anne Pace (South Africa) who won the Order of Merit on the Ladies European Tour last year also finished tied 5th on -17, 271.  She had a brilliant final round of 65-7. Unfortunately all the other New Zealand Lady Golfers in the field missed the cut that fell at -4. The ALPG and the LET Tours head to New Zealand this week for the Pegasus New Zealand Women's Open hosted by Christchurch at the Pegasus Golf and Sports Club. The 1st round starts on Thursday (17th Feb) and it is sure to be a fine tournament with a lot of High Profile players from USA and Europe making an appearance including defending Champion Laura Davies (England). I will report back the results next week.

So to the Europe Tour and the Race to Dubai. And this week it was the final leg of the desert swing. It was the Omega Dubai Desert Classic that was being played at the Emirates GC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. And the number 1, 2 and 3 players in the world were competing and paired with each other in the 1st 2rounds. But Lee Westwood (England), Martin Kaymer (Germany) and Tiger Woods (USA) all didn’t have great tournaments, with Lee Westwood (England) fearing the best at tied for 15th at -5.

Alvaro Qurios (Spain) with the Omega Dubai 

Desert Classic Trophy

But it was the Young Spanish Professional that stole the show, Alvaro Quiros (Spain) scored rounds of 73+1, 68-4, 68-4, 68-4 for a 72 hole total of 277 -11. And it included a hole in one on the 155metre par 3, 11th hole in the final round; he also had holed his 2nd shot on the par 4, 2nd hole earlier in that round. He earned € 301,353 Euros for the win and moves to number one on the Race to Dubai Money list with €558,376 Euros from the 4 events he has played this season. He surpassed Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) who was the previous week’s leader. There are still 5 South African Golfers in the top 10 on the list, the most of any country in the top 10. It was Alvaro Quiros (Spain) 5th win on the European Tour. And with such an awesome start to this season, he is sure to contend at the 4 majors this year and I wouldn’t be surprised if he broke through and even won one. Perhaps it will be the US Masters in April. 

Tied for 2nd were Anders Hansen (Denmark) and James Kingston (South Africa) on -10. They both had chances to force a playoff but were unable to convert their opportunities when it counted. Low Australian was Scott Strange (Australia) at tied 4th at -9. Rory McILroy (Northern Ireland) who started so well and was the 36 hole leader on -11, played poor golf the last 2 rounds to finished at -6 and tie for 10th place. That will frustrate him, but I am sure he is heading for a big season ahead. 

Tiger Woods (USA) playing in only his 2nd tournament of 2011, showed traces that he is nearly back to his best with a 66-6 in the 2nd round. And was only one back after 54holes, but unfortunately a final round 75+3 derailed any chance he had of getting his 1st win on any tour in 15months. He ended up finishing at -4, tied for 20th place.

Best of the New Zealanders this week was Danny Lee (NZL), with rounds of 74+2, 69-3, 78+6 and 67-5, he had a 72 hole total of 288even par which left in tied 42nd place. And it earned him € 10,126 Euros. That places him in 111th place on the Race to Dubai rankings with €23,778 Euros from 4 events. He soon is going to have to decide which tour he is going to play for the rest of the 2011 season as he gained his Nationwide Tour Card at the end of last year at USPGA Tour Q-school. And the 1st tournament on the Nationwide Tour starts in late February. My personal opinion is he will focus on the Nationwide Tour as his game is more suited to America Conditions and he owns his own house in the USA as well.

The other New Zealand player to make the cut was Mark Brown (New Zealand), and after a great start with rounds of 69-3, 70-2 to be -5 after 36 holes and inside the Top 10, he went backwards on the weekend, scoring a shocking 79+7 in tough conditions on Saturdays 3rd round and a 72even par in the final round to finish on 290+2 after 72Holes. He tied for 55th place and earned € 5,831 Euros that puts him 101st on the Race to Dubai standings with €28,283 Euros from 6 Events played and next week’s tournament being played on the same course he won the Johnnie Walker Classic on in India in 2008 should bring back some good memories for him, so look for a good performance next week from Mark Brown (NZL).

And the final New Zealander in the tournament was Michael Campbell (New Zealand), but unfortunately he missed another cut. He scored rounds of 76+4, 75+3 for a 36hole total of 151+7 to miss the cut by 7shots. Looks like his poor form is going to continue again this year. Next week the European Tour heads to India for the Avantha Masters that is being played at the DLF Golf and Country Club, New Delhi, India. It starts on Thursday (17th Feb).

I will report back who took home the spoils next week.

And now to the USPGA Tour and this week it was the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am that was played at 3 different courses, they were Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, Monterey Peninsula CC, Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill GC, Pebble Beach, California with the final round being played at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California. And it was D. A. Points (USA) who shot a final round 67-5 to go along with his 1st 3rounds of 63-7, 70-2 and 71-1 to finish 72 holes at 271-15. His win was set up with eagle 3 on the par 5, 14th hole when he holed his wedge shot to a difficult pin placement. And he gave his Pro-Am partner who was well known Actor Bill Murray from the movie Caddy Shack a high five in celebration. And on the very next hole, the par 4, 15th hole he holed a curling right to left birdie putt from 35feet and that took him to -15 and with solid pars on the last 3holes he posted -15.

Hunter Mahan (USA) had posted a 66-6 earlier in the day, and the only thing that had ruined the brilliant round was a 3putt par on the 72nd hole after hitting the par 5, in 2shots. But as it happened he would have still lost by 1shot. The only other player on the golf course that could catch D. A. Points (USA) was Steve Marino (USA) that came to the 72nd hole  -13 and he had to make eagle to tie. He unfortunately hit his drive into the right fairway bunker, and had no chance of reaching the green in 2shots. His layup left him still over 200 yards to the green. And when his 3rd shot sailed left into the Pacific Ocean and he eventually holed out for a Triple Bogey 8, he ended up finishing at -10 tied 4th. He will be disappointed that he wasn’t able to secure his 1st USPGA Tour win, but on the other hand his 1st win can’t be too far off. A betting man would say he will win by the end of the 2011 season.

But it was D. A. Points (USA) day and he secured his 1st USPGA Tour win after coming so close the past few years. He won $US1,134,000.00 and got 500 FedEx Cup points that puts him 2nd on the list with 688 points from 4 tournaments, only 320 points behind the leader for the 2nd week running Mark Wilson (USA), and places him 2nd on the USPGA Tour money list with $US1,465,350. It must be a dream start to the season for D. A. Points (USA) with all the years in the early 2000’s that he failed at the PGATour Q-School, and now he is exempt on the USPGA Tour till the end of 2013. And to top it all off, D. A. Points (USA) and his Pro-Am partner Actor Bill Murray from the movie Caddy Shack secured the Pro-Am Title win with a score of 251-35 for the 72holes by 2shots. It was the 1st time Bill Murray had won the Pro-Am in over 35 years of trying. He played with Scott Simpson (USA) for years, but they were never able to achieve the win.

D A Points (USA) and Bill Murray the movie American Actor,

both celebrating there wins

In 3 rd place was Tom Gillis (USA) at -11, Aaron Baddeley (Australia) was the low Australian at tied for 6th on -9, and Steve Bowditch (Australia) after securing his tour card by finishing in the Top 25 on the Nationwide Tour last year had his best USPGA Tour finish in a long time, he was -8 in tied 9th place along with Phil Mickelson (USA). Next week the USPGA Tour heads to Riviera CC, Pacific Palisades, California for the Northern Trust Open and Steve Stricker (USA) will be looking to defend the title he won last year. With $US6,500,000  up for grabs as prize money, it is sure to attract some good players. It starts on Thursday (17th Feb). I will report back who won next week.

Tom Lehman (USA) with the

Allianz Championship Trophy

And finally to the Champions Tour, this week they played Allianz Championship played at the Old Course at Broken Sound, Boca Raton, Florida. Tom Lehman (USA) played a great final round of 69-3 to finish the 54holes at -13; he scored 3rounds in the 60’s with his 1st two rounds being 65-7 and 69-3. He won by 1shot and secured his 3rd Champions Tour win. It should give him a lot of confidence early on in the season and the $US270,000.00 he won gives him $US454,000 from the 2tournaments he has play on the Champions tour this year. He also leads the Charles Schwab Points list 454 points from 2tournaments. I can remember winning $150 at the TAB from a $5 bet on Tom Lehman (USA) to win the 1996 Open Championship which he did.

Jeff Sluman (USA) was tied 2nd on -12 with Rod Spittle (Canada), next was Olin Browne (USA) and Russ Cochran (USA) on -10. Peter Senior (Australia) after leading the tournament after 36 holes on -11, had a shocking final round of 77+5 and finished -6 to tie for 17th place. It will be a real knock to his confidence. But on the other hand it will be a great learning experience for him. And this being only his 2nd year on the Champions Tour I’m sure he will secure a victory this year.

Next week the Champions Tour heads to The Quarry, Naples, Florida for the Ace Group Classic which starts on Thursday (17th Feb) and I will report back the results next week. So until then, keep it on the short grass and hole all your putts.

Source: http://www.alga.com.au/, europeantour.com, pgatour.com

GOLF EVENTS FROM THE WEEKEND 6TH FEBRUARY

Yani Tseng (Taiwan) winner of the Handa Australian Ladies Open 2011

It was another exciting weekend on the professional golf circuits from around the world. First I will start with the Handa Australian Ladies Open, played at the Commonwealth Golf Club, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. And yet again just as last year it was the Taiwanese Golfer Yani Tseng (Taiwan) who played some excellent golf over the 72 holes.

She defended her Handa Australian Ladies Open title she won last year at the same course. This year her winning score was 7 strokes better than last year. With rounds of 70-3, 67-6, 68-5 and 71-2 for a 72 hole total of 276-16 and lap the field by 7 strokes. Yani Tseng (Taiwan) won $65, 000.00 Euros for her win. And will gain a lot of confidence when she heads back to America to play the LPGA Tour later in the year.

2nd equal were Melissa Read (England), Eun-Hee Ji (South Korea) and Jiyai Shin (South Korea) who were all at 283-9 after 72holes. Best of the Australian players in the field were Karrie Webb (Australia) who is a 4time winner already in this tournament and Katherine Hull (Australia) who were both tied 7th at -5. The lower Amateur prize went to the Amazing Lydia Ko (New Zealand) who is just the tender age of 13years old, she scored rounds of 73even, 73even, 68-5 and 75+2 for a 72hole total of 289-3, and she tied for 12th. Had Lydia been professional she would have earned $7,276.05 Euros. But she gained some valuable experience with playing against some of the world’s best woman players. 

Next best New Zealander was also an Amateur, she was Cecilia Cho (New Zealand), and she finished 72 Holes on 294 +2 in tied 35th place. So New Zealand’s Women’s Amateur Golf looks in great shape right now. They were the only New Zealanders in the field to make the cut. Next week the ALPGA and the LET Tour’s head to Queensland for the ANZ RACV Ladies Masters that is being played at the RACV Royal Pines Resort. First round starts on Thursday (10th Feb). I will report back who took home the trophy next week.

Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) with the Commercialbank 

Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy Trophy

And now to the European Tour and the Race to Dubai. This week it was the 3rd leg of the desert swing. It was the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy that was played at the Doha GC, Doha, Qatar. And Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) was too strong for the strong field that turned up to play. He scored rounds of 74+2, 65-7, 66-6 and a fine 69-2 in the final round which had winds gusting up to 30miles per hour. He finished 72Holes at -14 to win by 4shots. He won € 303,114 Euros for his efforts. Every time he wins it will help him forget how he threw away the 2003 Open Championship at Royal St George’s GC, Sandwich, Kent, England. That would of been his 1st major Championship, but instead he gifted it too Ben Curtis (USA). Funny thing is the 140th Open Championship is being staged on that very same course this year. Maybe this year will be his chance to redeem himself?

The win on the weekend lifted Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) to 3rd on the Race to Dubai Standings with €312,124 Euros from 3events played and should place him in good position to keep on improving during the season. Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) is still on top with €419,927 Euros from 5events played. And there are still 4 South African Golfers in the top 10 on the Race to Dubai list. Alvaro Quiros (Spain) was 2nd on-10, Tied 3rd were Markus Brier (Austria), Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) on -9, David Howell (England) was 5th on -8, Thomas Aiken (South Africa), Soren Hansen (Denmark), and Robert Karlsson (Sweden) were tied 6th on -6. Sergio Garcia (Spain) had one of his best tournaments in a while; he finished -5 in tied for 9th place. The real disappointment of the tournament was Retief Goosen (South Africa). After scoring 69-3 in extremely hard conditions in the 1st round and being the only player to break 70, his next 3 rounds were 71-1, 75+3, and 70-1 to finish 72 holes at -3.

  

Best of the New Zealand Golfers this week was Mark Brown (New Zealand). With rounds of 75+3, 69-3, 73+1 and 74+2 for a 72 Hole total of 291+3 and earned him € 5,001 Euros to tie for 59th place. He is now 101st on the Race to Dubai list with €22,451 Euros from 5 events. But he will need some good finishes in the weeks to come to improve his position. Danny Lee (New Zealand) missed the cut by 1shot with rounds of 76+4, and 72even and Michael Campbell (NZL) after a promising end to last year, had another disappointing tournament with rounds of 79+7, 74+2 to miss the cut by 6shots.

Next week it is the fourth and final week of the Desert Swing with the playing of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic that is played at Emirates GC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was the 1st ever tournament to be played in the Middle East and has had some great champions through the years including the Legendary Greg Norman (Australia) and one of the greatest golfers that ever lived, Tiger Woods (USA). It is sure to attract another great field. I will report back who won the big money next week.

And so to the final tournament I am reporting on this week, and that is the Waste Management Phoenix Open that was played at the TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona. It was forced into a Monday finish because heavy frost on the 1st day meant that the cut wasn’t made until Sunday. So 25 players had to come back early Monday morning to complete their final rounds. Coming into the 72nd hole Mark Wilson (USA) need a birdie to win and hit his 2 nd shot from the fairway bunker to 14th from the hole. His putt to go -19 and win the tournament just missed on the right hand side so hit finished 72 holes at -18 in a tie with Jason Dufner (USA) who had also posted -18 after 72 holes. Jason Dufner (USA) has almost holed his green side bunker shot, but was left with a 6foot tap in for his par.

Mark Wilson (USA) with the Waste Management

Phoenix Open Trophy

So those two Golfers went back to the 18th hole for the 1st playoff hole. They both hit okay drives, and Mark Wilson (USA) hit his 2nd shot 1st to about 60th feet from the hole, Jason Dufner (USA) hit his 2nd from the rough to 20 feet just past the flag in the fringe. Mark Wilson (USA) putted 1st and rolled his very long birdie putt about 7feet past. Jason Dufner (USA) rolled his birdie putt to a foot, he tapped in for and easy par 4, Mark Wilson (USA) had to sweat over a nasty 8footer to keep the playoff alive. But he calmly rolled it in for his par. So the pair headed to the 10th hole for the 2nd Playoff hole. Jason Dufner (USA) hit his 2nd to 40 feet left of the pin, Mark Wilson (USA) after a super drive hit his 7iron 2nd shot to 15feet from the hole. Jason Dufner (USA) then left his 40foot birdie putt 12th feet short. That left Mark Wilson (USA) with a 10foot birdie putt to win the Tournament. And he didn’t let the chance slip. He rolled it straight in the back of the cup, and pumped his fist in delight. He had won his 2nd tournament in 2011 and we are hardly into February yet. And it also was his 4th USPGA Tour win of his career. He won scored rounds of 65-6, 64-7, 68-3 and 69-2 for a 72hole total of 266-18 and of course he won the playoff. He earned $US 1,098,000.00 for his win and 500 FedEx Cup points and moves to 1st on the FedEx Cup points list with 1008points from 3events, moving ahead of tour rookie Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) by 336 points. He has also won $US 2,098, 700 this year on tour and is the 1st player in 2011 to win twice on the USPGA Tour. He is almost certain to get a start in every major championship and WGC event now for the 2011 season. Again as I mentioned earlier in January, he has come a long way from playing in the 2001 NZ Open at the Grange GC in Auckland. And it is great to see a player I have seen in the flesh actually really making a mark on the game at the highest level. So well done Mark Wilson (USA) and I hope he wins more tournaments in 2011.

Jason Dufner (USA) who finished 2nd is going to win soon, He is too good a player in my opinion not to. And the $US 658,800.00 he earned for coming 2nd as well as the 300 FedEx Cup points should give him a whole heap of Confidence to keep on improving and finally getting that hard earned win. Vijay Singh (Fiji) had his best finish in a long time with a 66-5 in the final round lifting him to a tie for 3rd at -16 and he earned $US 353,800.00 for his fine play. He was tied for 3rd with Martin Laird (Scotland) who was also -16. 2 time champion J B Holmes (USA) finished at tied 5th at -15. The hard luck story this week was Tommy (Two Gloves) Gainey (USA), he is nick named Tommy Two Gloves because he wears a Golf Gloves on each hand when he plays. He was only 1shot off the lead when he teed off on the 71st hole, and decided to try and drive the green on the short par 4, but pulled it slightly and after the ball hit a Hazard Stake it rolled into the water. He took a drop and then didn’t get his chip far enough up the slope and it rolled back into the water. He finally got on the green for 5shots and 2putted for Triple bogey 7. But that cost him any chance of winning and with a par on the 72nd hole he ended up finishing tied 8th at -14, but it was a good learning experience for him and he will be better for it.

Next week the USPGA Tour heads up to California for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. It is played over 3 different courses over the 1st 3days and they are Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach; Monterey Peninsula CC; Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill GC, Pebble Beach, California with the final round being contest on the Famous Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach. It involves celebrities and sports stars from all different sports. So if you are a movie star or famous person and like golf, in is a sort after invite. The Amateur tournament is played by pairing you up with a professional. And the Top 60 Amateur/Professional Teams make the cut after 54holes. But the Professional Tournament is just the same as your usual 72hole Stoke play tournament. The only difference is if your Professional is leading the Tournament after 54holes, you as an Amateur get to play in the final group on the final day.

It is always a Tournament that is great viewing in my opinion as your get to see your favourite Celebrities and Sports stars from other sports play golf in a fun environment. And with $US 6,300,000 in prize money to play for, it is sure to attract some good USPGA Tour Professional players. It starts on Thursday (10th Feb). I will report back all the results next week. So until then, have a great golfing week.

Source: Alpg.com.au, europeantour.com, pgatour.com

Golf Events from the weekend 30th January

Well, it was another exciting weekend in the world of professional golf.

I will first start with the European Tour and the Race to Dubai that staged a brand new tournament. It was the Volvo Golf Champions from The Royal Golf Club, Kingdom of Bahrain, Bahrain. Paul Casey (England) shot a final round of 68-4 to finish at -20 after 72holes and win by 1shot.

Paul Casey (England)

with the Volvo Golf Champions Trophy

His 68-4 in the final round was too good to beat Peter Hanson (Sweden) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) by 1shot and win his 1st tournament on the European Tour since the BMW PGA Championship in 2009. With rounds of 67-5, 67-5, 66-6 and 68-4 for a 72 hole total of 268-20 for the 72holes. The win earns him € 283,330 and places him 3rd on the Race to Dubai money list with €307,487 from 2 events he has played. Charl Schwartzel (RSA) still leads the Race to Dubai with €419,927 from the 5 events he has played.

The best New Zealander in the field was Danny Lee (New Zealand) with scores of 70-2,72even, 68-4 and 72even for a 72 hole total of 282-6 that earned him € 6,630 for Tied 52nd place. The next best New Zealander was Mark Brown (New Zealand) on -1 with scores of 71-1, 69-3, 76 +4 and 71-1 for a 72 hole total of 287-1 in 65th place and he earned € 4,250. Michael Campbell (New Zealand) shot a poor first round of 75+3, but came back in the 2nd round with a great scored of 68-4 and was 143-1 after 36holes, but unfortunately missed the halfway cut by 1shot.

Next week the European Tour stays in the Middle East with the 3rd of the 4 legs on the Desert Swing with the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy that is being played at Doha Golf Club, Doha, Qatar. With $US2, 500,000 up for graps, it is sure to attract some of the best players in Europe. It starts on Thursday (3rd February).

Well now on to the USPGA Tour and this week it staged the Farmer Insurance Open from Torrey Pines (South Course), and Torrey Pines (North Course), San Diego, California. The first and second rounds players played at the North and South courses once each. Once the cut was made, the final 2 rounds were played on the tougher South Course. It was the first appearance of Tiger Woods (USA) for the 2011 Season. But unfortunately he had a poor tournament. After starting off so well with rounds of 69-3, 69-3, He ended up having two over par rounds on the weekend with 74+2 on Saturday and 75+3 on Sunday. They were his worst rounds at Torrey Pines (South Course) in competition since he joined the USPGATour in 1996. And having won here many times before it was a shock to me he performed so poorly. He eventually finished in a disappointing tied 44th at -1. That 1st win in a long time may be a lot harder to get than Tiger Woods (USA) thinks.

Well Bubba Watson (USA) shot a finally round 67-5 and won by 1shot. His 72 hole total was 272-16. He played a brilliant bunker shot for his 3rd Shot on the 72nd hole. And then holed a very difficult downhill putt for birdie on the 18th and that clinched his 2nd US PGA Tour win. He had a 1shot lead playing the last hole over Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) and Phil Mickelson (USA) who was a hole behind. Bubba Watson (USA) was -15 playing the 72nd hole. And hit a drive of well over 300 yards down the Par5 18th hole in the middle of the fairway. But he set up to draw his 8iron, 2nd shot in to the green, but when it stayed left and went in the Bunker, he left himself a shot where a lot of things could go wrong with it. Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) blew his chance when he went for the green with his 2nd shot out of the rough, only to see his ball come up a few yards short in the water. But he managed to hit his 4th shot close but unfortunately missed the putt to finish tied 3rd with Dustin Johnson (USA) at -13, the best start on the USPGA Tour by a Rookie in years. He earned another $US 336,400.00 for his efforts, and 162.50 FedEx Cup points. He is now top of the FedEx Cup with 672 Points. An amazing effort for a player who was playing on the Nationwide Tour last year. Well as I mentioned above Bubba Watson (USA) managed to get his ball up and down from the bunker and post -16 after 72holes.

Phil Mickelson (USA) got a great birdie on the 71st hole. Hit a poor drive on the 72nd hole and had to lay up 100 yards from the green. He got his caddie Jim Mackay (Bones) to tend the flag as he knew the only chance of forcing a playoff with Bubba Watson (USA) was to hole his Wedge 3rd shot for eagle. And he didn’t want the pin left in the hole to give it any chance of missing. And that is what he almost did by spinning it back to within a foot of the hole. So Phil Mickelson (USA) got a 2nd in his 1st start on the USPGA Tour for 2011. The win earned him 300 FedEx Cup points and places him tied for 6th on the list, equal with Robert Garrigus (USA). Bubba Watson (USA) with his win moves to 2nd on the FedEx Cup points list 545 points, 127points behind Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) from the 3 events he has played. He also gets $US 1,044,000 for his win. And he can thank Jason Gore (USA) for even being out the USPGA Tour, because in 2005 Jason Gore (USA) got a Battle Field promotion by winning 3 events on the Nationwide Tour. That meant his had status to play the USPGA Tour for the rest of the 2005 season. He then went on and won the 84 LUMBER Classic which gave him full USPGA Tour Status for through the 2007 season.

Bubba Watson pumps his fist in celebration

as he wins the Farmers Insurance Open

Bubba Watson (USA) had finished 21st on the 2005 Nationwide Tour money list and back in those days only the top 20 players on the list made it. But it was decided because Jason Gore (USA) now had Full Status on the USPGA Tour, that the top 21 players in 2005 would gain USPGA Tour cards for the 2006 season. And once he had some good finishes and kept his card in 2006 he was destined for great things as we are seeing now. He dedicated his Victory to his late Father who had passed away from Cancer late in 2010. And just as he won for the 1st time at the Travelers Championship in TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut in late June, 2010.He was very emotionally and overcome with the Win. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bubba Watson (USA) is a major contender in the Majors this year.

Well rounding out the top 10 was D.A. Points (USA) -12 and in 5th Position, Anthony Kim (USA), Hunter Mahan (USA) and Nick Watney (USA) were all tied 6th at -10, and on -9 tied for 9th were Bill Haas (USA), Marc Leishman (Australia), Troy Matteson (USA) and Brandt Snedeker (USA). Next week the USPGA Tour heads to TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona for the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The course is in the Arizona Desert, and traditionally the winning score is in the -20’s under par. I will report back who took home the Trophy next week.

And finally it was the 2nd event on the Champions Tour Schedule. It was the Champions Skins Game played at the Royal Kaanapali Golf Course, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. There were 4 Teams of 2players. The teams were the Defending Champions, Jack Nicklaus (USA) and Tom Watson (USA), Ben Crenshaw (USA) and Fuzzy Zoeller (USA), Fred Couples (USA) and Nick Price (Zimbabwe), and Bernhard Langer (Germany) and Mark O'Meara (USA).

Jack Nicklaus (USA) and Tom Watson (USA)

defending there Champions Skins Game Title

It was played under a different format where the teams had to play as a team because it was Alternate Shot. Jack Nicklaus (USA) and Tom Watson (USA) successfully defended their Champions Skins Game title Sunday, finishing with seven skins and $310,000 to edge Mark O'Meara and Bernhard Langer (Germany) by $10,000. If you want to view the hole by hole results and who won the money on each hole go to: 

http://www.pgatour.com/2011/tournaments/s550/01/30/Day2wrap/index.html

The Champions Tour has a week off next week, it resumes in 2 weeks time at the Allianz Championship played at The Old Course at Broken Sound, Boca Raton, Florida. So to all of you have a great golfing week and be sure to read my Blog again