Well it was another great 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 3rd of 3 tournaments in the 1st Asian Swing of the season. It was the Ballantine’s Championship and was played at Blackstone Golf Club, Icheon, Seoul, Korea Republic. And it was the World Number 1 ranked golfer Lee Westwood (England) who showed us all why he is Number 1 in the World Rankings.
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| Lee Westwood (England) with the Ballantine's Championship Trophy |
First I will start with the European Tour and the Race to Dubai. This week it was the 3rd of 3 tournaments in the 1st Asian Swing of the season. It was the Ballantine’s Championship and was played at Blackstone Golf Club, Icheon, Seoul, Korea Republic. And it was the World Number 1 ranked golfer Lee Westwood (England) who showed us all why he is Number 1 in the World Rankings.
Lee Westwood (England) scored rounds of 72 even, 68-4, 69-3 and 67-5 in the final round to score a 72 hole total of 276-12 and win by one shot. It was his 2nd win in two weeks in Asia having won the Indonesian Masters on the Asian Tour last week to regain his Number 1 World Ranking off Martin Kaymer (Germany). This win at the Ballantine’s Championship should only increase his lead in the World Ranking Points. But it didn’t come easy as he was 3shots back starting the final round. But he shot a bogey free round of 67-5 in the Final Round that included birdies on the 4th and 8th holes to go out in 34-2 strokes and then coming home he made birdies on holes 14th and 15th holes and a great birdie 4 on the Par 5, 18th Hole to post -12 for the round.
The only player left in the field that could force a playoff with Lee Westwood (England) was Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain). He came to the 72nd hole needing an eagle to win and a birdie to force a playoff. He hit his drive straight down the middle of the fairway. But his Fairway Wood 2nd shot landed on the green and then rolled into the back bunker leaving him a difficult up and down to make the playoff. He hit a good bunker shot out that left him a 12foot birdie putt to get to -12 and force the playoff with Lee Westwood (England). But unfortunately he just missed the putt to the right of the Cup. And he finished up at -11 after 72holes. And that meant he finished in 2nd place on his own.
But for Lee Westwood (England) just played too steady in the final round and his victory was well deserved. He won € 367,500 for his win and that puts him in 6th Position on the Race to Dubai Money List with €653,508 earned from the 7events he has played this year. Charl Schwartzel (RSA) is still leading with €1,587,333 from the 9events he has played this year. I look for Lee Westwood (England) to be one of the Favourites for the Players Championship that is being played in Florida at the TPC at Sawgrass course in 2weeks time. Maybe if he does win there he can silence his critic’s that say even though the Official World Rankings say he is the Number 1 player in the World, they don’t believe he is because he has not won a Major Championship yet. Me personally I feel he deserves his number 1 ranking because he has played the most consistent golf over the last 2years of any player on the European Tour or USPGA Tour.
Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) can’t be too disappointed with his 2nd place. But would have loved to have won. But at age 47 he is still very competitive and he has won most of his tournaments since he has turned 40. The € 245,000.00 he won for coming 2nd on Sunday is his biggest cheque this year so far and places him 4th on the Race to Dubai Money list with €707,156 earned from the 9events he has played this year. I expect him to win at least 1 tournament this year going on previous year’s results. Korean player Sang-hyun Park (South Korea) had the best finish of his short European Tour playing career. The 26 year old finished -10 after 72holes and in sole 3rd place which earned him € 138,033.00. In 4th place was Dustin Johnson (USA) who was having his 1st tournament in the Korea Republic. He finished -9 and won € 110,250 for his efforts. Good showing by him outside his home tour and in a foreign Country.
In tied 5th place was Soon-sang Hong (South Korea) and Alexander Noren (Sweden) on -8, tied 7th were Jbe Kruger (RSA), James Morrison (England) and Brett Rumford (Australia) on -7. Tied for 10th were 3 Korean Golfers Dae-hyun Kim (South Korea), Kyung-tae Kim (South Korea) and Joong-Kyung Mo (South Korea) they were all -6. The New Zealand Golfers didn’t fare so well this week. They all unfortunately missed the 36 hole cut. Best of them was Mark Brown (NZL) at +3. He missed the cut by 2 strokes. Michael Campbell (NZL) was +4 to miss the cut by 3shots, but at least he scored 70-2 in the 2nd round, but his 78+6 in the 1st round ruined his chances. And the final New Zealand Player to miss the cut was Danny Lee (NZL) he was +6 to miss it by 5shots. It was a shame after his tied for 2nd place in China last week. I feel he may head back to the Nationwide Tour next week where he is already well placed on their Money List.
Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai head back to mainland Europe for the Open De Espana and it is played at Real Club de Golf El Prat, Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain. And with €2,000,000 to play for Defending Champion Alvaro Quiros (Spain) will be looking to win the title again. I will report back who won next week.
Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai head back to mainland Europe for the Open De Espana and it is played at Real Club de Golf El Prat, Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain. And with €2,000,000 to play for Defending Champion Alvaro Quiros (Spain) will be looking to win the title again. I will report back who won next week.
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| Bubba Watson (USA) with the Zurich Classic of New Orleans Trophy |
So to the USPGA Tour and this week it was the Zurich Classic of New Orleans that was played at TPC Louisiana, Avondale, Louisiana. And it was the big hitting Bubba Watson (USA) who scored rounds of 66-6, 68-4, 70-2 and a final round of 69-3 to finish 72 holes at -15. But Webb Simpson (USA) also finished -15 after 68-4, 69-3, 67-5 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72 hole total of -15 after 72 holes also. He was the only player in the field to score 4 rounds in the 60’s. At the beginning of the back nine Webb Simpson (USA) had a 3shot lead after Bubba Watson (USA) double bogeyed the short par 3, 9th hole. Then Webb Simpson (USA) birdied the 10th. But poor bogeys by Webb Simpson (USA) on 12th and 15th holes, the bogey on the Par 4, 15th was unfortunate for Webb Simpson (USA) as he rolled his 30foot birdie putt to tap in range, but when he grounded his putter before he tapped in for par the ball moved. Hence has was assessed a 1 shot penalty and had to replace the ball to its original position and holed it for his bogey. But I admire him for the honesty and integrity he showed by calling a penalty shot on himself.
Bubba Watson (USA) had birdied the 13th hole so with 3holes to play they were tied at -15. On the 72nd hole they both had birdie putts to get to -16. Webb Simpson (USA) putted 1st from 15feet and missed to the left. So he was first in at -15. Then Bubba Watson (USA) from 10feet left his birdie putt inches short that was to win the Tournament and had to settle for par on the Par 5. So all tied up at -15 it was back to the 18th for the 1st playoff hole. On the 1st playoff hole Webb Simpson (USA) hit it right down the middle on the fairway, but Bubba Watson (USA) missed it to the left. Bubba Watson (USA) hit his mid iron 2nd shot 1st and landed just short of the green on the par 5, Webb Simpson (USA) hit an excellent Fairway wood 2nd shot just over the back of the green and came to rest in a sprinkler head, which was a great break that made up for the bad luck he had 15th hole in regulation play. Bubba Watson (USA) had a difficult chip over the bunkers at the front of the green. His chip came to rest 10feet above the hole. Webb Simpson (USA) after getting a free drop from the sprinkler head used the Texas wedge to putt his ball to within 4feet of the hole. That meant Bubba Watson’s (USA) putt was now a must make. And that is just what he did putting the pressure back on Webb Simpson (USA). But Webb Simpson (USA) was always going to make the 4footer and they had both made birdies. So it was back to the 18th hole again for the 2nd playoff hole.
Webb Simpson (USA) again hit an excellent drive down the centre of the fairway. But Bubba Watson (USA) who was fading it in off the water didn’t get enough fade on it and it landed in the Right fairway bunker narrowly avoiding the water. He played his 2nd shot 1st and with over 220yards left he hit a brilliant 5iron on the front of the green 50feet from the pin. Webb Simpson (USA) then hit a poor fairway wood that landed in one of the front bunkers. He played his 3rd shot 1st and landed it 12feet short of the hole. Bubba Watson (USA) then putted his 50footer for eagle and left it 10feet short. Webb Simpson (USA) just missed his 12foot birdie putt. Bubba Watson (USA) had his 10foot birdie putt for Victory and he calmly rolled it in to claim the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and his 2nd win on the USPGA Tour this year having also won the Farmers Insurance Open in late January. He and Mark Wilson (USA) are the only 2 players so far to win twice on the USPGA Tour in 2011.
He hugged his Mother in celebration that he had brought down for the week to watch him play at this tournament. And his wife gave him a kiss to celebrate as well. It is also the 3rd win of his USPGA Tour career. Bubba Watson (USA) got 500 FedEx Cup points for the win and he moves to 1st on the FedEx Cup Points standings with 1,339 points from the 10events he has played this year to date. He surpasses Mark Wilson (USA) who was the leader for nearly 3months straight. He also earns $US 1,152,000.00 for the win that place him 2nd on the Money list with $US 2,904,817 from the 10events he has played this year so far. Luke Donald (England) now leads the money list with $US 2,926,867 so far from the 7events he has played.
So Bubba Watson (USA) must be the 2nd best left hander player on tour now behind Phil Mickelson (USA)? And he is exempt on the USPGA Tour till the end of 2013. He has only improved since he 1st got full USPGA Tour playing status off the nationwide Tour in 2005. He has made at least $1million in earnings each year to date with earning $US 1,019,264 in his rookie season in 2006, in 2007 he earned $US 1,654,807, in 2008 he earned $US 1,533,523, in 2009 he earned $US 1,430,244 and in 2010 he had his best year of earnings on USPGA Tour to date earning $US 3,198,998 that included his 1st ever win that came at the Travelers Championship and he also finished 2nd in the PGA Championship which is his best finish in a Major Championship so far in his Career. And finished 22nd in the FedEx Cup points standings as well. I look for him to maybe even winning a Major this year. And with his huge hitting and his fearless attitude to playing shots he is always going to be a fan favourite. I hope he has a career year this year. I personally love to watch him every time he is on TV.
Jason Dufner (USA) shot a fine final round 66-6 and finished at -13 in tied for 3rd place. He must be close to getting his 1st win soon and has already secured his playing Status for next year with $US 1,221,685 earned so far this season. Also tied for 3rd at -13 was Tommy (Two Gloves) Gainey (USA) who I mentioned last week as well. He keeps going from strength to strength with his fine play on the USPGA Tour this year. He has now gone over the $US1million in earnings this season with $US 1,250,497 from the 14 events he has played this year. I would love to see him have a win this year. But at least he knows he is guaranteed a 2012 USPGA Tour card. And the final player to tie for 3rd was K. J. Choi (South Korea) at -13. This was the tournament he had won 9years earlier in 2002 for his 1st USPGA Tour win of his career and also in 2002 he became the 1st Korean Golfer to win on the USPGA Tour ever. So the tournament must bring back good memories for him. And he is having another fine season with already having 4 top tens in the 10 events he has play this year so far and earnings of $US 1,205,049 to date so far this season. But he hasn’t won since the 2008 Sony Open in Hawaii. So he will be looking to fix that as soon as possible I feel. And I am looking for him to finally break through and win a Major this year as well.
Tied for 6th was Matt Jones (Australia) at -12, It is his best finish on the USPGA Tour this year to date. And he has now earned $US 391,297 so far this year, but will need some more good finishes if he is going to keep his card for next year. He is coming off his best year on the tour so far because he made $US 1,215,743 for the 27 events he entered last year. Also tied for 6th was George McNeill (USA) at -12, it was his 2nd top 10 of the year having finished 5th at the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com back in Mid March. But he will need to improve on his $US 385,004 he has earned so far this year, because he isn’t exempt on the USPGA Tour this year since finishing outside the top 125 on the money list last year.
Tied for 8th at -10 was Billy Mayfair (USA) who had to go back to the USPGA Tour Final Qualifying School last year because he lost his playing Status, and might I say he was the Medallist there and gained his full status back for 2011 USPGA Tour season. But will need to keep on improving because he has only made $US 380,358 this year so far. I feel he will keep his card because he is too good of a play not too. Also tied for 8th was David Mathis (USA) at -10, it was his best finish of the year to date. But he is struggling again this year like previous years with only $US 290,727 earned from 10 events played. And will need some more good finishes if he wants to keep his card for the 2012 USPGA Tour season. Also tied for 8th on -10 was Andres Romero (Argentina). It was his 1st top 10 of the 2011 USPGA Tour season. Also tied for 8th on -10 was Luke Donald (England), it was just another top 10 for him and shows that he is right on top of his game at the moment. He is now leading the USPGA Tour Money List as I mentioned earlier. And the final player to tie for 8th place at -10 was Greg Chalmers (Australia). It was his 2nd top 10 of the season.
Next week the USPGA Tour heads to North Carolina for the Wells Fargo Championship and it is being played at the Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina. Rory McILroy (NIR) will be looking to defend his title he won last year. And with even a bigger purse this week of $US 6,500,000 it is sure to attract the leading players on the USPGA Tour. It starts on Thursday (5th May). I will report back results in next week’s report.
So to the Top 5 in the Official Golf World Rankings this week. And Lee Westwood (England) extends his points total with 8.22 World Ranking Points to extend his lead at the Top. Martin Kaymer (Germany) is 2nd at 7.55 World Ranking Points, Luke Donald is 3rd with 7.28 World Ranking Points, Phil Mickelson (USA) is 4th with 6.55 World Ranking Points and rounding out the Top 5 is Graeme McDowell (NIR) in 5th with 5.65 World Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) is 7th on the list with 5.54 World Ranking Points. He will more than likely slip further down the list as a knee injury has ruled him out of the next two tournaments he was scheduled to play. And Bubba Watson (USA) gains 6places this week and moves into 10th place on the list with 5.24 World Ranking Points, his highest Official World Ranking of his Career so far.
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| Ted Potter Jr. (USA) with the South Georgia Classic Trophy |
It just shows us all how a player with no playing Status the Nationwide Tour can have an excellent score in the Monday Qualifying and continue that form in the Tournament and go on and win the whole event. I hope this win gives Ted Potter Jr (USA) the confidence to finish in the Top 25 on the Nationwide Tour and earn his USPGA Tour card for the 2012 season. Mathew Goggin (Australia) finished sole 2nd at -13 after 72 holes, he has almost guaranteed his USPGA Tour Card for 2012 season now with the $192,475 he has earned from the 5events he has played this year to date. I feel he belongs on the USPGA Tour, because he has had some great finishes on that tour in the past with the best being tied for 2nd at the 2006 Cialis Western Open and also tied for 2nd at the 2008 Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley. So I wish him luck for the rest of his season on the Nationwide Tour.
Tied for 3rd were Brent Long (USA) and Charles Warren (USA) at -10. Tied 5th were Mark Anderson (USA), Major Manning (USA) and Rob Oppenheim (USA), they were all at -9. Tied 8th were Martin Flores (USA) and Jonas Blixt (Sweden) at -8 and rounding out the top 10 were Brad Elder (USA), Matt Hendrix (USA) and Matt Davidson (USA) on -7. Bradley Iles (NZL) was the only New Zealander in the field to make the cut. He scored rounds of 71-1, 70-2, 72 even and 74+2 for a 72 hole total of 287-1, and finished tied for 38th which earned him $US 2,937.50. He has now earned $US 4,863 from the 5events he has played this year to date which place him in 106th position on the Nationwide Tour Money list. Although it is early in the season he will need some good results to move him up into the top 25 money earners that earn a 2012 USPGA Tour card after the final event of the season which is the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island in late October. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the best New Zealander on the Money list with $US 21,880 earned from the 3events he has played so far this year which puts him in 42nd position.
Josh Geary (NZL) was +2 after 36 holes to miss the cut by 2shots and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) was +5 after 36 holes to miss the cut by 5shots. Next week the Nationwide Tour stays in Georgia for the Stadion Classic at UGA and is played at University of Georgia GC, Athens, Georgia. With a purse of $US 550,000 to be played for it will attract another good field. Martin Piller (USA) is the defending champion. It starts on Thursday (5th May). I will report back final results next week.
So until then remember. Keeping hitting the ball long and straight and make all your putts!
Source: europeantour.com, pgatour.com
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