Golf Events from the Weekend 24th April 2011

Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) with his Volvo China Open Trophy

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

First, I will start with the European Tour and the Race to Dubai. This week it was the 2nd leg of the 1st of two Asian Swings it is doing this year. It was the Volvo China Open and it was being played at the Luxehills International Country Club, Chengdu, China. And the player that took home the trophy was Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium). He scored rounds of 65-7, 67-5, 66-6 and a final round of 66-6 for a 72 hole total of 264-24 and he won by 4shots for his 1st ever European Tour Victory.

Many thought his 1st European Tour win would have come much earlier in his career because at the age of 18 years old, back in 2001 he was the 2nd youngest player to gain his European Tour card at his 1st try at the gruelling Qualifying School. But he didn’t live up to the high expectations he set early on in his career and twice had to go back to Qualifying School. Plus he had a couple of season on the Challenge Tour which is the equivalent of the Nationwide Tour on the USPGA Tour. And won a Tournament there hence it put him on the European Tour in 2010. And last year he finished 67th on the Race to Dubai Money List. But before this Tournament he had not really shown any indication that a Victory was near.

But the longest hitter on the European Tour had the week of his life. He started the final round on -18 and had a 1shot lead over the young South Korean Golfer Chang - won Han (South Korea). But Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) continued on his fine form in the final round. With solid birdies on the 1st and 4th holes he quickly moved to -22 and when he made 3 birdies in a row to finish out the front nine in 31-5 and he was now at -23, when he birdied the Par 5, 16th hole to get too -24, the Tournament was virtually his. Danny Lee (New Zealand) had early shot a brilliant round final of 65-7 that was bogey free to post -20 after 72holes. Also Pablo Martin (Spain) had posted the best round of the day a 63-9 and was also -20 after 72 holes, and Soren Kjeldsen (Denmark) had shot 66-6 and was -20 after 72 holes as well. And finally Peter Lawrie (Ireland) shot a final round of 68-4 to also finish -20 after 72 holes. He had a birdie putt on the 72nd hole to finish at -21 and take 2nd place prize money all by himself, but he left it short. So all those players finished tied for 2nd.

Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) made a solid par on the Par 3, 17th hole and went to the 72nd hole with a 4shot lead. He hit a booming drive straight down the middle of the fairway and hit a mid iron on to the front of the green. He left his 45foot eagle putt 12feet short and missed the next one but it was irrelevant to the situation. He tapped in his short par putt to finish with 66-6 in the final round and was 264-24 after 72holes and had won his 1st European Tour Event as I mentioned earlier. He won € 350,946 for his win that places him 10th on the Race to Dubai money list with €447,610 from the 8 events he has played this year so far. Charl Schwartzel (RSA) is in 1st place with €1,587,333 won from the 9 events he has played this year. The win should almost guarantee Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) a place in the Climax to the Race to Dubai which is the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World that is played in early December. The Top 60 players on the Race to Dubai money list prior to that final event get to play in the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World. And he also has a two year exemption on the European Tour that last till the end of 2013.

I will look for Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) to keep on improving this year and he may be even achieving another win. Perhaps he will even get to play in some of the Majors? I wish him luck for the rest of the season. Danny Lee (New Zealand) waved the New Zealand Flag high this week on the European Tour with his tied 2nd finish. He scored rounds of 66-6, 68-4, 69-3 and an amazing 65-7 in the final round to finish on 264 -20 after 72holes. It was his best finish on the European Tour as a Professional, of course we all remember that win he had as an Amateur on the European Tour in February 2009 which came at the Johnnie Walker Classic that was played in Perth, Australia that year. At the time he was the youngest winner ever on the European Tour at age 18, but as we all know it has since been beaten twice by the Amazing Italian talent of Matteo Manassero (Italy) that just last week won for the 2nd time two days before his 18th Birthday.  

Getting back to Danny Lee (New Zealand), he can take a lot of confidence from this tied for 2nd place finish. And it makes up for the Disqualification he suffered after the final round on the Maybank Malaysian Open last week where he signed an incorrect scorecard. He earned € 140,086.13 for his efforts and that places him 46th on the Race to Dubai Money List with €163,864 won from the 6events he has played this year. He will now have to decide where he wants to play for the rest of the year because he has both a Nationwide Tour card in the USA and a European Tour card on the European Tour for 2011 season. And he now is well placed on both money lists. I feel he will concentrate his efforts still on the Nationwide Tour because he owns a house in Dallas, Texas. And I feel that the USPGA Tour is where he wants to play in the long term. But that could all change if he was to win in his Country of birth this week, where he is going to play the Ballantine’s Championship at the Blackstone GC, Icheon, Seoul, Korea Republic. It is great to see Danny Lee (New Zealand) produce the results we all know he was capable of from the 1st day he turned Professional. I wish him all the best for the 2011 season.

In 6th place all on his own was Christian Nilsson (Sweden) on -19, Tied for 7th were Jamie Donaldson (Wales), Gregory Havret (France) and Danny Willett (England) on -18. And rounding out the top 10 were Richard Finch (England) the 2007 Michael Hill NZ Open Champion, Pablo Larrazabal (Spain), Gareth Maybin (Northern Ireland), Jeev Milkha Singh (India) and Aaron Townsend (Australia), they were all on -17. The scoring was extremely low this week with -5 being the number you had to be at after 36holes to make the halfway cut. Next best of the New Zealand players was Steve Alker (New Zealand) who had rounds of 66-6, 67-5, 71-1 but a poor final round of 74+2 left him on 278-10 after 72 holes and he tied for 43rd which earned him € 10,739. But because he is only a member of the ONE Asia Tour which this event was co – sanctioned with, he isn’t eligible for the Race to Dubai Money list. But after missing every single cut in 2010 on the Nationwide Tour in the USA. He has now made two cuts in 2consective weeks. I hope this gives him a lot of confidence to keep playing well in 2011 no matter what tour he is playing on.

Also in tied 43rd place was Michael Hendry (New Zealand), He had rounds of 70-2, 69-3, a brilliant 3rd round of 66-6 but a poor final round of 73+1 to finished at 278-10 after 72 holes and also earned € 10,739 for the weeks work. But just like Steve Alker (New Zealand) he too isn’t eligible for the Race to Dubai Money list, because he only has ONE Asia Tour Status. But he just continues on the fine form he has shown over the past year. I wish him well with the rest of his season. Michael Campbell (New Zealand) made another cut and had a fine tournament for him. He scored rounds of 66-5, 71-1, a terrible 3rd round of 75+3 ruined his chance of a top 10 finish, but he redeemed himself in the final round with 69-3 to finish on 282-6 after 72 holes and he tied for 62nd. He earned € 4,948 for his efforts that places him 155th on the Race to Dubai Money list with €36,284 earned from 9 events he has played this year so far.

There were 3 other New Zealand Players in the field but unfortunately they missed the cut. They were Michael Long (New Zealand) at even par, Gareth Paddison (New Zealand) at +2 and Mark Brown (New Zealand) at +4. Next week the European Tour and the Race to Dubai head to South Korea for the Ballantine’s Championship that is being played at Blackstone GC, Icheon, Seoul, Korea Republic and with €2,205,000 prize pool to play for, it is sure to attract another high quality field. Australian Marcus Fraser (Australia) will be looking to defend the title he won last year. First round starts on Thursday (28th April), I will report back who took home the spoils next week.

Brandt Snedeker (USA) with The Heritage Trophy
and the Plaid Jacket that always goes to the Winner

 

Now to the USPGA Tour and the FedEx Cup and this week it was The Heritage that was played at Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head, South Carolina. This Tournament in the last few years has gone ahead with no naming rights Sponsor. There are grave fears that this Tournament may fold and be finished if they can’t find a Sponsor for next year. If that happens I feel it will be a real tragedy for the USPGA Tour, because this year it was the 43rd staging of it. I personally love to watch this tournament as it is played on a world class golf course and always produces a great finish on Sunday afternoon. So please if there is any Big Business out there looking to Sponsor a Sporting Event, please give The Heritage some serious consideration. It will be a win, win situation for both parties.

Well back to who won The Heritage, and this year it was Brandt Snedeker (USA) who scored rounds of 69-2, 67-4, 72+1 and a brilliant final round of 64-7 for a 72 hole total of 272-12. But Luke Donald (England) finished up on the same score. He scored rounds of 67-4, 65-6, 70-1 and a final round of 70-1 for total of 272-12. Luke Donald (England) came to the 72nd hole knowing he needed birdie to win. He hit a fine drive down the centre of the fairway, but miss judged his approach shot and landed short in the front bunker. But with a good lie and as the stats tell us, because he is ranked in the Top 10 in Sand Saves, he produced a brilliant bunker shot that just missed going in the hole. He tapped in for his par and He and Brandt Snedeker (USA) were heading back to the 18th for the 1st playoff hole.

Slugger White the USPGA Tour Official let Brandt Snedeker (USA) draw 1st and he drew number 1 out of the hat. So Brandt Snedeker (USA) teed off 1st and put his drive right down the middle of the fairway. Luke Donald (England) then hit his drive down the middle as well. They both hit brilliant short iron 2nd shots to within 12feet of the pin. Luke Donald (England) was 12feet past the hole and Brandt Snedeker (USA) 12 feet short. Luke Donald (England) putted 1st and hit an awesome putt that rolled into the back of the cup at perfect holing speed and he had applied huge pressure to Brandt Snedeker (USA) with his birdie 3. But Brandt Snedeker (USA) was up to the task and his putt just fell in the hole on its last roll for his birdie 3.

So they both headed off to the Par 3, 17th hole for the 2nd playoff hole. Brandt Snedeker (USA) hit his tee shot just right of the green 20 feet from the hole in the fringe. Luke Donald (England) landed his tee shot in the front bunker, this may have been caused because in regulation play he hit what he thought was a perfect tee shot but it rolled through the green and down the slope at the back. Luke Donald (England) played his 2nd shot 1st and again hit a fine bunker shot that left him with a tricky 5foot par putt to save par. Brandt Snedeker (USA) then putted from the fringe for his birdie and it rolled to 4feet past the hole. They both were able to make their par putts. So that meant they went back to the 18th hole for the 3rd playoff hole.

Brandt Snedeker (USA) still with the honour hit another fine drive down the centre of the fairway. Luke Donald (England) had a Camera Shudder go off in his down swing, but still managed to hit the centre of the fairway. Luke Donald (England) hit his 2nd shot in 1st and was in between an 8 and 9iron. He chose to hit the hard 9iron but pushed it slightly and he had a terrible break, because it plugged in the front bunker. Brandt Snedeker (USA) had a perfect yardage for a 9iron and hit a brilliant shot in the Situation pin high 15feet to the right of the hole. Luke Donald (England) with all his Bunker Skills was unable to keep his 3rd shot on the green and it rolled just through the green into the rough. Brandt Snedeker (USA) then knew that 2putts was all had may need to win his 2nd USPGA Tour title. And that is just what he did rolling his 1st putt to two feet past the hole. Then he tapped in for an easy par. Luke Donald (England) knew he had to chip in to force a 4th playoff hole. He hit an excellent chip shot from about 30feet just in the rough that caught the back of the hole, but didn’t fall.

Brandt Snedeker (USA) hugged his caddie nicknamed “Clear” to celebrate his win. He won $ US1,026,000.00 for his win and is now placed 7th on the Money list with $US 2,031,100 from the 11 events he has played this year. Luke Donald (England) is the New Money list leader with $US 2,754,067 earned from the 6events he has played this year. He also gets 500 FedEx Cup points and he is now placed 7th on the FedEx Cup points list with 975points from the 11events he has played this year. He is 232 points behind the still FedEx Cup point’s leader of nearly 3months now Mark Wilson (USA). He has 1,207points from the 11events he has played this year. And he gets a Plaid Jacket to wear that always goes to The Heritage Champion. Brandt Snedeker’s (USA) only previous win on tour came in 2007 at the Wyndham Championship. I can remember he came out to New Zealand in 2008 to play at the Kiwi Challenge at Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers Golf Course. And his Wife has just had their 1st Child a few months ago. So life for Brandt Snedeker (USA) is going very well right now. I look for him to carry on the good form throughout the rest of this season and to contend in the Majors and make the 2011 US Presidents Cup Team that play the International Team in Melbourne in November.

In 2nd place was Luke Donald (England) as I mentioned above. If he had won this week he would have become the New World Number 1 Golfer. But unfortunately he came up just short. And his fellow Country Man re took the World Number 1 Golf Ranking after winning the Indonesian Masters this past week on the Asian Tour. But getting back to Luke Donald (England), he also misses a chance of getting to the Top of the FedEx Cup Points list, but at least he now is 2nd and has 1,144 points from the 6events he has played this year. He is only 63points behind Mark Wilson (USA). But as I mention before Luke Donald (England) is now Top of the USPGA Tour Money List with $US 2,754,067 earned from the 6events he has played this year. So at least he can take at least one positive out of this week. I feel he is still in a great place with his golf game right now. And I look for him to contend in the last 3majors this year, just as he did at the Masters. And he is one of my favourites going into the Players Championship next month.



Tommy (Two Gloves) Gainey (USA) in action

 In solo 3rd place was Tommy (Two Gloves) Gainey (USA), He is nicknamed Two Gloves because unlike most Golfers he wears a glove on each hand. He finished at -11 after 72 holes and had a chance to force himself into the playoff with Luke Donald (England) and Brandt Snedeker (USA). But his 15foot birdie putt just missed to the right. But he will be very happy with this finish because it has more than likely rapped up his USPGA Tour card for the 2012 Season.

With 3top 10 finishes this year on tour, and the $US 387,600.00 he won on Sunday for coming 3rd, he now has won $US 917,697 from the 13events he has played this year and is 30th on the money list. He also is 30th in the FedEx Cup Points list with 504points from the 13events he has played this year. That puts him 703points behind Mark Wilson (USA). To me he is the feel good story of the 2011 USPGA Tour season. After getting his tour card at the 2007 USPGA Q-School Finals, he struggled in 2008 on the USPGA Tour finishing outside the top 125 players that retain their cards and that was after having his best finish ever on the USPGA Tour finishing solo 2nd to Davis Love III (USA) at the final event of the 2008 Season which was the Children’s Miracle Network Classic. I thought at that time his USPGA Tour Career was finished.

He went back and played the Nationwide Tour and the few USPGA Tour Events he was allowed to play in 2009 but had little success on both tours. But in 2010 he dedicated himself to the Nationwide Tour and had a brilliant season, he won twice and finished in the Top 10, 5times. He earned $US 403,957 from the 27 events he played and finished 4th on the money list giving him lots of guaranteed starts on the 2011 USPGA Tour early in the season. But after missing his 1st 3cuts of the season he busted into life at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in early February where he finished tied 8th, then in early March he finished 5th at the Honda Classic and on Sunday he finished 3rd at The Heritage. So I hope now he can go on and win his 1st USPGA Tour event in 2011 now, because like I mentioned before his Card is secure for next year now.

Tied 4th were Tim Herron (USA) and Ricky Barnes (USA) on -10, Nick O’Hern (Australia) was the low Australian at -8, tied for 6th, and also at -8 tied for 6th were Ben Crane (USA) and Pat Perez (USA). Kevin Na (USA) was tied 9th after a great final round of 66-5, and finished at -7 after 72holes. I am pleased he didn’t let his 16 +12 on the Par 4 , 9th hole at the Valero Texas Open in the 1st round last week destroy his confidence. And he has now earned $948,465 on tour this year that places him 28th on the money list so his 2012 USPGA Tour card is secure. I hope he gets his 1st Victory this year. Also tied for 9th were Paul Goydos (USA), Garrett Willis (USA) the 1st round leader, Jason Day (Australia) and Scott Verplank (USA) who is one of the most consistent players on the USPGA Tour. They were all at -7.

Next week the USPGA Tour heads to New Orleans and it is Zurich Classic of New Orleans that is being played at TPC Louisiana, Avondale, Louisiana. The defending Champion is Jason Bohn (USA) and with a prize purse of $US 6,400,000 for the taking it is sure to attract some of the top players on the USPGA Tour. It starts of Thursday 28th April and I will report back who won next week.

Now to the top 5 in the Official World Golf Rankings and this week there is a change at the Top with Lee Westwood (England) regaining his Number 1 Ranking.  Lee Westwood (England) has 7.65 World Ranking Points, 2nd is Martin Kaymer (Germany) on 7.52 World Ranking Points, Luke Donald (England) is 3rd on 7.37 World Ranking Points. So as you can see there is only .28 points between the Top 3 Golfers in the World Ranking Points. It is the closest it has been in a long time. 4th on the World Ranking Points is Phil Mickelson (USA) with 6.52 World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 is Graeme McDowell (NIR) with 5.84 World Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) is in 6th Position with 5.72 World Ranking Points. The best New Zealander on the list is Danny Lee (NZL) who is 361st Position with .45 World Ranking Points.

David Eger (USA) and Mark McNulty (Zimbabwe) with
 the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf Trophy they won

So to the final event I am reporting on this week, and it is on the Champions Tour and is Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf and it was played at the Savannah Harbor Golf Resort, Savannah, Georgia. It is a special tournament that is played it pairs and it was where the Champions Tour began back in 1978. 34 Teams of 2 Champions Tour Professionals completed 3rounds of Best Ball Stroke play and after the 54 holes were complete it was a two way tie at the top of the leader board with David Eger (USA) and Mark McNulty (Zimbabwe) scoring a final round 61-11 to finish at -27, they were joined by Scott Hoch (USA) and Kenny Perry (USA) who scored a final round of 64-8 to also finish -27 after 54holes. So for the third consecutive year this tournament had been forced into a Sudden Death Playoff. So David Eger (USA) and Mark McNulty (Zimbabwe) and Scott Hoch (USA) and Kenny Perry (USA) headed back to the 18th tee for the 1st playoff hole. It was halved in pars. So the 4players head back to the 18th tee again for the 2nd playoff hole. All four players miss the green but they all chipped close with their 3rd Shots. When Mark McNulty (Zimbabwe) holed his par putt. It was left up to Scott Hoch (USA) or Kenny Perry (USA) to hole there short par putts.

When Scott Hoch (USA) missed his par putt it was left up to Kenny Perry (USA) to make his 14 inch par putt and force a 3rd playoff hole, but it lipped out. So that meant David Eger (USA) and Mark McNulty (Zimbabwe) had won the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. For the win they both earned $US 230,000. There was no change in the Charles Schwab Cup Points this week with Tom Lehman (USA) still on top with 850 points from the 6events he has played this year.

Tied for 3rd on -26 were Russ Cochran (USA) and Mark Wiebe (USA), Michael Allen (USA) and David Frost (RSA), Tom Lehman (USA) and Corey Pavin (USA), Joe Ozaki (Japan) and Ian Baker – Finch (Australia) who had the week off from commentating for CBS Sports, and Keith Fergus (USA) and Wayne Levi (USA). Larry Mize (USA) and Hal Sutton (USA) were tied 8th at -25 along with Gary Halberg (USA) and Ted Schulz (USA), and Peter Senior (Australia) and Sandy Lyle (Scotland).

Next event on the Champions Tour is the Regions Tradition and it is being played at the Shoal Creek Country Club, Shoal Creek, Alabama and it has a purse of $US 2,200,000 to play for. Fred Funk (USA) is the defending Champion, and it starts on Thursday week (5th May) and is the 1st Major on the Champions Tour this year. I will report back who won once the results come to hand.

So until then remember keeping hitting the ball straight and long and make all your putts.

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com

Golf Events from the Weekend 17th April 2011

Matteo Manassero (Italy) with the Maybank Malaysian Open trophy
that he won

Well the Golfing tours moved on from the exciting events from the Masters Tournament in Augusta last week. First I will start with the European Tour and the Race to Dubai and this week it was the Maybank Malaysian Open that was played at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. And it was the young Italian Golfer Matteo Manassero (Italy) that took home the trophy. He scored rounds of 66-6, 71-1, 67-5 and 68-4 for a 72 hole total of 272-16 and won by 1shot over Gregory Bourdy (France).

It was like a repeat of the Masters last week with how he finished his first round. Matteo Manassero (Italy) birdied the last 4holes to score 66-6. But how he finished his final round was completely the opposite. He finished his final round with 4 straight pars to post -16, and then he had to wait for the rest of the challengers to see if they could catch or pass him. Gregory Bourdy (France) had posted -15 just before him.

So it was left up to Alexander Noren (Sweden) or Rory McILroy (Northern Ireland) to try and beat him or tie him. Alexander Noren (Sweden) was unable to making a single birdie on the final 4holes and finished with 71-1 in his final round. He had a 72 hole total of 275-13 and tied 4th with the young Spanish Professional Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) who shot a 67-5 in his final round to also tie for 4th place. Rory McILroy (NIR) had a great chance to forget about what happened at the Masters last week with winning this week. And after 11holes in his final round it looked like he was going to win. He had just birdied the 11th hole to get to -15, but when he hit his 2nd shot just short of the green on the 12th hole from a tricky lie and then hit a poor chip, and a poor par putt and missed his bogey putt he had made an untimely Double Bogey.

But Rory McILroy (NIR) then came back strong with birdies on 14th, 16th and 17th holes and was now only one shot off the lead playing the 72nd hole. So he knew what he had to do and that was to birdie the last hole to force a playoff, but instead he made a poor bogey and for the 2nd week running he was unable to convert his 54hole lead into a victory. He finished up with a 72 hole score of 274-14 for a sole 3rd place. But I am sure he will find a way to deal with his final round demons soon and will be back in the winner’s circle soon. But he has moved to 5th on the Race to Dubai Money list with €614,527 from the 6events he has played this year.

Gregory Bourdy (France) finished in sole 2nd place with a score of 275-15 for 72 holes; it was a fine effort from him and should give him a lot of confidence to keep on improving. But Matteo Manassero (Italy) had won his 2nd tournament on the European Tour before his 18th Birthday that is on Tuesday. He won € 288,466 for winning and that moved him to 11th on the Race to Dubai Standings with €428,744 from the 5events he has played this year. 1st on the list is The Masters Tournament Champion Charl Schwartzel (RSA) with €1,587,333 earned from the 9events he has played this year. The last event Matteo Manassero (Italy) won was the CASTELLÓ MASTERS Costa Azahar that was his 1st win last October.  I feel he is destined for greatness in the game. I feel it is only a matter of time before he breaks through and wins a Major. And now he is ranked 33rd in the Official World Rankings with 3.25 world ranking points he will be in the Majors for the rest of the year. Maybe it will be at the US Open or the Open Championship that he wins his 1st Major? But well done to Matteo Manassero (Italy) for his great play so young in his career. Rounding out the top 10 was Felipe Aguilar (Chile) was 6th on -12; Simon Dyson (England) was 7th on -10. MD Siddikur Rahman (Bangladesh) was 8th on -9 and it was a fine effort from him playing his 1st European Tour event of his career. Martin Kaymer (Germany) the current world number 1 and Alejandro Canizares (Spain) were tied 9th on -8. A Special mention should goto Charl Schwartzel (RSA) for finishing tied 11th on -7 after backing up from winning the Masters the week before. Now he is heading home to South Africa to celebrate.

Best of the New Zealanders was Mark Brown (NZL), he scored rounds of 73+1, 71-1, 70-2 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72 hole total of 283-5 and he tied for 19th. He won € 19,225 for his efforts and he is now placed in 121st on the Race to Dubai Money list with €50,683 from 9events he has played. But he will need to improve a lot to get into the top 60 by the end of the season to play in the Dubai World Championship that starts in early December. Danny Lee (NZL) was also Tied for 19th with rounds of 71-1, 67-5, 70-2 and a poor final round of 75+3 left him 283-5 after 72 holes. He also earned € 19,225 and he is now placed 162nd on the Race to Dubai points list with €23,778 from 5 events he has played this year to date and he too will need a big improvement in the coming weeks to keep his card at the end of the season. But he has the nationwide tour to fall back on where he is placed 29th on the Money list with $US 21,880 from 3events he has played this year. So maybe he will focus his attention more on the Nationwide Tour and gaining a USPGA Tour Card for 2012?

And finally the last New Zealander to make the cut was Michael Campbell (NZL), he scored rounds of 73+1, 67-5, 70-2 but like Danny Lee (NZL) a poor final round of 76+4 pushed him down the field and he had a 72 hole total of 286-2 in tied 36th place. He won € 11,770 for his efforts and is now 152nd on the Race to Dubai Money list with €31,336 from the 8events he has played this year. He still has a lot of improving to do but I feel he is not far away from achieving a top 10 finish and it just may happen in China next week. Next week the European Tour Schedule heads to China for the Volvo China Open and it is being played at the Luxehills International Country Club, Chengdu, China. Y. E. Yang (South Korea) will be looking to defend his title he won last year. But there will be lots of competition from the best players in Asia and Europe. I will report back who took home the trophy next week.

Now to the USPGA Tour and the FedEx Cup. And this week it was the Valero Texas Open that was played at TPC San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. The event had a change of date this year being played the week after the Masters. It had a real funny thing happen in the 1st round with Kevin Na (USA) who was the Golf Channels Spotlight player for the day. He was playing a steady 1st round in trying conditions and was -1 after 8holes, but on the long par 4, 9th hole he did the unthinkable and had a 16+12 which was the highest score in relation to par ever record on the USPGA tour. It gave him a front nine of 47+11, he then went and played the back nine in 33-3 and scored 80+8 in the 1st round. He scored 77+5 in the 2nd round to be +13 after 36holes and miss the cut by 9. Had he scored a par on the 9th hole in the 1st round he would have made the cut by 3shots. But the way how he handled himself after the 16 was just pure class and it showed what type of Character he is made of. But hey that is golf and just the way it happens sometimes. Well getting back to who won the tournament, and it was USPGA Tour Rookie Brendan Steele (USA) who scored rounds of 69-3, 72even, 68-4 and a final round of 71-1 for a 72 hole total of 280-8 and won by 1shot. But it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Heading into the final round Brendan Steele (USA) had a 2shot lead over Kevin Chappell (USA) who was -7. But by the time the two players had started the back nine they were both tied for the lead at -8.

Kevin Chappell (USA) birdied the Par 4, 10th hole to join Brendan Steele (USA) in the lead at -8; Cameron Tringale (USA) was -7, 1shot back after 10holes as well. But he made bogeys on holes 11th, 13th & 14th to drop back to -4; he birdied the par 4, 15th hole to get back to -5 where he finished. And the tie for 5th will certainly improve his position on the money list. It was his best finish on the USPGA Tour in only his 2nd year on tour. And to get out on the USPGA Tour the last two years he has had to survive Q-school finals twice. The $US 226,300.00 he made for coming tied 5th means he now has earned $US 374,119 from the 11events he has played this year, and is 91st on the money list. I hope he can keep his card this year and avoid Q-School for a 3rd Straight year. But if he does have to go back I feel he will regain his card.

Well back to the action. Brendan Steele (USA) and Kevin Chappell (USA) made all pars on holes 11 to 16 holes, and coming to the Par 4, 17th hole they were still tied for the lead at -8. But Kevin Chappell (USA) had a bogey 5, to Brendan Steele’s (USA) Par 4. So Brendan Steele (USA) had a 1shot lead playing the Par 5, 72nd Hole. Brendan Steele (USA) and Kevin Chappell (USA) both hit poor tee shots and had to lay up with their 2nd shots. They both had wedges for their 3rd shots. Kevin Chappell (USA) played 1st and missed the green long to the right, just over the green. Brendan Steele (USA) now knew all he had to do was hit the green with his wedge and 2putt and the title was his. He hit what he thought was a perfect wedge but he was slightly pumped up and it landed just over the green in a poor lie. Just what he didn’t need when he was trying to win his 1st USPGA Tour event of his career.

Brendan Steele (USA) celebrating his Valero Texas Open win

He was the 1st to play his 4th shot, and hit a nice chip that almost went in the hole, but the over spin on the ball caused it to roll 8feet past the pin and left him with a tough par putt. Kevin Chappell (USA) then had his 4th shot, and his ball was lying much worse. Afraid his ball was going to come out too fast he slightly duffed his chip shot and his ball landed 5feet short of the pin. Brendan Steele (USA) now had the 8foot par putt for his 1st USPGA win in his rookie season on tour. He calmly rolled it in and he had won the Valero Texas Open. He gained 500 FedEx Cup Points for his win which now places him in 19th position on the FedEx Cup points list with 623 points from the 12events he has played this year. He is 538 points behind Mark Wilson (USA) who has now been at the top for over 2 and half months. He has 1,161 points from 10events.

He also earned $US 1,116,000.00 for his win which places him 19th  on the money list with  $US1,266,504 from the 12events he has entered this year. Mark Wilson (USA) also leads that list with $US 2,430,825 he has won from the 10events he has played this year so far. The win also means Brendan Steele (USA) is exempt on the USPGA Tour till the end of 2013 season and he gets an invite to the 2012 Masters Tournament and many more spoils that come with the win. Last year at this time Brendan Steele (USA) couldn’t even imagine being in the position he is in now. He was playing on the Nationwide Tour and I bet he was not even thinking of the USPGA Tour. But a win at the Tour Championship the final event on the 2010 Nationwide Tour Season meant he finished 6th on the Final Money list and gained his USPGA Tour Status for 2011 season. And as we can see he has made the most of it. And I hope he goes on to bigger and better things and builds on this win.

Also the tied for 2nd for Kevin Chappell (USA) will be a huge boost to his confidence after gaining his 2011 USPGA Tour card by finishing 9th on the Nationwide Tour last year, and with the $US 597,819 he has won this year that puts him 63rd on the Money list in his Rookie season he is well on his way to keeping his card for 2012 USPGA Tour season. Charley Hoffman (USA) who was also -7 after 72 holes with a great 68-4 in the final round also tied for 2nd.  It was his best finish of the season to date. But after his great season last year where he won $US 2,559,646, and finished 4th on the money list with winning the 2nd FedEx Cup event which was the Deutsche Bank Championship. He will be looking to build on this performance in the coming weeks and maybe even winning again.

In 4th place was Brandt Snedeker (USA) on 282-6, there were 3 players tied for 5th on 283-5, they were Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden), Pat Perez (USA) and Cameron Tringale (USA) who I have already mentioned. In 8th place at 284-4 was Charles Howell III (USA), rounding out the top 10 were Keegan Bradley (USA) and Martin Laird (Scotland) who is continuing on his fine season, they both were tied for 9th at 285-3. Adam Scott (Australia) and Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) who were both coming off fine form from the Masters Tournament last week both had okay tournaments but poor last rounds. They both finished up tied 23rd at 288 even par, fellow Australians John Senden (Australia) and Nathan Green (Australia) were also tied 23rd.

Next week the USPGA Tour and the FedEx Cup head to South Carolina for The Heritage and it is played at the Jack Nicklaus/Pete Dye design course Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head, South Carolina. With a purse of $US 5,700,000 it is sure to attract a great field. It usually is played the week after the Masters Tournament, but this year it is 2weeks after it. I have always loved this tournament as the back nine has some great viewing holes, especially with the 18th hole that has the Calibogue Sound next to it on the left-hand side and the light house right behind the 18th Green. Last year Jim Furyk (USA) defeated Brian Davis (England) on the 1st playoff hole to win. Look for another exciting finish this year. I will report back who won the Plaid Jacket next week.

The Top 5 World Golf Rankings this week are Martin Kaymer (Germany) at Number 1 on 7.64 World Ranking Points, Lee Westwood (England) at Number 2 on 7.38 World Ranking Points, Luke Donald (England) at Number 3 on 7.04 World Rankings Points, Phil Mickelson (USA) at Number 4 on 6.63 World Ranking Points, and Graeme McDowell (NIR) at Number 5 on 5.93 World Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) is pushed to Number 6 on 5.89 World Ranking Points.

John Cook (USA) with the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am Trophy

So to the Champions Tour, And this week it was the Out Back Steakhouse Pro – Am that was played at TPC Tampa Bay, Lutz, Florida and it was John Cook (USA) that came away with the Trophy. He scored rounds of 66-5, 65-6 and a final round of 73+2 for a 54 hole total of 204-9, but Jay Don Blake (USA) also scored rounds of 66-5, 68-3 and 70-1 in the final round for the same 54hole total of 204-9. So it was back to the 18th hole for the 1st playoff hole. John Cook (USA) should have won in 54holes; it was only his double bogey at the last that caused the playoff. John Cook (USA) then birdied the 18th which was the 1st playoff hole to Jay Don Blake‘s (USA) par. It was John Cook’s (USA) 2nd win this year having won the 1st tournament of the Champions Tour season in Hawaii which was the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in Mid January. For the win he earns $US 255,000.00 and he now has $US 612,087 from the 5events he has played this year. That places him 2nd on the money list. The only player ahead of him is Tom Lehman (USA) with $US 743,595 from 5events that he has played. John Cook (USA) is also 2nd on the Charles Schwab Cup Points list with 560 points from 5events he has played. He is 134 points behind the leader Tom Lehman (USA) who has 694 points also from 5events he has played to date this year. So John Cook (USA) and Tom Lehman (USA) are the two form players on the Champions Tour this year so far.

In  tied 3rd  place was Joe Ozaki (Japan) and Russ Cochran (USA) at -7, Michael Allen (USA) and Tom Pernice Jr. (USA) were tied 5th at -5, Nick Price and Olin Browne (USA) were tied 7th at -4, rounding out the top 10 were Mark Calcavecchia (USA), Larry Mize (USA), Peter Senior (Australia), Hale Irwin (USA) and Joey Sindelar (USA), they were all on -3. Next week the Champions Tour heads back to where it all began at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf and it is played at Savannah Harbor Golf Resort, Savannah, Georgia. It is a team’s tournament in pairs with last year’s winners Mark O’Meara (USA) and Nick Price (Zimbabwe) will be looking to defend their title they won. I will report back which team won next week.

 

Daniel Chopra (Sweden) with the Fresh Express Classic
at TPC Stonebrae trophy

My last tournament I am reporting on this week is from the Nationwide Tour and is the Fresh Express Classic at TPC Stonebae that was played at TPC Stonebrae, Hayward, California and it was Daniel Chopra (Sweden) who took home the title. He scored rounds of 68-2, 69-1 and 61-9 in the 3rd round that ended up being the final round because Fog forced the Final round to be cancelled. So Daniel Chopra’s (Sweden) 54 hole score of 198-12 meant he was the Fresh Express Classic at TPC Stonebae Champion for 2011. The win earned him $US 108,000.00 and places him 3rd on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 108,000 from the 2 events he has played this year. 1st is Mathew Goggin (Australia) with $US 124,975 from the 4 events he has played this year.

Daniel Chopra (Sweden) after finishing 185th on the 2010 USPGA Tour Money list and lost all his playing Status, he will be keen to get his USPGA Tour card back for 2012 Season. And if he keeps up the fine form he will surely be there by the end of the season if he finishes in the top 25 on the Nationwide Tour Money List. I’m sure he will with this great start to the season he has made and maybe he will even get a Battle field promotion if he can win 2more events. Because players who win 3events on the Nationwide Tour in a single season automatically have USPGA Tour Status for the remainder of the current USPGA Tour Season and the following year. I wish him luck and all the best with his success on the Nationwide Tour in 2011.

Russell Knox (USA) and Luke List (USA) were tied for 2nd on -11, Tied for 4th were Erik Compton (USA), Marco Dawson (USA), Mathew Goggin (Australia) and Doug LaBelle II (USA) they were all on -8, Jason Enloe (USA) was in 8th place on -7, and rounding out the top 10 were Matt Davidson (USA), Jeff Grove (USA), Cliff Kresge (USA), Garrett Sapp (USA) and Brian Smock (USA) they were all on -6. Best of the New Zealand Golfers was Steven Alker (NZL) who scored rounds of 69-1, 71+1 and 69-1 for a 54 hole total of 209-1. He finished tied 39th and won $ US 2,648.58. That was the 1st cut he has made since the 2009 Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island. So that should give him some confidence to keep on improving in 2011on the Nationwide Tour. He is now placed tied for 109th on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 2,649 from 3events he has played this year. Tim Wilkinson (NZL) was also tied for 39th. He scored rounds of 67-3, 70even and 72+2 for a 54 hole total of 209-1. He earned $US 2,648.57 for his efforts and is now placed 73rd on the money list with $US 6,586 from the 4events he has played this year.

Brad Iles (NZL) shot +2 for 36holes to miss the cut by 2shots and Josh Geary (USA) shot +4 for 36 holes to miss the cut by 4shots. Next event on the Nationwide Tour is the South Georgia Classic Pres’d by First State bank and Trust Company and it is played at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club, Valdosta, Georgia. Ewan Porter (Australia) will be looking to defend his title and with the highest purse of the year so far $US 625,000 for the taking it is sure to Attract a great field. It starts Thursday week (28th April). I will report back who won in two weeks time.

So until then have a great Easter and keep hitting the ball long and straight.

Source: europeantour.com, pgatour.com

Golf Events from the Weekend 10th April 2011

Charl Schwartzel (RSA) with the Green Jacket he won for winning the Masters Tournament

Well what a week it was with the first major of the year, the 75th Masters Tournament from Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA.

And it was one of the Masters Tournaments that everyone watching will remember for a long time. It all started on Wednesday afternoon with the Par 3 9hole course contest. The 9 hole par 3 contest is always a family affair when the players have their sons and daughters caddying for them. Sometimes players even have celebrities from other sports there to caddy for them as well. Like Zach Johnson (USA) had Andy Roddick (USA) one of the best tennis players in the world caddying for him.

Sometimes they have them play a shot for them as well, but if they do that, that means their score doesn’t count. And Luke Donald (England) won with a score of 22-5. But that was a bad omen. Because no player has ever won the Par 3 contest and then gone on to win the Masters Tournament. But Luke Donald (England) was hoping that myth would all change this year.

Thursday 7th April dawned a fine and sunny at Augusta with very light winds blowing. Two special players that have retired from playing in the proper tournament at the Masters got the Tournament under way by hitting the opening tee shots. They were 81 year old Arnold Palmer (USA) who won the Masters Tournament 4times with his last win coming 47 years ago in 1964. And arguably the greatest player ever to play the game Jack Nicklaus (USA) who is now 71 years old, He has the record for Master Tournament wins with 6, with his last win coming in 1986 when he was 46 years old making him the oldest Champion ever. They both hit fine tee shots down the centre.

So to the 1st day's play and it was the young Rory McILroy (Northern Ireland) that had the best round early on. He scored 65-7 in an amazing display of iron play. But in the final group Alvaro Quiros (Spain) birdied the last hole to also score 65-7, so those two players had the 1st round lead. 2 shots back on 67-5 were the 2 Korean Golfers K. J. Choi (South Korea) and Y.E. Yang (South Korea). Phil Mickelson (USA) the defending champion scored 70-2 and Tiger Woods (USA) got a slow start with 71-1.

So Friday 8th April dawned much the same as the day before with fine and sunny conditions with light winds. Rory McILroy (Northern Ireland) scored a 2nd round 69-3 to go with his 1st round 65-7, and was -10 after 36 holes. He had a 2shot lead over Jason Day (Australia) who had the best round of the tournament which was a bogey free 64-8 to go with his 72 even par  in the 1st round. The 64-8 he scored was the lowest round ever by a player making his 1st appearance at the Masters Tournament. He was -8 after 36 holes in sole 2nd place. Tiger Woods (USA) was another shot back at -7 after a brilliant back nine of 31-5 to score 66-6 in the 2nd round he was only 3shots off the lead heading into the weekend. Defending Champion Phil Mickelson (USA) shot 72even and was -2 after 36 holes, he made the cut that fell at +1, 49 of the 99 players that started made the cut. The big surprise was that the current world number 1 golfer Martin Kaymer (Germany) shot 78+6 and 72even par to miss the cut by 5shots.

Saturday 9th April at Augusta dawned just the same as the two days before with light winds and sunny skies. Rory McILroy (North Ireland) after a slow start to his 3rd round, got into gear late in his back nine. With a solid birdie on the par 5 15th hole after hitting the green in 2shots, he moved to -11 and when he sank a 25foot birdie putt on the par 4 17th hole he moved to -12 and had a 4shot lead. He very nearly birdied the last hole as well. So he finished the 3rd round at -12 after 70-2 in the 3rd round. That left him with a four shot lead over Jason Day (Australia) -8, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) -8, Angel Cabrera (Argentina) -8, and K. J. Choi (South Korea)  -8, heading in the final round. Tiger Woods (USA) had his worst round in the 3rd round scoring 74+2, and defending Champion Phil Mickelson (USA) shot 71-1 and was at -3 after 54 holes.

So to the final round on Sunday 10th April at Augusta National Golf Club and the 1st major Champion was going to be found for 2011 season. We all could hardly forget what happened to Greg Norman (Australia) 15 years ago when he took a 6shot lead into the Final Round over Nick Faldo (England). But Nick Faldo (England) shot 67-5 to Greg Norman (Australia) 78+6 and he lost by 5shots. So we knew it wasn’t a certainty that Rory McILroy (NIR) would win. And Rory McILroy (NIR) got off to a shaky start when he bogeyed the 1st hole after slightly pulling his short wedge shot to the green. He missed his short par putt. Then on the 2nd hole he hit a poor drive into the right Fairway Bunker, and hit the lip getting out. He still had a fairway wood for his 3rd shot on the short par 5, and pulled it in the left-hand green side bunker. But he hit a great bunker shot and was able to save his par.

On the 3rd hole his missed his 5foot birdie putt as well after a fine approach shot, so in the early stages he showed he was feeling the pressure of the final round of the Masters. On the other hand Charl Schwartzel (RSA) made an amazing start. After missing the green on the 1st hole to the right, he played a bump and run 3rd shot chip that rolled perfectly when it hit the green and went in the hole for a birdie, after just missing his birdie on the Par 5, 2nd hole. He went to the 3rd tee and hit a nice layup shot on the short par 4. Then he hit an amazing wedge shot that landed right of the hole spun left and rolled into the hole for an eagle 2, so he was -3 after 3holes and was already tied for the lead with Rory McILroy (NIR) at -11. He made a Bogey at the long par 3 4th hole, and then made all pars from holes 5-14.

Rory McILroy (NIR) meanwhile made a solid par 3 on the 4th, But made a poor bogey on the 5th when he under clubbed his 2nd shot and was unable to get down in 2. But regrouped and got a birdie on the short par4 7th hole and parred the 8th and 9th holes to go out in 37+1 and still have the lead at -11. But it all came apart for him on the 10th hole. He hit one of the worst hook shots I had ever witnessed there with having to play his 2nd shot from another fairway and just had to chip it back into play, then he hooked his fairway wood 3rd shot into a terrible position left of the green, where it took him a couple more shots to get on the green and he 2putted for a triple bogey 7 and was back to -8, He hit a good drive down the Par 4, 11th and a fine 2nd shot right over the pin. But he attacked his 1st putt and missed the return one and made another poor bogey to fall back to -7, He hit a good shot into the short par 3 12th hole, but again attacked the putt, and he missed hit return one for par, and the one for bogey as well. So a Double Bogey 5 left him at -5 with 6holes to play. And his dream of winning the Masters would have to wait for another year. He finished with 80+8 for the final round and was tied 15th at -4. But a small consolation is he gains entry into next year’s Masters Tournament because he finished inside the top 16 and ties that gain that privilege. I guess he knows how Greg Norman (Australia) felt in 1996 when he was in a similar position to Rory McILroy (NIR) heading into the final round and the same thing happened to him. I’m sure it will be a good learning experience for Rory McILroy (NIR) and it should make him more mentally strong. And I feel he will win a major in the next few years.

Rory McILroy (NIR) looks disappointed after losing the Masters Tournament

Anyway back to the final round, and things were really starting to get interesting now, Tiger Woods (USA) had gone through the front nine in 31-5, that included 4 birdies and an eagle on the long Par 5, 8th hole and was -10 in a tie for the lead with Charl Schwartzel (RSA) but a poor bogey on the short par 3, 12th hole, slip him back to -9, and he failed to birdie the short par 5, 13th hole, He hit a brilliant Mid Iron Approach shot into the par 5 15th hole, and had less then 10feet for eagle but lip out the putt, so with the birdie he moved to -10. He could only manage pars on the last 3holes and scored 67-5 to finish tied 4th at -10.  But he knew it was not going to be enough.

Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) had a great run on the back nine from the 12th to the 16th holes birding all of them and moving to -10 and he too tied 4th. Luke Donald (England) had 5birdies on the back nine including a chip in for birdie at the 72nd hole to finish at -10 in a tie for 4th. It was another fine showing by him. Angel Cabrera (Argentina) was in contention and at -10 playing the short par 3 16th hole but hit his tee shot over the green. And failed to get up and down. He finished at -9 in 7th place, not quite as well as 2009 when he won it.

K. J. Choi (South Korea) had got to -10 after he birdied the 15th hole, but bogeys on the last two holes brought him undone and he finished -8 in tied 8th place. After an average front nine of even par left Jason Day (Australia) at -8, he came back strong on the back nine with birdies on 12 and 13 holes and two great birdies to finish the round saw him post -12 after 72 holes and set the new club house lead. But his playing partner Adam Scott (Australia) also posted -12 after scoring a great front nine of 34-2 that included 3birdies, he played a great back nine birding the long par 4 11th hole, and also the par 4 14th hole, and he hit a great drive down the Par 5, 15th hole and had a Mid Iron to the green, but he lost it well to the right and left himself a really hard chip shot that he was unable to get up and down. But he hit a brilliant tee shot to the Par 3 16th hole that left him with a tap in birdie and move to -12, but was only able to par the last two holes and post -12 and tied for 2nd with Jason Day (Australia).

Jason Day (Australia) in Action during the Masters Tournament which
he tied for 2nd place

Charl Schwartzel (RSA) was -10 after 14 holes, he hit a fine drive down the Par 5, 15th hole and hit his approach shot just through the green and got up and down for his birdie to move to -11, then he hit his tee shot on the par 3, 16th hole 25feet to the left of the pin, and was able to sink the birdie putt and move to -12 into a tied for the lead. At this point I was thinking it may be a 3way playoff. But Charl Schwartzel (RSA) had other ideas, after hitting his drive on the Par 4 17th  hole just to the right of the fairway, he hit a beautiful approach with a short iron inside 15feet and holed the putt again for birdie. So he was now -13 and had a 1shot lead playing the last hole. On the 72nd hole he hit his drive straight down the centre with a little fade on it. And he hit his short iron approach shot pin high 15feet from the pin. So 2putts and he had won his 1st Masters Tournament and Green Jacket. But his birdie putt caught the right edge and fell in. He scored the best final round of the day 66-6 and finished -14 after 72 holes with rounds of 69-3, 71-1, 68-4 and 66-6 for a 72 hole total of 274-14. He became the 3rd South African to win the Master Tournament on the 50th Anniversary of Gary Players (South Africa) 1st win back in 1961. Trevor Immelman (RSA) was the 2nd South African to win the Master Tournament 3years ago in 2008. And it will change Charl Schwartzel (RSA) golf career now having broken through to win his 1st major. The win earns him 600 FedEx Cup points that moves him to 10th on the list 808 points from 6events and he is now only 353 points behind Mark Wilson (USA) who has been on top of the list for over 2months now with 1,161 points from 10 events he has played this year. But he missed the cut at the Masters finishing +3 after 36 holes.

And Charl Schwartzel (RSA) also takes home the $US 1,440,000.00 1st prize cheque for winning the Masters Tournament. He has now earned $US 1,766,104 from the 6 events he has played this year. Mark Wilson (USA) is still leading the Money list with $US 2,430,825 from 10events. 26 year old Charl Schwartzel (RSA) was presented the Green Jacket by 2010 Champion Phil Mickelson (USA) and it looked great around his shoulders. I look for him to go on to bigger and better things this year and maybe add to his Major wins. But it should give him a huge boost of confidence to his golf career. The suprising thing was that although 3 Australian Golfers finished inside the top 5 places on the leader board, it is amazing considering how good Australia is on the world stage at golf, that no Australian Golfer has ever won the Masters Tournament in the 75 times it has been played. Maybe next year?

Rounding out the Top 10 was Bo Van Pelt (USA) at -8 in tied 8th place and Ryan Palmer (USA) was 10th on his own at -6. Phil Mickelson (USA) finished -1 tied 27th and the low Amateur and the only Amateur to make the cut was Hideki Matsuyama (a) (Japan) who also finished -1 tied 27th. He came from the part in Japan that had been struck with the terrible Earthquake recently. But it was a great Masters Tournament with some excellent shot making and great viewing and I can’t wait till next year and the 76th renewal of the Masters Tournament.

The Top 5 Golfers in the world ranking list had a slight change to them this week with Martin Kaymer (Germany) still at number 1 even though he missed the cut, he has 7.80 world ranking points, Lee Westwood (England) is still number 2 with 7.53 world ranking points closing the gap slightly, Luke Donald (England) is 3rd on 6.97 world ranking points after his tied 4th at the Masters, Phil Mickelson (USA) is 4th on 6.73 world ranking points, Tiger Woods (USA) moves up 2 places to 5th with 6.07 world ranking points with his tied 4th placing at the Masters and lastly the Masters winner Charl Schwartzel (RSA) moves up to 18 places from 29th to 11th in the world ranking points with 5.16 world ranking points.

Next week the USPGA Tour heads to Texas for the Valero Texas Open that is played at TPC San Antonio, Texas and Adam Scott (Australia) will be looking to defend the title he won last year, and coming off his tied 2nd finish at the Masters he is in good from. It starts on Thursday and I will report back results next week. And on the European Tour and the Race to Dubai they travel to Malaysia for the 1st of 3 tournaments in Asia. The 1st is the Maybank Malaysian Open that is played at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and is sure to be another great event. It starts on Thursday and I will report back who won the spoils next week.

So until then, keep hitting fairways and lots of Greens and making all your putts.

Source: pgatour.com, masters.com

Jamie’s 5 Greatest Moments at the Masters

As we are all watching the Masters right now, here are my 5 greatest moments at the Masters.

Number 5

Well this is a great moment in Masters History, in 1992 in the final when Fred Couples (USA) won his first and only Masters Tournament he had an extremely lucky break in the final round on the short par 3 12th hole. He hit his tee ball short on the banks of Rae’s Creek and to his amazement and the galleries Amazement it didn’t roll in to Rae’s Creek instead it stayed on the bank. He went on to get up and down for his par. It was the turning point in the tournament for Fred Couples (USA) and he went on to win.

Number 4

This moment is brilliant; it is when Jack Nicklaus (USA) won the Masters Tournament for the sixth and final time of his Career when he was 46 years old in 1986. It was his 18th and final Major of his Career. He shot 31-5 on the back nine in the final round that included an eagle on the 15th hole and a near hole in one on the par 3 16th hole, that left him an easy birdie putt, and then he went onto birdie the 17th hole and par the last. Poor Greg Norman (Australia) had to par the last to force a playoff but was unable too. And to make it more Special for Jack Nicklaus (USA) he had his Son carrying the bag for him to share the amazing experience. 

 

Number 3

This moment will forever go down in Masters Tournament history. In the 1987 the US Masters was decided in a playoff between Greg Norman (Australia) and Larry Mize (USA). On the 2nd playoff hole it appeared that Greg Norman (Australia) had the Advantage after they both had missed their 2nd shots to the right of the green. Greg Norman (Australia) had missed his, only just off the green. But Larry Mize (USA) the Augusta native, who grew up being a scoreboard attendant at the Masters Tournament when he has a kid, had missed it about 10yards to the right. But then something Amazing happened. He took out his pitching wedge and when he chipped it took two bounces on the grass before the green and then rolled to the hole just like a putt and fell in the hole for a birdie 3 on the par 4. Greg Norman (Australia) was shocked. And when he was unable to hole his birdie putt from just off the green. Larry Mize (USA) had won his first Masters Tournament. And from that day on that shot from Larry Mize (USA) is still talked about and has gone down in Masters Tournament Folk Law. 

Number 2

In 2004 Phil Mickelson (USA) had his best chance ever in his career so far at that time to win his 1st Major Championship of his Career. Coming to the 72nd hole he was tied for the lead with Ernie Els (RSA) who had all ready posted -8. Phil Mickelson (USA) hit 3 Wood off the tee for accuracy and then hit a short iron shot that finished 15 feet past the hole. Now all he knew he had to do was sink that putt and he had won his 1st Major and 1st Master Tournament after having so many close shaves in the previous years. With his Family watching on, he struck the putt perfectly and it caught a piece of the hole and fell in. He raised his hands in the air to celebrate his win. Then he hugged his wife Amy and his Daughter Amanda before going to make the win official by signing his scorecard. He has since gone on to win 3 more Majors including 2 more Masters Tournaments.

Number 1

The 1996 Masters Tournament will always be remembered as the one that Greg Norman (Australia) blew. After scoring rounds of 63-9, 69-3, and 71-1 for a 54 hole total of -13 and a 6shot lead over Nick Faldo (England) it looked like a certainty that he would claim his 1st Green Jacket after going so close in the Mid 1980’s. But Nick Faldo (England) had other Ideas. It all started going sour for Greg Norman (Australia) on the 9th hole where he made a poor bogey from the middle of the fairway. Then he pulled his 2nd shot left on the 10th hole to make another bogey. When Greg Norman (Australia) 3putted the 11th, he and Nick Faldo (England) were all tied up for the 1st time in the day at -9.  The legendary Golf Analyst for CBS Sports Ken Venturi (USA) made the comment, as they walked to the 2nd hole of Amen Corner about the huge crowd “They are clapping because they are tied and may the best man win”. Nick Faldo (England) hit his tee shot on the green, about 15th feet from the pin, but Greg Norman (Australia) hit his short into Rae’s Creek. Nick Faldo (England) made an easy par 3 to Greg Norman's (Australia) Double Bogey 5. Nick Faldo (England) now had a 2shot lead. Nick Faldo (England) made birdie on the Par 5 13th hole and so did Greg Norman (Australia). So the lead was still 2, they both parred the par 4, 14th and both birdied the short par 5, 15th hole. So going to the short par 3 16th hole, Nick Faldo (England) still had a 2shot lead. Nick Faldo (England) put his ball on the green and made his par 3, but Greg Norman (Australia) hit his ball short in the water and made double bogey. So Nick Faldo (England) now had a 4shot lead. They both made pars on the Par 4, 17hole. And Ken Venturi, CBS Golf Analyst, this time said “Right now Greg Norman (Australia) is looking but not seeing anything”. To top it all off Nick Faldo (England) birdied the 18th for a 67-5 and a 5shot win and his 3rd Master Tournament win having won it 2times before. Greg Norman (Australia) holed out for a final round 78+6 and they both hugged in an embrace and exchanged kind words. Greg Norman (Australia) took it on the chin. And just put it down to a bad day. But he must feel like it was the one that got away on him. And to this day he has still never won the Masters Tournament. But at least in his career he claimed 2 Open Championships.

Golf Events from the Weekend 3rd April 2011

Well it was another great weekend on the Professional Golf Tours from around the world.

David Horsey (England) winner of the Trophee Hassan II 2011 with
the Sword Trophy he won

First I will start with the European Tour and the Race to Dubai. This week it was the Trophee Hassan II that was played at the Golf du Palais Royal and Golf de L’Océan, Agadir, Morocco. With €1,500,000 as the prize purse and the last event before the first Major of the year the US Master, it was sure to attract a great field.

And it was David Horsey (England) who came out on top. He scored rounds of 67, 71, 67 and 69 for a 72 hole total of 274-13 and won on the 2nd playoff hole over the defending champion Rhys Davies (Wales) and the young South African Jaco Van Zyl (South Africa). They too finished on -13 after 72holes. So it was back to the 18 hole as the 1st playoff hole. All three players made par 4s. So it was back to the 18th hole for the 2nd time for the 2nd playoff hole. But this time David Horsey (England) didn’t let the chance he had to win slip like he did on the 72nd hole when he missed his birdie putt. This time the birdie putt went straight in the centre of the cup. And he had his 2nd win on the European Tour. It was his 1st win since winning the BMW International Open in 2010.  

The win earns him € 250,000.00 and that moves him to 16th on the Race to Dubai Money list with €292,460 from the 7events he has played this year. Still 1st with €1,221,411 from the 2events he has played this year is Luke Donald (England). The win will be a real boost for David Horsey’s (England) confidence. And because he is not in the 1st Major of the year he is heading back to his family in England soon for a few weeks to celebrate with them his win. George Coetzee (South Africa) was 4th on his own at -11, Oscar Floren (Sweden) and Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (France) were tied 5th on -10. Mikko Ilonen (Finland) and Richie Ramsey (Scotland) were tied 7th on -9, and rounding out the top 10, tied in 9th place were Tetsuji Hiratsuka (Japan) and David Lynn (England) on -8.

The big surprise of the week was the play of Michael Campbell (New Zealand), after only making one cut in the 6events he had entered this year on the European Tour prior to this event, he had his best finish on the European Tour since finishing 3rd in the Quinn Insurance British Masters way back in late September 2008. So it had been a long time between drinks for him. He scored rounds of 69, 71, 71 and 71 for a 72hole total of 282-5. He won € 16,320 for his efforts and that moved him to 176 position on the Race to Dubai rankings with €19,220 he has won from the 7events he has entered this year. He is still a long way off making the Top 60 on the list, that will earn a place into the Dubai World Championship presented by DP world in early December, or even getting in the top 115 on the European Tour Order of Merit that keep their playing Status for the 2012 season. But with the confidence he will have gained from scoring 4consective rounds under par. I feel bigger and better things are going to happen in the future for him. And I wish him all the best with that.

The other New Zealander in the field was Mark Brown (New Zealand) he scored rounds of 73, 74 for a 36hole total of 147+4 and missed the cut by 2shots. He has now made 6cuts out of the 8events he has played this year. With his best finish being the 23rd place at the South African Open Championship just before Christmas last year. He is in 142nd place on the Race to Dubai money list with €31,183 from 8events. He is going to need to start playing better if he is going to keep his playing status for 2012. The next event on the European Tour is the Masters Tournament, which is also the first Major of the year. It is played at the famed Augusta National Golf Club, Georgia, USA and only the best players on the European Tour are invited to play. It always produces an exciting finish, and is definitely a must see for me every year. So for the players that haven’t been invited, the next event on the European Tour is the 1st leg of the Asian Swing. Which 3 Tournaments in Asia are played, the 1st being the Maybank Malaysian Open that is played at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It starts on Thursday 14th April. But firstly I will report back who took home the green jacket at the Masters Tournament in my report next week. 

Phil Mickelson (USA) with the
Shell Houston Open trophy he won

So to the USPGA Tour and this week it was the Shell Houston Open that was played at Redstone GC Tournament Course, Humble, Texas. And with the purse of $US5,900,000 up for grabs it attracted another fine field of the best USPGA Tour players. But the player that came out on top was Phil Mickelson (USA), and it was a very popular victory for him and all his fans. He scored rounds of 70-2, 70-2, 63-9 and 65-7 for a 72hole total of 268-20 which was a brand new Tournament Record. He also scored the lowest 3rd and 4th rounds of any player in the field. And he equalled the course round in the 3rd round with his 63-9. But it was not as easy as it sounded for Phil Mickelson (USA).

He started the final round tied with Scott Verplank (USA) on -13, After nine holes Scott Verplank (USA) had a 1shot lead at -16, over Phil Mickelson (USA) who birdied the par3, 9th hole to get to -15, They both birdied the par 4, 10th hole, But Phil Mickelson (USA) birdied the par 4, 11th hole to Scott Verplank’s (USA) par, so they were now both tied at -17 with 7holes to play. They both birdied the next two holes to both move to -19 with 5holes to play. So at this stage of the Tournament it had turned into a 2horse race. A Phil Mickelson (USA) par on the par 3, 14th hole to a Scott Verplank (USA) bogey, meant that Phil Mickelson (USA) now had a one shot lead because he was -19 to Scott Verplank (USA) dropping back to -18. Phil Mickelson (USA) looked like he was going to extend his lead to two shots when he hit the par 5, 15th hole in 2shots. He attacked his 30foot eagle and it rolled 6feet past. And surprisingly he lipped out his birdie putt. So he had to settle for a par 5, and that was all that Scott Verplank (USA) could manage as well.

So Phil Mickelson (USA) still was -19, and still held a 1shot lead over Scott Verplank (USA) that was -18 with 3holes to play. Phil Mickelson (USA) hit a brilliant tee shot to the par 3, 16 hole. It landed 8feet to the left of the pin, pin high. And presented himself a great birdie chance. But Scott Verplank’s (USA) tee shot landed in the right hand greenside bunker, and he was unable to get up and down. And when Phil Mickelson (USA) calmly rolled in his birdie putt, it meant Phil Mickelson (USA) was now -20 and had a 3shot lead over Scott Verplank (USA) with 2holes to play. So to the 17th hole. Phil Mickelson (USA) sliced his tee shot to the left of the fairway but was able to put his approach shot on the green. Scott Verplank (USA) hit the fairway with his drive but his approach shot landed over the green. But he hit a fine chip shot and got up and down for his par 4, and Phil Mickelson (USA) also two putted from 40feet for his par.

So Phil Mickelson (USA) took a 3shot lead to the 72nd hole. Jim Mackay (Bones) his caddie convinced him to hit a 3wood off the tee instead of a driver. And he hit a brilliant shot right down the centre of the fairway. Scott Verplank (USA) hit driver right down the centre as well and passed Phil Mickelson’s (USA) ball. Phil Mickelson (USA) hit his 2nd shot just over the green. Scott Verplank (USA) hit his 2nd shot on the green 30 feet to the right of the hole. Phil Mickelson’s (USA) 3rd shot chip almost went in the hole and stopped 2feet just past the hole. Scott Verplank (USA) two putted for his par and he finished up on 271-17 in tied for 2nd place. Then the stage was set for Phil Mickelson (USA) to tap in for par and winning his 1st USPGA Tour event since winning the 2010 Masters Tournament. It was also his 39 win of his USPGA Tour Career and he gains 500FedEx Cup points for the win, which puts him 2nd on the FedEx Cup Points with 1,048 points from the 8events he has played this year, he is 113 behind Mark Wilson (USA) who is leading the FedEx Cup Points list with 1,161 points from 9events he has played this year. And he has now been on top of the list for 9consective weeks. Phil Mickelson (USA) also moves to 3rd on the Money List with $US 1,062,000.00 he won for winning the Shell Houston Open that is included in the $US2,107,131  he has earned from 8events he has played this year. Mark Wilson (USA) also leads that list as well with $US2,430,825 earned from 9events he has played this year to date. It was a great win by Phil Mickelson (USA) and a timely one as well. Because next week is the 1st Major of the year, The US Masters Tournament and he is defending Champion as well. He will be looking to do what he did 5years ago in 2006 when he won the Bell South Classic the week before and went on to win his 2nd Masters Tournament title the following week, becoming only the 4th player to win the tournament before the Masters then win the Masters Tournament the week after. And I would say he has every chance of doing that again, because he knows the Augusta National Course so well and he is in great form at the moment.

Plus the Victory in Houston was Special to his family because over the past year his Wife Amy and his Mother have been having treatment for Breast Cancer in a Hospital in Houston. And he now has completed a career goal of surpassing Tiger Woods in the World Golf Rankings, I will mention more about that later on. Scott Verplank’s (USA) 2nd place finish was a fine effort because he has been dealing with a painful wrist injury that has meant he has only been able to play 4events on the USPGA Tour this year and he had to with draw from one of them as well. He must be one of the most consistent players on the USPGA Tour over the past 10 years having earned over 1million US$ each year since 2000 till now. And I would say it is a good bet that he will earn 1million US$ this year as well. He is thinking of Surgery to fix his wrist, but the Doctors are telling him it is extremely risky operation.

Also it was a fine performance by Chris Kirk (USA) who is in his Rookie year on the USPGA Tour as he tied for 2nd on -17 alongside Scott Verplank (USA). He was the only player to have 4rounds in the 60’s. After gaining his card by finishing 2nd on the Nationwide Tour Money List in 2010 he had been struggling with missing 4cuts in the 9events he had played with his only top 10 finish being at the Bob Hope Classic where he tied for 7th, but the 2nd place finish here earns him $US 519,200.00 and he has now earned $US 779,079 for the 10events he has played this year to date, and he should have no problem keeping his card for next year. I wouldn’t be surprised if he won this year as well. In tied for 4th place at -13 were Steve Stricker (USA) and Aaron Baddeley (Australia), Tied for 6th were Robert Allenby (Australia) and David Hearn (Canada) on -12, Greg Chalmers (Australia), Matt Kuchar (USA), Brandt Jobe (USA), Padraig Harrington (Ireland) and Hunter Mahan (USA) were all tied for 8th at -11 rounding out the top 10. 

The top 5 Golfers in the world have a slight change this week, Martin Kaymer (Germany) number 1 with 7.91 world ranking points, Lee Westwood (England) number 2 with 7.43 world ranking points, Phil Mickelson (USA) moves up to Number 3 with 6.75 world ranking points, Luke Donald (England) 4th with 6.59 world ranking points and rounding out the top 5 is Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland) in 5th with 6.11 world ranking points, Tiger Woods (USA) is now 7th in the world with 5.64 world ranking points.

Next week is the 1st Major of the year, it is the 75th renewal of the Master Tournament that is played at Augusta National GC, Augusta, Georgia and has an invited field with near to 100 players on the list. It is one of my favourite Tournaments of the year, because I know all the holes from watching it every year since 1993 when Bernhard Langer (Germany) won his 2nd Masters Green Jacket, which is the prize the winner gets for winning the Tournament along with the $US 1,350,000 first prize cheque. And in 1997 is another found memory I have when Tiger Woods (USA) won his 1st Major and Masters Tournament winning it by 12shots when he scored -18 for the 72 holes. And when Tiger Woods (USA) won his 4th Masters Tournament in 2005 with the Famous Chip in for birdie 2 on the par 3 16th Hole:

He went on to eventually beat Chris DiMarco (USA) on the 1st playoff hole the 18th with a 20foot birdie putt. And I have many more memories but I could go on all day. There is always a traditional par 3 tournament on the short 9hole par 3 course, next to the 18hole Augusta National Golf Club. It is on the Wednesday afternoon before the tournament starts proper with the 1st round on Thursday morning, with a past champion who is no longer able to compete given the honour of hitting the 1st tee shot to get the Tournament started. I will look forward to reporting back who won the Green Jacket for 2011 next week.

So to my final event I am reporting on this week, and it was on the Champions Tour, it was the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic that was played at the Fallen Oak GC, Biloxi, Mississippi. It was Tom Lehman (USA) who came out the winner after the 54holes were completed. He scored rounds of 67-5, 64-8 and 69-3 for a 54 hole total of 200-16. He won by 4shots over Nick Price (Zimbabwe), Jeff Sluman (USA) and David Frost (South Africa) who were -12. He has now earned 694 Charles Schwab Cup Points from the 4events he has played this year and leads by 216 points from Nick Price (Zimbabwe).

Tom Lehman (USA) winner of the
Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic 2011

Tom Lehman (USA) won $US 240,000.00 for the win and also leads the Champion’s tour money list with $US 718,038 from the 4events he has played this year and Nick Price (Zimbabwe) is 2nd on $US 515,233 from the 5events he has played this year. It was Tom Lehman’s (USA) 2nd win on the Champions Tour this year after winning the Allianz Championship back in February. Having joined the Champions tour in 2009 when he turned 50, he is having his best season to date and this could be his year to win the Charles Schwab Cup. I hope he continues on his fine form throughout the rest of the season. I can remember Tom Lehman (USA) winning the 1996 Open Championship, because I won $150 from a $5 bet at the NZ TAB.

Tied 5th were Olin Browne (USA) and Jay Haas (USA) on -11, tied for 7th was the ever green Hale Irwin (USA), the straight hitting Fred Funk (USA) and Steve Lowery (USA) they were all on -10, and rounding out the top 10 was Mark Calcavecchia (USA) on -9. Peter Senior (Australia) has another good finish at -7 in tied 13th place. The next tournament on the Champions Tour is Outback Steakhouse Pro – Am and it is played at TPC Tampa Bay, Lutz, Florida. It starts on Friday 15th April and with $US 1,700,000 purse to play for it is sure attract a great field. Bernhard Langer (Germany) is the defending Champion. I will report back who won when the tournament has finished.

So until then remember keep hitting it straight and making all your putts. Until next time keep safe.

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com