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| Ian Poulter (England) with the Volvo World Match Play Championship Trophy |
Well it was an 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 there was two tournaments on the European Tour. First I will start with the main one which was Volvo World Match Play Championship and it was played at the Finca Cortesin GC, Casares, Andalucia, Spain. And it was the out spoken English professional Ian Poulter (England) that won the trophy.
This week it was Match play rather than the usual 72hole Stroke play tournament. At the start of the week on Thursday there were 24 players divided into 8 groups of 3 players. On Thursday and Friday they each played each other once in 18 hole match play and the player that led each group after they had all played each other advanced to the last 16 players that qualified for Weekend play. The 8 players that won their matches on Saturday Morning then played the Quarter Finals on Saturday Afternoon.
On Sunday Morning it was the Semi – Finals with only 4 players left. The first Semi – Final saw Martin Kaymer (Germany) verse Luke Donald (England). Luke Donald (England) was too steady for Martin Kaymer (Germany) and convincingly beating him 5&3 and was the first player in to the 18 hole final in the Afternoon. The other Semi – Final saw Ian Poulter (England) take on Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium), and this was a much closer game. It took 19 holes to decide the winner and it was Ian Poulter (England) who eventually prevailed.
So to the final and to decide who was going to hold aloft the Volvo World Match Play Championship Trophy for 2011? It was between two English Men. Luke Donald (England) verse Ian Poulter (England). If Luke Donald (England) won, he would move to the World Number 1 Position. Luke Donald (England) got off to a good start with winning the 2nd hole with a par to go 1up on Ian Poulter (England). But Ian Poulter (England) birdied the Par 4, 4th hole, to get back to square. And then he won the par 5, 5th hole with a birdie as well to go 1up on Luke Donald (England). Luke Donald (England) hit straight back on the next hole with a birdie 2 on the Par 3, 6th hole. So it was back to all square. Luke Donald (England) had the Par 5, 8th hole conceded to him by Ian Poulter (England), so he went back to 1up.
But again Luke Donald (England) gave the 1up lead back on the 9th hole where he made a Bogey to an Ian Poulter (England) par. So they both were all square after 9holes. On to the Par 3, 10th hole, a Luke Donald (England) par to an Ian Poulter (England) bogey meant Luke Donald (England) went back to 1up. But on the par 3, 12th hole, Ian Poulter (England) made a birdie 2 to a Luke Donald (England) par 3. So it was all square with 6 holes to play. On the Par 4, 14th hole, Ian Poulter (England) made a birdie 3 to Luke Donald (England) par 4. So Ian Poulter (England) now had the lead for the 1st time since the 5th hole. They halved the Par 4, 15th hole in bogeys. Then Ian Poulter (England) made a birdie on the Par 4, 16th to a Luke Donald (England) par, so Ian Poulter (England) was now 2up with 2holes to play.
They both made pars on the Par 3, 17th hole. And that meant that Ian Poulter (England) had won the Volvo World Match Play Championship 2&1. It was the 1st time he had ever won the Volvo World Match Play Championship. But it was a great thrill for him because when he was a young boy he used to watch the Volvo World Match Play Championship when it was played at Wentworth Club, Surrey, England. Ian Poulter (England) won € 566,660 for his win and it places him 8th on the Race to Dubai Money list with €698,632 earned from the 8events he has played this year to date. Luke Donald (England) is leading with €1,831,495 earned from the 4 events he has played this year so far. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest placed New Zealander on the list with €163,864 earned from the 7 events he has played this year to date and that places him 61st on the list.
It was also Ian Poulter (England) 1st top 10 of the 2011 season. And it was his 11 career win on the European Tour; also with the win he is exempt on the European Tour till the end of 2013. I feel this win will only increase his confidence. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes on to win a Major this year. Luke Donald (England) again had to settle for 2nd place which will annoy him. But the € 377,770 he earned for coming 2nd has him number 1 on the Race to Dubai Money list as I mentioned earlier. And I am sure he will gain the number 1 ranking in the coming months and perhaps even win a Major?
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| Michael Hoey (NIR) kissing the Madeira Islands Open Trophy that he won |
The other event on the European Tour this week which was also part of the Challenge Tour and it was the Madeira Islands Open that was played at the Porto Santo Golfe, Madeira, Portugal. And it was the Northern Irishman Michael Hoey (NIR) that came away with the top prize. He scored rounds of 72even, 68-4, 67-5 and a final round of 71-1 for a 72 hole total of 278-10. He won by 2shots, it was his 2nd win on the European Tour having also won the Estoril Open de Portugal back in 2009. He earned € 116,660.00 for the win that places him in 54th place on the Race to Dubai Money list with €189,460 earned from the 12 events he has played this year to date. I hope this win gives him the confidence to keep on improving in 2011 season and stay in the Top 60 on the money list that get to play the final event of the season in Dubai in Mid December.
Two English men were tied for 2nd on -8 and they were Jamie Elson (England) and Chris Gane (England). Tied for 4th were Federico Colombo (Italy), Jose Filipe Lima (Portugal), and Lloyd Saltman (Scotland) they were all on -6, in tied 7th place were Markus Brier (Austria), Magnus A Carlsson (Sweden) and Colm Moriarty (Ireland) they were all on -5. And tied for 10th were Alastair Forsyth (Scotland), Sebi Garcia (Spain), Branden Grace (South Africa), Ricardo Santos (Portugal), Lee Slattery (England), and Tom Whitehouse (England) they were all on -4.
Next week on the European Tour they play one of the biggest events of the season and it is the BMW PGA Championship that is being played at the Wentworth Club, Surrey, England and with a purse of €4,500,000 up for grabs it is going to attract a brilliant field. Simon Khan (England) will be looking to defend the title he won last year. It starts on Thursday 26th May and I will report back who took home the spoils next week.
So to the USPGA Tour and the FedEx Cup and this week it was the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and it was played at Colonial CC, Ft. Worth, Texas. And it was last week’s runner up David Toms (USA) who managed to pick himself up from the disappointment from last week and win this week. He scored two brilliant rounds to start with, with back to back 62-8’s in rounds one and two which gave him a 7shot lead after 36holes. But he came back to the field in the 3rd round scoring 74+4 and was 1shot out of the lead heading into the final round, but a final round 67-3 gave him a 72 hole total of 265-15 and he won by 1shot.
In the final round he played a steady front nine of 34-1 without a drop shot on the card. That put him at -13 with 9holes to play and a 1shot lead over Charlie Wi (South Korea). But the turning point in the tournament for David Toms (USA) was when he holed his 3rd shot with a Wedge on the Par 5, 11th hole for an eagle 3. He was now -15, and when he added another birdie when he hole a curling left to right putt on the par 4, 14th hole to get to -16 the Tournament was virtually his for the taking. Charlie Wi (South Korea) reduced the lead to two shots when he birdied the Par 3, 16th hole to a David Toms (USA) par, and Charlie Wi (South Korea) pared the Par 4, 17th hole to a David Toms (USA) bogey.
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| David Toms (USA) with the Jacket and Trophy for winning the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial |
That meant there was some excitement on the 72nd hole because David Toms (USA) only had a 1shot lead over Charlie Wi (South Korea). Charlie Wi (South Korea) hit 1st and missed the fairway to the right in the rough. David Toms (USA) hit next and hit his tee shot straight down the middle of the fairway. David Toms (USA) hit his 2nd shot into the green 1st and left it 25feet under the hole on the green. Charlie Wi (South Korea) hit his 2nd about 30feet past the pin. Charlie Wi (South Korea) putted for his birdie 1st and just missed. That meant that all David Toms (USA) had to do was 2putt and that is just what he did. It was a great win for him and he had his wife and kids there to share the moment with him.
The win brought a tear to David Toms (USA) eye as it had been almost 5 and a half years since his last win that came in the Sony Open in Hawaii back in 2006. But at age 44 this win must of felt good after the disappointment of last week. And of course at that age you never know if it is going to be your last. It was his 13th win on the USPGA Tour. And one of those wins was the 2001 PGA Championship which is a Major and properly the most important one of his career. He got 500 FedEx Cup points for the win which now places him 4th on the FedEx Cup Points list with 1,229 points earned from the 11 events he has played this year to date. He is 154 points behind the leader Bubba Watson (USA) who has 1,383 points that he has earned from the 12 events he has played this year to date.
David Toms (USA) won $US 1,116,000.00 for the win and moves to 4th on the USPGA Tour Money list with $2,842,215 earned from the 11 events he has played this year to date. Luke Donald (England) is still leading with $3,344,867 earned from the 8events he has played this year to date. So the last 2weeks David Toms (USA) has really found something in his game. I look for him to continue this form for the rest of the year and to contend in the remaining 3 Major Championships. And more than like make the 2011 Presidents Cup Team that plays the Internationals at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Melbourne, Australia in mid November.
So I wish him all the best for the 2011 Season. In solo 2nd place at -14 after 72 holes was Charlie Wi (South Korea), it was his best finish of the season for him and his 1st top 10 of the season as well. But now he knows his card for 2012 USPGA Tour season is secure, I feel he just may win his 1st USPGA Tour event in the near future. In Solo 3rd place was Bo Van Pelt (USA) at -10, in sole 4th place was the Defending Champion Zach Johnson (USA) at-9, in tied 5th place were Robert Karlsson (Sweden) and Chez Reavie (USA) at -8, in solo 7th place was Kevin Stadler (USA) at -7, Tied for 8th place were Bill Haas (USA) and John Senden (Australia) at -6, and rounding out the top 10 were Kris Blanks (USA), Kevin Streelman (USA), Rod Pampling (Australia), Hunter Mahan (USA), Martin Laird (Scotland) and Paul Goydos (USA) continued on his fine form from the PLAYERS Championship last week where he finished 3rd to tied for 10th here as well with the rest of the players I mentioned at -5.
Next week the USPGA Tour stays in Texas for the HP Byron Nelson Championship which is being played at the TPC Four Seasons Resort, Irving, Texas. And Jason Day (Australia) is the defending champion. With a purse of $US 6,500,000 to play for it is sure to attract another great field. I will report back who took home the Trophy next week.
Now to the Top 5 players on the Official World Rankings this week. Still at number 1 is Lee Westwood (England) with 8.08 Official World Ranking Points, but Luke Donald (England) is very close on his heels with 8.03 Official World Ranking Points, in 3rd place is Martin Kaymer (Germany) on 7.49 Official World Ranking Points, in 4th place is Phil Mickelson (USA) with 6.29 Official World Ranking Points, and rounding out the Top 5 is Graeme McDowell (NIR) with 5.71 Official World Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) this week has slipped out of the Top 10 into 12th place with 5.03 Official World Ranking Points. Best New Zealander is still Danny Lee (New Zealand) with 0.58 Official World Ranking Points and has moved up 53 places to have an Official World Ranking of 289th in the World after his 3rd place finish in the recent Nationwide Tour Event.
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| Garth Mulroy (RSA) with the BMW Charity Pro-Am Trophy |
Now to the last event I am reporting on this week, and it is on the Nationwide Tour and it is the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation and it was played at three courses that were Thornblade Club, Greer, South Carolina, Bright's Creek Golf Club, Mill Spring, North Carolina and The Carolina Country Club, Spartanburg, South Carolina. Garth Mulroy (RSA) scored rounds of 65-7, 66-6, 70-1 and 67-4 for a 72 hole total of 268-18. But he was joined on that score by Sung-Hoon Kang (South Korea) who scored rounds of 67-5, 63-8, 69-3 and a final round of 69-2 for a 72 hole total of 268-18.
So the 2 players headed back to the 18th tee for the 1st playoff hole. Garth Mulroy (RSA) made a par 4 to Sung-Hoon Kang (South Korea) bogey 5. So Garth Mulroy (RSA) won his 2nd Nationwide Tour event having won the South Georgia Classic Pres'd by First State Bank and Trust Company back in 2009. He earns $US 108,000.00 for the win moves to 2nd on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 123,065 earned from the 5events he has played this year. Mathew Goggin (Australia) is still leading with the $US 194,440 he has earned from the 6events he has played this year to date.
It was a fine win by Garth Mulroy (RSA), having played the USPGA Tour in 2010 after finishing in the Top 25 on the Nationwide Tour in 2009 to get his card on the USPGA Tour in 2010 season, but injury struck him last year in his rookie year on the USPGA Tour and he only managed to play 19 events and earned $US 287,118 from them which placed him 178th on the 2010 USPGA Money list not enough to keep his playing status for the 2011 season. So he chose to stick with the Nationwide Tour this season. I feel he will gain his USPGA Tour card back for 2012 and maybe even win 2 more Tournaments and gain a Battlefield Promotion to the USPGA Tour? I wish him all the best for the rest of the season.
Sung-Hoon Kang (South Korea) had his best ever finish on the Nationwide Tour in his 1st ever event he has played on that tour. He qualified for the USPGA Tour for the 2011 season having finished tied 16th at the 2010 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament but has been struggling in his rookie season with only 3cuts made from 8events played and is 193rd on the USPGA Tour Money list. So this result should help his confidence when he goes back to the USPGA Tour. He won $US 64,800.00 for coming 2nd and is now 13th on the Nationwide Tour Money list. Maybe he should stick to the Nationwide Tour for a few more weeks? I wish him luck for the rest of 2011.
Danny Lee (New Zealand) scored rounds of 68-4, 66-6, 70-1 and a brilliant final round of 65-6 to have a 72 hole total of 269-17 and he finished in solo 3rd position. It was his 3 consecutive top 10 finish in a row and so far his best finish ever on the Nationwide Tour. He won $US 64,800.00 for finishing 3rd and has now moved to 10th on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $84,336 earned from the 5events he has played this year to date. He is well inside the Top 25 players now that gain their cards after the final event of the season in October. Although it is still early days I feel he will get his 2012 USPGA Tour card. And I feel he will win an event on the Nationwide Tour this year. He has made every cut on the Nationwide Tour this year in the 5events he has played. The only dilemma he has now is does he concentrate solely on the Nationwide Tour? Or does he play some more events on the European Tour? As he is well placed on the Race to Dubai Money list as I mentioned earlier. I wish him luck whatever path he chooses.
Tied 4th were B. J. Staten (USA), Roberto Castro (USA), Andrew Buckle (Australia), Will Mackenzie (USA), Brent Delahoussaye (USA), and Travis Hampshire (USA) who scored 60-12 in the 1st round, they were all on -16, and rounding out the Top 10 at tied for 10th were Cliff Kresge (USA) and Brendon Todd (USA) who were both on -15. The other New Zealand players to make the cut were Bradley Iles (New Zealand) who scored rounds of 69-3, 68-3, 68-4 and a final round of 71 even for a 72 hole total of 276-10, that left him in tied 38th place and he earned $US 2,820.00 for the week. He now moves to 106th on the Nationwide Tour Money list with the $US 7,683 he has earned from the 7 events he has played this year to date. But will need some good results in the come weeks to get inside the top 25.
Tim Wilkinson (New Zealand) was the other New Zealand player to make the cut. He scored rounds of 70-2, 67-4, 69-3 and a final round of 72+1 for a 72 hole total of 278-8 and tied for 48th. He won $US 2,100.00 for his efforts and now moves to 100th place on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 8,686 earned from the 7 events he has played this year to date. He will need to have some good results in the near future to get inside the Top 25 players on the money list that gain there 2012 USPGA Tour cards at the end of the season.
The other New Zealanders that were in the field but failed to make the cut were Josh Geary (New Zealand) who scored rounds of 68-3, 70-1, and 71-1 for a 54 hole total of 209-6 and missed the cut by 1shot. And Steven Alker (New Zealand) who scored rounds of 69-2, 71-1 and 74+2 for a 54 hole total of 214-1 and missed the cut by 6shots.
The Nationwide Tour has the week off next week. It resumes on the Thursday 2nd June, and is the Melwood Prince George’s County Open Presented by Under Armour and is played at the University of Maryland GC, College Park, Maryland. With a purse of $US 600,000 up for grabs it is sure to attract another good field. And I suspect it will have a brand new champion as the defending champion Tommy (Two Gloves) Gainey (USA) is now a Full USPGA Tour member and won’t be playing? I will report back who took home the trophy in 2weeks time.
So until then remember hitting all the fairways and greens and making all your putts equals great scores!!
Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com
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