Golf Events from the Weekend 26th June 2011

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 BMW International Open in Germany and it was played at the Golf club München Eichenried, Munich, Germany. And it was the Spanish Golfer by the name of Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) that won the trophy. He scored rounds of 68-4, 67-5, 69-3 and a final round of 68-4 for a 72 hole total of 272-16. But he was tied on that score by fellow country man, Sergio Garcia (Spain). He scored rounds of 69-3, 71-1, 64-8 and a final round of 68-4 for a 72 hole total of also 272-16.



Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) celebrates after just winning the BMW International Open

 So Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) and Sergio Garcia (Spain) both headed back to the Par 5, 18th hole for the 1st playoff hole. Both players split the fairway with great drives, both to just within range of the green in two on this Par 5. Garcia hit a towering 3 wood in to the heart of the green from 284 yards which was matched by Larrazabal from 275 yards. Larrazabal's eagle putt shaves the hole, he tapped in for birdie. Garcia did the same and the players head back to the tee.

They headed back to the Par 5, 18th hole again for the second playoff hole. Garcia’s drive carried the water hazard on the corner but finished in the left hand rough. Larrazabal hit straight down the middle of the fairway. Larrazabal found the green and Garcia's second was fired out of the tricky lie with a wood, skipped over the bunker and finished just off the green. Garcia chipped close as Larrazabal laid his putt stone dead so again both players make birdie 4s.

So to the 3rd playoff hole, it was the par 3, 12th hole. Garcia's tee shot was a little long and left and finished on the fringe. Larrazabal found the green about 15 feet away. Garcia's putt looked in but lips out. Larrazabal's putt misses left; on they go to the 4th playoff hole which was the par 3, 17th hole.

Garcia hits a great tee shot pin high 15 feet left followed by Larrazabal who's straighter tee shot finishes about 12 feet behind the hole. Garcia pushes his putt and taps in for a par 3. Larrazabal also misses right, hole halved in 3.

Playing the Par 5, 18th hole for the 4th time today as the 5th playoff hole, Garcia's drive stays just out of the fairway bunker. A Perfect drive from Larrazabal landed right in the centre of the fairway. Garcia hits a magnificent 3-Wood from the edge of the bunker and is followed by Larrazabal who leaks his approach a little right but still on the green. Larrazabal plays his 22 yard putt close to the hole for his 3rd shot. Garcia's putt shaves the hole but runs a good 4 feet past. Garcia's putt lips out and Larrazabal holes out for victory.



Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) holding the BMW International Trophy

 So Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) won his 2nd event on the European Tour and his 1st since the Open de France ALSTOM that he won in 2008. For winning the BMW International Open he won € 333,330.00 and he is now in 10th place on the Race to Dubai Money list with €746,964 earned from the 16 events he has played this year to date so far. Luke Donald (England) still leads with €2,603,281 from the 6 events he has played this year to date. It will be a great boost to Pablo Larrazabal’s (Spain) confidence as he had already had 3 top 5 finishes this season. I look for him to maybe contend at the 140th Open Championship (3rd Major) that will be played in a couple of weeks. So it is good to see the 28 year doing so well. And I wish him all the best with the rest of his season. It was great to see Sergio Garcia (Spain) up there as well backing up his fine showing at the US Open Championship last week. A win must not be too far away for him? He won € 222,220 for coming 2nd and now moves to 23rd on the Race to Dubai Money list with €504,778 earned from the 7 events he has played this year. He must be due for his 9th win on the European Tour soon, because he hasn’t won since winning the HSBC Champions in China in 2009. I wish him all the best for the rest of the season. The late Seve Ballesteros (Spain) would have been proud of both players.

In tied for 3rd place at -14 were Scott Jamieson (Scotland) who scored a final round 64-8, Joost Luiton (Netherlands), George Coetzee (RSA), Retief Goosen (RSA) and Mark Foster (England) who was leading at the start of the day, but he scored an average final round of 72 even. In 8th place at -13 was Robert Coles (England). Rounding out the Top 10 in tied 9th place were Ross Fisher (England), Henrik Stenson (Sweden) and Lee Slattery (England) they were all -12.

Both New Zealanders in the field missed the cut. Best of them was Michael Campbell (NZL) who scored rounds of 77+5 and 67-5 for a 36 hole total of 144 even and he missed the cut by 2shots. But at least the 67-5 second round should give him some confidence for next week. Mark Brown (NZL) scored rounds of 76+4 and 70-2 for a 36 hole total of 146+2 and missed the cut by 4shots, but again his 2nd round would give him hope for the next tournament.

Next week the European Tour heads to France for the Alstom Open de France and it is being played at the Le Golf National, Paris, France. With a huge prize purse of €3,000,000 to play for it is going to attract the European Tours best players. Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) is the defending champion and will be keen to win again. It starts on Thursday 30th June and I will report back who won next week.

The 2nd event I am reporting on this week is the CVS Caremark Charity Classic and was played at the Rhode Island CC, Barrington, Rhode Island. It was a fun tournament which was played last Monday (20th June) and Tuesday (21st June) and it was played in the Four ball Best ball format. This year it was won by Matt Kuchar (USA) and Zach Johnson (USA). They scored a record-setting two-round total of 24-under-par 118. The previous record in the best-ball format was 119 -23 set in 2001. Morgan Pressel (USA) and Davis Love III (USA) finished second at 120-22 for the 36 holes. So Matt Kuchar (USA) and Zach Johnson (USA) will back to defend their title next year for sure.



The 3rd event I am reporting on this week is the Travelers Championship and was played at TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut. And it was the Swedish Professional by the name of Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) playing in his 188th USPGA Tour event and he finally got his 1st win of his career. He scored rounds of 65-5, 66-4, 63-7 and a final round of 66-4 for a 72 hole total of 260-20 and won by 1shot. The amazing thing is that in the 72 holes he played he only made 1 bogey. Coming up the 72nd hole he believed he was tied for the lead with Ryan Moore (USA), because he never knew that Ryan Moore (USA) had made a bogey 5 on the 18th hole. He hit a good drive down the 18th hole and got a nice bounce into the fairway off the slope to the right of the fairway. He then hit a fine short iron into 20 feet short of the hole. And that left him 2putts for his 1st USPGA Tour win. He rolled his birdie putt to within inches of the cup and tapped in for his Par 4.



Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) holding the Travelers Championship
Trophy he won



For the win he earned 500 FedEx Cup points and that moves him to 18th on the FedEx Cup Points list with 1,112 points earned from the 18 events he has played this year to date. He is now 343 points behind Luke Donald (England) who is still leading on 1,455 points earned from the 10 events he has played this year to date. But his margin is very slim because Bubba Watson (USA) is in 2nd position on 1,448 points that he has earned from the 15 events he has played this year to date, he is now only 7 points behind Luke Donald (England).

Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) won $US 1,080,000.00 for the win and now moves to 20th on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 2,026,682 earned from the 18 events he has played this year to date. Luke Donald (England) still leads with $US 3,550,248 earned from the 10 events he has played this year to date. Since gaining his USPGA Tour Status in 2003 he has performed consistent every year since. Winning at least $US 1, 000, 000 each year since 2007 and he went very close to winning some of those events. So I am so happy for him to finally get his 1st win. And I hope he wins again soon and challenges in the coming Major Championships this year. I wish him all the best for the 2011 season.

Another  Photo of Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) holding the Travelers Championship Trophy

Ryan Moore (USA) wouldn’t have been happy with bogeying the last hole, but his round of 63-7 in the final round to finish at -19 after 72 holes must give him a lot of confidence. And he tied for 2nd with John Rollins (USA) who was also -19. They both earned $US 528,000.00 which will be well appreciated by both of them. Michael Thompson (USA) shot the best final round of 62-8 and finished at -18 in solo 4th place. It was his best finish on the USPGA Tour after gaining his card at the USPGA Tour Qualifying School last year (2010). He has now earned $US 438,291 from the 13 events he has played this year to date. And that places him in 119th Position on the USPGA Tour Money list. He is in good position to keep his card for the 2012 USPGA Tour season. But will need about $US 800, 000 to be sure of it because on the 2010 USPGA Tour final money list, Troy Merritt (USA) had earned  $US 786,977 was in 125th Position, and only the top 125 on the money list keep their full playing status for the following season.

In tied 6th position on -15 were Kevin Streelman (USA), Andres Romero (Argentina) and Bryce Molder (USA). Rounding out the top 10 at -14 in tied for 9th place were Tom Gillis (USA), Brian Davies (England), John Merrick (USA) and Blake Adams (USA). The scoring this week was extremely low with -4 being the lowest 36 hole cut of the 2011 USPGA Tour season so far.

Next week the USPGA Tour heads to Pennsylvania for the AT&T National and it is being played at Aronimink Golf Club, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania and Tiger Woods (USA) although he is not playing is hosting this tournament with the money raised all going to the Tiger Woods Foundation and it also supports the Armed Force from the USA. It is always played around the 4th July which is American Independence Day. With a purse of $US 6,200,000 to play for it always has a brilliant field. Justin Rose (England) is the defending champion and will be keen to get his 1st win on the USPGA Tour in 2011. It starts on Thursday 30th June and I will report back who won next week.

So to the Top 5 in the Official World Golf Rankings this week. Still Number 1 is Luke Donald (England) with 9.14 Official World Ranking Points. At Number 2 is Lee Westwood (England) with 8.66 Official World Ranking Points. At Number 3 is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 7.23 Official World Ranking Points and it is the first time since the Official World Golf Rankings began in 1985 that 3 Golfers from the United Kingdom have occupied the top 3 rankings on the Official World Golf Rankings, a fine achievement for them I say. At Number 4 is Martin Kaymer (Germany) with 7.14 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 is Steve Stricker (USA) with 6.39 Official World Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) remains in 17th position this week with 4.22 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the best New Zealander with .60 Official World Ranking Points, but he slips 2 places this week and is now at 284th on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list.

The 3rd tournament I am reporting on this week is on the Champions Tour and is the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open and it was played at En-Joie GC, Endicott, New York where the old B. C. Open used to be played for years on the USPGA Tour before it folded. And this week it was the recently turned 50 year old John Huston (USA) that got his 1st win on the Champions Tour in just his 3rd start. He scored rounds of 65-7, 70-2 and a final round of 65-7 for a 54 hole total of 200-16, and that gave him a 3shot victory. It was a great start to his Champions Tour Career to get a win so early in his career. And considering he has won 7 times in his USPGA Tour Career, I expect him to win many more times on the Champions Tour before his Champions Tour Career is finished.

John Huston (USA) in action during the final round of the Dick's Sporting Goods Open

John Huston (USA) earns $US 262,500.00 for the win and it places him 25th Position on the Champions Tour Money list with $312,004 earned from the 3 events he has played this year to date. Tom Lehman (USA) still leads with $US 1,259,570 earned from the 10 events he has played to date this year. John Huston (USA) is also in 26th position on the Charles Schwab Cup Points list with 263 points earned from the 3events he has played this year to date. He is 1,231 points behind the Charles Schwab Cup Points list leader Tom Lehman (USA) who has earned 1,494 points from the 10 events he has played this year to date.

So I wish John Huston (USA) all the best for the rest of the year on the Champions Tour and hope he wins some more tournaments. In 2nd place was Nick Price (Zimbabwe), he was -13 after 54 holes. I can still remember watching Nick Price (Zimbabwe) win the 1992 Air NZ Shell Open at the Grange Golf Club, in Auckland. That year he beat Lucas Parson’s (Australia) on the 1st playoff hole, after scoring 63-7 in the final round to get in the playoff. In 3rd place was Mark Wiebe (USA) who finished on -12. He was looking like the player to beat after taking the lead into the final round. But he hit a speed bump when he made 3 bogies in a row from holes 12 to 14. But it was still another fine finish for him. In tied 4th place were Jim Gallagher, Jr. (USA) and Joey Sindelar (USA), they were both -11, Peter Senior (Australia) was tied for 6th at -10, he continued on his fine form in his 2nd full season on the Champions Tour and he has had 6 top 10 finishes from the 10 events he has entered to date this year, which included a tie for 2nd at the Regions Tradition which was the 1st Major Championship of the Champions Tour season back in early May. He has earned $US 547,441 that places him in 9th position on the Champions Tour Money list and he also has earned 717 Charles Schwab Points and that places him in 4th position on the list. He is 777 points behind Tom Lehman (USA) who is the Charles Schwab Points leader. A win on the Champions Tour isn’t too far away I suggest?

Also tied for 6th on -10 were Peter Jacobson (USA), who just last week was commentating for NBC Sports at the US Open Championship, Ted Schulz (USA) and Jay Don Blake (USA) were also -10 in tied 6th place. Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 10th position on -9 was Jim Rutledge (Canada) who won ING New Zealand PGA Championship in 2006 on the Nationwide Tour, and spent 2007 on the USPGA Tour with little success. Also tied for 10th was 67 year old Hale Irwin (USA) who recorded his 203rd top-10 of his Champions Tour career, just amazing really. Lee Rinker (USA), David Frost (South Africa) and Mark Calcavecchia (USA) were also tied for 10th on -9.

Next week the Champions Tour heads to Canada for the Montreal Championship presented by Desjardins and it is being played at Club de Golf Fontainebleau, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. With $US 1,800,000 to play for it is sure to attract another fine field. Larry Mize (USA) the 1987 Master Tournament Champion is the defending champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Friday 1st July and I will report back who took home the Spoils next week.

The final event I am reporting on this week is on the Nationwide Tour and was the 53rd Mexico Open Presented by Banamex and it was played at El Bosque Golf Club, Leon, GTO, Mexico. And it was Erik Compton (USA) a twice a heart transplant recipient that prevailed to win his 1st ever Nationwide Tour event. He scored rounds of 68-4, 70-2, 68-4 and a final round of 65-7 for a 72 hole total of 271-17 and won by 2shots in the rain interrupted event. He is just an amazing story with all the health issues he has had in his life. He wins $US 126,000.00 for the win which places him in 2nd on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 215,709 earned from the 9events he has played this to date and now is virtually assured of getting his 2012 USPGA Tour card by finishing inside the top 25 on the Nationwide Tour’s final 2011 Money list. Mathew Goggin (Australia) is still leading with $US 303,898 he has earned from the 9events he has played to date this year.

Erik Compton (USA) in action 53rd Mexico Open present by Banamex

He to me is the feel good story on the 2011 Nationwide Tour after all he has been through in his life he has had the courage to follow his passion and his talent. He has already played a few USPGA Tour events on Sponsor’s exemptions and next week he has been given another one to play in at the AT&T National. But the 9events he has played on the Nationwide Tour this year he has made 8 cuts and had 3 top 5 finishes, and withdrew from the other one. So it is hardly a surprise to me that he won this event. I hope he continues on his fine form and makes the cut at the AT&T National this week. And he has already played 4events on the USPGA Tour in 2011 and made the cut in all of them. So I wish him luck on both tours for the rest of the 2011 season.

In 2nd position was Richard H. Lee (USA) on -15, in 3rd position was Will Wilcox (USA) on -14. Tied for 4th were James Nitties (Australia), Roberto Castro (USA), Chris Baker (USA), Kyle Thompson (USA) and Matthew Giles (Australia), they were all -13. Rounding out the top 10 at -12 in tied 9th place were Justin Bolli (USA) and Casey Wittenberg (USA). Best of the New Zealanders in the field this week was Josh Geary (NZL), he scored rounds of 72 even, 70-2, 69-3 and a final round of 70-2 for a 72 hole total of 281-7 and he tied for 29th place. He won $US 4,573.34 for his weeks work and is now in 39th position on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 46,193 earned from the 11 events he has played this year to date. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the best positioned New Zealander on the Money list with $US 84,336 earned from the 5 events he has played this year to date. That puts him in 19th position. But he hasn’t played since finishing 3rd in the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation in late May because of injury.

But Josh Geary (NZL) after having a slow start to his season has had a great month in June, making every single cut in the four events he played and he had two top 10 finishes as well. He is now well on his way to getting in the Top 25 Money earners that get their 2012 USPGA Tour cards after the final event on the Nationwide Tour which is the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island in late October. I wish him all the best for the rest of the season. The other New Zealander in the field was Bradley Iles (NZL) and he scored rounds of 73+1 and 74+2 to be a 147+3 after 36 holes and miss the halfway cut by 4strokes. It continues on the poor form he has been showing this season on the Nationwide Tour, with out of the 11 events he has played he has only made 5 cuts. And has only earned $US 13,643 from those 11 starts that places him in 112th Position on the Nationwide Tour Money list. He will need a major improvement to make the USPGA Tour next year. But I hope he returns to top form soon.

The Nationwide Tour now takes a 2week break before it returns in Ohio, for the Chiquita Classic that is played at the TPC River's Bend, Maineville, Ohio. It has a purse of $US 550,000 up for the taking. It will have a new Champion because Tommy (Two Gloves) Gainey (USA) is now playing on the USPGA Tour after getting his card from this win last year. It starts on Thursday 14th July and I will report back who the new Champion is soon as the results come in.

So until next week and my next report, remember in the winter conditions fly the ball right to the flags stick because it is guaranteed to stop dead once it lands!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com

















Golf Events from the Weekend 19th June 2011



Matthew Zions (Australia) holding the Saint-Omer Open presented by
Neuflize  OBC that he won

Well what an exciting weekend it was 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 co-sanctioned with the Challenge Tour because the 111th US Open Championship (2nd Major Championship) of the year was being played in America. And it was the Saint-Omer Open presented by Neuflize OBC and it was played at Aa Saint Omer GC, Lumbres, France. And it was the young Australian Professional by the name of Matthew Zions (Australia) that came out on top.

He scored rounds of 68-3, 72+1, 67-4 and a final round of 69-2 for a 72 hole total of 276-8 and he won his maiden European Tour event by 7shots. He played a solid final round with scoring 35-1 on the front nine; he bogeyed the par 4, 5th, but made solid birdies on the par 4, 8th and par 5, 9th holes. He played a good back nine, with birdies on the par 3, 11th hole and the Par 5, 14th hole and the lone bogey came at the Par 4, 13th hole. He came home in 34-1 for a final round of 69-2. It was his 1st win on the European Tour, and for the win he earns € 100,000.00. He is now in 93rd place on the Race to Dubai Money list with €140,634 earned from the 14 events he has played this year to date. Luke Donald (England) still leads with €2,603,281 earned from the 6events he has played this year to date.

It was great to see Matthew Zions (Australia) finally get his 1st win on the European Tour after many years of trying. After gaining his card for the European Tour at the 2006 qualifying school in his 1st attempt going through all 3 stages, he failed to keep his card in his rookie season in 2007, So he spent 2008-10 seasons on the Challenge Tour, and last year finished in 15th position on the Challenge Tour Rankings with €63,176 earned from the 19 events he played and gained his European Tour card for the 2011 season. Now he has a 2year exemption on the European Tour, I look for him to keep on improving and maybe even win again this year. I wish him all the best with his future in game.

Tied for 2nd were Peter Gustafsson (Sweden), Craig Lee (Scotland) and Daniel Denison (England), they were all at -1 after 72holes. Tied for 5th at even par were Marco Ruiz (Paraguay), Andrew Tampion (Australia), Lee Slattery (England), Lorennzo Gagli (Italy), Anders Schmidt Hansen (Denmark), Jorge Campillo (Spain) and Andrea Perrino (Italy). Next week the European Tour and the Race to Dubai head to Germany for the BMW International Open and it is being played at Golfclub München Eichenried, Munich, Germany. With a huge prize purse of €2,000,000 to play for it is sure to attract some of Europe’s best players. David Horsey (England) is the defending Champion and will be looking to defend his title he won last year. It starts on Thursday 23rd June. I will report back next week who won.

Rory McILroy (NIR) in action during his amazing
US Open Championship record breaking win by 8shots!!

The 2nd tournament I am reporting on is the 2nd Major of the year which was the 111th US Open Championship which was part of the European Tour and USPGA Tours. This year it was being played at Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, Maryland. It was the 3rd time the US Open Championship had been played on this course. The 1st time was in 1964 when Ken Venturi (USA) won, the 2nd in 1997 when Ernie Els (RSA) won. But this week it was the rising of a new star in the Golfing World. Rory McILroy (NIR) showed that this week was going to be the week when he would win his 1st Major Championship, with starting out on Thursday (16th June) in the 1st round shooting an incredible 65-6 to lead by 3shots. When he holed his 2nd shot on the par 4, 8th hole on Friday (17th June) for an eagle 2, he became the quickest player to get to ten under doing it in 26 holes in the 111 year history of the US Open, and when Rory birdied the par 4, 14th hole he became the quickest player to get to 11 under doing it in 32 holes in the history of the US Open. When he birdied the par 5, 16th hole he became the quickest player to get to 12 under doing it in 34 holes in the history of the US Open, and when he birdied the par 4, 17th hole he became the quickest player to get to 13 under doing it in 35 holes in the history of the US Open. He had his 1st drop shots of the tournament on the 18th hole when he put his 2nd shot in the water and ended up with a double bogey 6. But he still returned a score of 66-5 in the 2nd round. And it was good enough for the lowest halfway total in the history of the US Open Championship which was 131-11 and a 6shot lead over his nearest competitor that was Y. E. Yang (South Korea) who was -6.  That was also the equal biggest halfway lead ever in the US Open. Tiger Woods (USA) also lead by 6shots after 36 holes in the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach.

Rory McILroy (NIR) kisses the US Open Championship Trophy
during  the presentation

So to Saturday (18th June) and the 3rd Round, Rory McILroy (NIR) got off to another good start paring the 1st four holes. But birdies on the 5th and 9th holes saw him got out in 34-2, and he was -13 for the US Open Championship. He started the back nine with his 1st bogey of the tournament on the Par 3, 10th hole, but got the stroke straight back when he birdied the long Par 4, 11th hole from the left rough with an Amazing 2nd shot with a mid iron that almost when in the hole on the full. Then he rolled the left to right breaking putt into the centre of the hole at perfect speed. He pumped his fist in delight to show some emotion. When he birdied the Par 4, 14th hole he became the quickest player to get to 14 under doing it in 50 holes in the history of the US Open Championship. He scored 68-3 in the 3rd round and had a 54 hole total of 199-14 which was the lowest ever in US Open history.

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

So to Sunday (19th June) and the final round of the 111th US Open Championship. Rory McILroy (NIR) must have been thinking about the 4 stroke lead he blew after 54 holes just 10 weeks ago at the 1st Major of that year that was the Masters Tournament before he teed off in final round. But the way he started the final round he didn’t show that he was. He made a fine birdie 3 on the Par 4, 1st hole and became the quickest player to get to 15 under doing it in 55 holes in the history of the US Open Championship. And when Rory McILroy (NIR) birdied the par 4, 4th hole he became the quickest player to get to 16 under doing it in 58 holes in the history of the US Open Championship. He went out in 34-2 and had an 8shot lead over Y. E. Yang (South Korea).

Just before he teed off on the Par 3, 10th hole, a bird flying over the hole flew down and landed right on top of the flag stick. Maybe that was a good omen for Rory McILroy (NIR), because he hit an excellent long iron tee shot that landed right over the flag stick, and rolled back off the slope to 1foot from the hole for an easy tap in birdie 2. And he became the quickest player to get to 17 under doing it in 64 holes in the history of the US Open Championship. From that point on Rory McILroy (NIR) knew he was more than likely going to win the 111th US Open Championship. He made a bogey on the Par 4, 12th hole when he put his tee shot in the right hand fairway bunker and was unable to reach the long par 4 in 2shots, and failed to get up and down with his short wedge shot.  But birdied the short par 5, 16th hole to get back to -17, and now had a 9shot lead over Jason Day (Australia) who had completed 72 holes at 276-8. Rory McILroy (NIR) then pulled his approach shot to the par 4, 17th hole and landed 35 feet to the left of the pin, leaving an impossible downhill putt. Rory McILroy (NIR) got really cautious on his 1st putt leaving it 10feet short, and he missed the putt for par, and that caused him to have his 1st 3putt of the tournament. So the bogey on the 17th hole left him back on -16 and an 8 stroke lead with 1 hole to play.

 He teed off on the 18th hole and slightly pulled his shot to the left of the fairway in the rough. He hit a sensible 2nd shot to the front of the green. The pin was tucked right at the back over a little ridge. But his approach putt showed how he had been playing the whole tournament; he rolled it down at perfect speed to about 2feet from the cup. He tapped in for his par 4, so his 4 rounds for the 4 days were 65-6, 66-5, 68-3 and 69-2 in the final round, and added up to a 72 hole total of 268-16 which was the most under par ever in the 111 year history of the US Open Championship since it started in 1895. And 268 strokes were the lowest in 111 year history of the US Open Championship by 4 strokes. He also became the 2nd player ever to score 4 rounds in the 60’s in the US Open Championship.

Rory McILroy (NIR) with the US Open Championship Trophy
he won

So Rory McILroy (NIR) had won his 1st ever Major Championship in Sensational Fashion. During the tournament he made 1eagle, 19 birdies, 48 pars, 3 bogeys, and 1 double bogey. He gave his Dad who had been watching him all day a Hug. And wished him Happy Fathers Days, because it was Fathers Day in the USA and the UK. He won € 1,003,414.40 for his win and moves to 3rd place on the Race to Dubai Money list with €1,720,771 earned from the 9events he has played this year to date. He is not a member of the USPGA Tour so he can’t get a ranking on the FedEx Cup Points list. The Amazing thing is this win is only the 3rd of Rory McILroy (NIR) Professional Career. Having won previously the Dubai Desert Classic in 2009 and the Wells Fargo Championship in 2010 on the USPGA Tour. And he became the 2nd straight Northern Irishman to win the US Open Championship, because Graeme McDowell (NIR) won it in 2010 at Pebble Beach Golf Links. An amazing feat for a country that has only 5million people. I look for Rory McILroy (NIR) to go from Strength to Strength from this US Open Championship win. And expect him to win another major soon. And I wish him luck with that.

In 2nd place was Jason Day (Australia) with rounds of 71 even, 72+1, 65-6 and a final round of 68-3 for a 72 hole total of 276-8. It was his second 2nd place in as many Majors after he also finished tied for 2nd at the Masters Tournament in April. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins a major in the near future. Best of the American players was Robert Garrigus (USA) and Kevin Chappell (USA) who were both -6, along with Lee Westwood (England) and Y. E. Yang (South Korea) and they were all tied for 3rd. Tied for 7th were Peter Hanson (Sweden) and Sergio Garcia (Spain) at -5, rounding out the top 10 were two South African Golfers, and they are both recent Major Championship winners, they were Charl Schwartzel (RSA) the current Master Champion, and Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) the current Open Champion. They were both -4.

Defending Champion Graeme McDowell (NIR) had a fine defence of his title. He scored rounds of 70-1, 74+3, 69-2 and a final round of 69-2 for a 72 hole total of 282-2 and he tied for 14th place. Scoring for the weekend was unbelievably low with 22 players finishing at even par or better. This was mainly due to the heavy rains that softened the course and made the greens easy to hold. And there was also a lack of wind throughout the whole event. But was very unheard of because the US Open Championship is known as the Major that if you score even par you will nearly always win. I am sure the USGA will make the course at the Olympic Club, where the 112th US Open Championship is being staged in 2012 much more difficult. And we will see a score closer to even par winning the tournament next year.

Michael Campbell (NZL) was the only New Zealander in the tournament, but he scored rounds of 75+4 and 77+6 for a 36 hole total of 152+10 to miss the 36 hole cut by 6 strokes. It was a shame to see because he won the US Open Championship 6 years ago when it was played at Pinehurst Resort No. 2 in 2005. But the form he had been showing over the past months on the European Tour it was hardly a surprise.

Next week there are two tournaments on the USPGA Tour, the 1st one is a fun event that is a best ball partners event and is the CVS Caremark Charity Classic and is being played at the Rhode Island CC, Barrington, Rhode Island and with a purse of $US 1,550,000 up for grabs it will be nice money for the invited players. It is only a 36 hole tournament and is on Monday 20th – Tuesday 21st June. Ricky Barnes (USA) and J. B. Holmes (USA) are the defending champions. And the other event is the Travelers Championship and is being played at the TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut. With a purse of $US 6,000,000 up for grabs it is sure to attract another fine field of USPGA Tour players. Bubba Watson (USA) will be looking to defend his title he won last year. It starts on Thursday 23rd June. I will report back who won both tournaments next week.

So to the top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings this week, coming in at number 1 is Luke Donald (England) with 9.06 Official World Ranking Points, at number 2 is Lee Westwood (England) with 8.80 Official World Ranking Points, at number 3 is Martin Kaymer (Germany) with 7.22 Official World Ranking Points, coming in at number 4, fresh off his record breaking US Open win is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 7.19 Official World Ranking Points, and rounding out the top 5 is Steve Stricker (USA) with 6.50 Official World Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) this week slips 2 more places to 17th position in the Official World Ranking Points with 4.38 Official World Ranking Points. Best New Zealander is still Danny Lee (NZL) with 0.59 Official World Ranking Points and that puts him in 282nd in the Official World Ranking Points list.

Mathew Goggin (Australia) in Action during the final round of the
Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open which he won

The final event I am reporting on this week is on the Nationwide Tour and was the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open and it was played at Crestview CC, Wichita, Kansas. And it was the Australian Professional by the name of Mathew Goggin (Australia) that took home the trophy and his 2nd win of the season. He scored rounds of 66-5, 65-6, 66-5 and a final round of 69-2 for a 72 hole total of 266-18 and won by 1 stroke. He came to the 72nd hole with a 1 stroke lead over Kyle Thompson (USA), they both made birdie 4’s on the Par 5 and that was good enough for Mathew Goggin (Australia) to get his 2nd win on the Nationwide Tour in 2011.  Another win this season and he will get a battlefield promotion straight on the USPGA Tour. Players that win 3 events on the Nationwide Tour in one single season gain what is known as a battlefield promotion, and have a playing card on the USPGA Tour for that season and the following season. Mathew Goggin (Australia) earns $US 108,000.00 for the win and that places him 1st on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 303,898 earned from the 9events he has played this year to date. He is now certain to regain his USPGA Tour card in 2012. And prior to this year that is where he had been playing for the last 5 years. I am looking forward to his 3rd win on the Nationwide Tour this season soon. So then he can get back on the USPGA Tour this year and maybe even do what Jason Gore (USA) did in 2005, and that is winning on the USPGA Tour in the same year as winning on the Nationwide Tour.

Kyle Thompson (USA) can’t be too disappointed with 2nd place. He finished 72 holes on -17 and he was coming off a win the week before at the Rex Hospital Open. So he is showing awesome form right now. And he now is placed 2nd on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 188,178 earned from the 9 events he has played this year to date. Tied for 3rd were Troy Kelly (USA) and Scott Brown (USA) on -16, In fifth place was  Billy Hurley III (USA) on -14, In 6th place was  Aaron Watkins (USA) at -13, In tied for 7th place was Jin Park (South Korea) and Josh Geary (NZL) had his best performance on the Nationwide Tour this year so far. He scored rounds of 69-2, 67-4, 68-3 and a final round of 68-3 for a 72 hole total of 272-12. He won $US 18,700.00 for coming tied 7th and is now in 39th on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 41,620 earned from the 10 events he has played this year to date. Over the last two weeks he has made major improvements in climbing up the money list. With a few more top 10 finishes he will soon be inside the top 25 on the Money list that get their 2012 USPGA Tour cards after the final event of the 2011 Nationwide Tour Season. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the best New Zealand player on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 84,336 earned from the 5 events he has played this year to date. He is in 17th position on the list. Also tied 7th at -12 was Martin Flores (USA). And rounding out the top 10 was Rob Oppenheim (USA), he was in solo 10th place at -11.

Next best New Zealander Golfer was Steven Alker (NZL) who scored rounds of 71 even, 67-4, 67-4 and a final round of 69-2 for a 72 hole total of  274-10 which put him tied for 11th. It was his best finish on the Nationwide Tour this season. He earned $US 12,300.00 for his efforts and is now placed in 99th position on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 14,949 earned from the 6 events he has played this year so far. It is a major improvement on last year because in 2010 on the Nationwide Tour he played in 21 events and didn’t make a single cut!! So good on Steven Alker (NZL) for preserving with his Golf Career. I hope he gets some more good finishes in the weeks to come. Also to make the cut was Tim Wilkinson (NZL), he scored rounds of 70-1, 68-3, 70-1 and a final round of 72+1 for a 72 hole total of 280-4 and tied for 44th place. He won $US 2,280.00 for his efforts and is now in 78th position on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 23,066 earned from the 10 events he has played to date this year. Let’s hope he can get some more good finishes soon so he can get his USPGA Tour card back for the 2012 USPGA Tour Season. And the final New Zealander play in the field was Bradley Iles (NZL), he scored rounds of 69-2, 69-2, 74+3 and a final round of 71 even for a 72 hole total of 283-1 and tied for 55th place. He earned $US 1,920.00 for his efforts and is now positioned in 105th place on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 13,643 earned from the 10 events he has played to date this year. He is having a poor 1st half of his 2011 Nationwide Tour Season. The previous two seasons he has come so close to gaining his USPGA Tour status, with narrowly missing out on being in the Top 25 on the Nationwide Tour Money list at the end of those seasons. I hope he can return to form soon as I know he is a good player with a lot of talent. But it was good to see the 4 New Zealander Golfers in the field this week make the halfway cut and make a Cheque.

Next week the Nationwide Tour heads to Mexico for the Mexico Open Presented by Banamex and is being played at the El Bosque Golf Club, Leon, GTO, MEX. With a prize purse of $US 700,000 up for grabs it is going to attract a high quality field from the Nationwide Tour. Jamie Lovemark (USA) won’t be defending his title because he is now a member of the USPGA Tour. So there will be a new champion. It starts on Thursday 23rd June. I will report back who took home the trophy next week.

So until my next report, remember keep hitting the ball long and straight and make all you putts!!

 Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com

Golf Events from the Weekend 12th June 2011



Robert Rock (England) with the BMW Italian Open Trophy he won



 

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 BMW Italian Open presented by Carta Si and it was played at Royal Park I Roveri, Turin, Italy. And it was the English Professional Golfer by the name of Robert Rock (England) that claimed his 1st European Tour Title. He scored rounds of 64-8, 68-4, 68-4 and a final round of 67-5 for a 72hole total of 267-21 and won by 1shot.

Robert Rock (England) played a very steady final round after dropping a shot at the short par 4, 3rd hole; he recovered to make 4 birdies in a row from holes 5 to 8 to go out in 33-3. Then he birdied the 10th and 11th holes to move to -21 with 7 holes to play. He made a poor bogey on the par 3, 12th hole. But came straight back with a birdie on the Par 4, 13th hole. And 5 straight pars to finish were enough for him to win by 1shot and take his 1st ever European Tour title of his European Tour Career. It was bitter sweet for the 34 year old as he had come so close to winning over the past few years.

He won € 250,000 for the win and that places him in 21st place on the Race to Dubai Money List standings with €446,701 earned from the 17 events he has played this year to date. Luke Donald (England) still leads with the €2,581,495 he has earned from the 5 events he has played this year to date. After spending the last 5years playing the European Tour, it was a great reward for Robert Rock (England) to finally get a win. I hope this win gives him confidence to win again this year. I wish him all the best in the coming months.

In tied for 2nd place at -20 after 72 holes were Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) who scored the equal best round of the Tournament which was an Amazing 62-10 in the final round and he was tied with Gary Boyd (England) who was also -20 after 72 holes. In 4th position on his own was Peter Whiteford (Scotland) on -19, in solo 5th place was Joost Luiten (Netherlands) on -18, Tied for 6th were the 2 Swedish players Michael Jonzon (Sweden) and Niclas Fasth (Sweden) who was the 2005 NZ Open Winner, they were both on -17, and rounding out the Top 10 on -16 were two of the big Italian Stars, Matteo Manassero (Italy) and Francesco Molinari (Italy) and Jbe Kruger (RSA), they were all on -16.

The only New Zealander in the field was Mark Brown, and he scored rounds of 76+4 and 73+1 for a 36 hole total of 149+5 and he missed the cut by 8shots. He now falls to 147th on the Race to Dubai Money list with €66,580 earned from the 16 events he has played this year to date. He needs to start showing the form he produced in 2008 when he won his maiden European Tour event in India which was the Johnnie Walker Classic. Or he may not keep his card for the 2012 season. I hope he can turn it around soon and start playing good golf.

Next week there are two tournaments, the 1st one is the 2nd Major of the year and is the 111th US Open Championship. It is being played at Congressional CC, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. The defending Champion is European Tour player Graeme McDowell (NIR). And with a purse of $7,500,000 to play for the best in the world will be there to compete. It starts Thursday 16th June. I will report back who won next week. And the 2nd tournament is also part of the Challenge Tour and is the Saint-Omer Open presented by Neuflize OBC and is played at the Aa Saint Omer GC, Lumbres, France. It is a good chance for the lesser know players on the European Tour to shine and also a chance for a player on the Challenge tour if he wins he will gain European Tour membership for the next two years. And also it carries the 2nd largest purse on the Challenge Tour of €600,000. Martin Wiegele (Austria) is the defending champion and will be looking for another good performance. It starts on Thursday 16th June. I will report back who won next week.

Harrison Frazer (USA) with the FedEX St. Jude Classic Trophy
and Jacket he won

The next tournament I am reporting on this week is the FedEx St. Jude Classic and was played at TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee. And after 72 holes were completed there were two players tied for the lead and they were Harrison Frazer (USA) who scored rounds of 71+1, 65-5, 64-6 and a final round of 67-3 for a 72 hole total of 267-13, also tied on the same score was Robert Karlsson (Sweden) who was also in a playoff in this same tournament last year. He scored rounds of 66-4, 65-5, 68-2 and a final round of 68-2 for a 72 hole total of 267-13. So both players headed back to the 18th tee for the 1st playoff hole. This must be the year of the playoff on the USPGA Tour as so far this year there have been 11 playoffs on the USPGA Tour including this one.

Harrison Frazar (USA) drew 1 from the hat and teed off 1st landing his drive to the right of the fairway, Robert Karlsson (Sweden) hit 2nd and hit his drive straight down the middle of the fairway. Harrison Frazar (USA) then hit a great 2nd shot into 15feet from the hole. Robert Karlsson (Sweden) then made sure his ball wasn’t going into the water on the left of the green and hit his ball on the right front of the green about 35feet from the pin. Robert Karlsson (Sweden) putted 1st and rolled his putt 2feet from the hole and tapped in for par. Harrison Frazar (USA) just missed his birdie, but tapped in for his par. So it was onto the 2nd playoff hole which was the par 3, 11th hole. Harrison Frazar (USA) teed off 1st and put his tee shot right over the flag but 40 feet past the pin. Robert Karlsson (Sweden) teed off 2nd and hit his tee shot with his wedge to about 15 feet right of the flag, pin high. 

 Harrison Frazar (USA) putted 1st and rolled his putt within a foot of the cup and tapped in for his par. Robert Karlsson (Sweden) then had a birdie putt to win but just missed to the right and also tapped in for his par. So it was onto the 3rd playoff hole which was the Par 4, 12th hole. Harrison Frazar (USA) teed off 1st and hit a brilliant drive to within 90 Yards of the green. Robert Karlsson (Sweden) then hit his drive slightly fat with his 5wood but landed in the fairway. Robert Karlsson (USA) hit 1st and landed his ball just to the right of the green in the rough, but got over the water that was in front of the green. Harrison Frazar (USA) then seized the opportunity that had eventuated and put his short wedge shot to 15feet past the pin. Robert Karlsson (Sweden) then hit his chip shot a little too hard and it landed 12feet past the pin. Harrison Frazar (USA) then putted for his birdie and rolled it down to the hole with perfect speed and it stopped 2feet past the hole. He then tapped in for an easy par. So it was down to Robert Karlsson (Sweden) to hole his 12 foot par putt to keep the playoff going, but it missed the hole 6 inches to the left.



Harrison Frazer (USA) shakes hands with Robert Karlsson (Sweden)
after winning the FedEx St. Jude Classic on the 3rd playoff hole



So in his 355th start on the USPGA Tour, Harrison Frazar (USA) finally won his first USPGA Tour Tournament. And must be said it is a big surprise to him. Prior to his tied 14th place in the HP Byron Nelson Championship last month he had missed 5 straight cuts and with the injuries he was playing with and the time he was spending on the road away from his family, he was thinking of giving up his professional golf career and finding another Job. But I praise him for staying tough and sticking with it. He won $US 1,008,000.00 for the win and moves to 41st on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 1,142,053 earned to date this year from the 10 events he has played. Luke Donald (England) still leads with $US 3,518,984 earned from the 9events he has played this year to date. Harrison Frazar (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points and is now placed 40th on the FedEx Cup points list with 587 points earned from the 10 events he has played this year to date. He is 845 points behind the current leader Luke Donald (England) who has earned 1,432 points from the 9 events he has played this year to date.

The win should give Harrison Frazar (USA) a lot of confidence to keep on improving and maybe even win another tournament this year. I wish all the best for the rest of the year. And he is now fully exempt on the USPGA Tour till the end of 2013 Season. Robert Karlsson (Sweden) 2nd place would be a huge disappointment to him as for the 1st 3rounds of the tournament he was in full control. And to lose the same tournament in a playoff in consecutive years, I not sure that has happened before? Maybe he will win the 2012 FedEx St. Jude Classic? But the $US 604,800.00 he earns for coming 2nd is a nice reward. And he moves to 40th on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 1,153,491 earned from the 11 events he has played this year to date. He also gains 300 FedEx Cup Points and is now in 41st position on the FedEx Cup Points list with 585 points earned from the 11 events he has played to date. He is 847 points behind Luke Donald (England). And this is his 1st full year playing the USPGA Tour, so I look for this minor setback to make him much stronger mentally, and I feel a win isn’t too far away for him.

Tied in 3rd place were Camilo Villegas (Columbia) who had a fine final round of 64-6, Tim Herron (USA), Ryuji Imada (Japan), Charles Howell III (USA) and Retief Goosen (RSA) they were all on -7, rounding out the Top 10 in tied 8th position were Stephen Ames (Canada), Carl Pettersson (Sweden) and Cameron Tringale (USA) all on -7. Lee Westwood (England) had a fine defence of his title scoring a final round 66-4 and finishing tied 11th at -6. He will be a player to watch at this coming weeks 2nd major, the111th US Open Championship.

Next week on the USPGA Tour it is the 2nd Major of the year, the 111th US Open Championship. It is being played at Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, Maryland and with a purse of $US 7,500,000 up for grabs it is going to have the best players in the world playing with the exception of Tiger Woods (USA) who is injured. Graeme McDowell (NIR) is the defending champion and will be looking for back to back titles that is seldom achieved in this tournament with the last player doing that being Curtis Strange (USA) in 1988-89. It starts on Thursday 16th June and I will report back who won next week.

So to the Top 5 in the Official World Golf Rankings this week and coming in at Number 1 is Luke Donald (England) with 9.11 Official World Golf Ranking Points, in 2nd place is Lee Westwood (England) with 8.36 Official World Ranking Points, in 3rd place is Martin Kaymer (Germany) with 7.29 Official World Ranking Points, in 4th place is Steve Stricker (USA) with 6.44 Official World Ranking Points, and in 5th place is Phil Mickelson (USA) with 6.08 Official World Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) remains in 15th Position with 4.53 Official World Ranking Points. The best New Zealand Golfer is still Danny Lee (NZL) with .60 Official World Ranking Points and is 282nd in the Official Golf World Rankings.



Kyle Thompson (USA) in action during the final round of the
Rex Hospital Open



The 3rd event I am reporting on this week is on the Nationwide Tour and is the Rex Hospital Open and was played at the TPC Wakefield Plantation, Raleigh, North Carolina. And it was Kyle Thompson (USA) that won by 1shot, he scored rounds of 68-3, 66-5, 68-3 and a final round of 68-3 for a 72 hole total of 270-14. It was his birdie on the 72nd hole that secured the win for him. The win won him $US 99,000.00 and he is now placed in 6th position on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 123,378 earned from the 8 events he has played this year to date. Still leading the Nationwide Tour Money list is Mathew Goggin (Australia) with $US 195,898 earned from the 8 events he has played this year to date. This win is Kyle Thompson (USA) 3rd win on the Nationwide Tour having won this tournament back in 2007 and the Oregon Classic Pres'd by Kendall Automotive Group also back in 2007. I would say with a few more top 10 finishes and he is almost guaranteed to get his 2012 USPGA Tour card by finishing inside the top 25th on the Nationwide Tour Money list. I wish him all the best with achieving this.

In tied 2nd place was Scott Brown (USA) who would be disappointed with his bogey on the 72nd hole that cost him a chance of winning. Troy Kelly (USA) also finished tied 2nd as well along with Martin Flores (USA), they were all on -13. Tied 5th on -12 were J. J. Killeen (USA), Kyle Reifers (USA) and Ryan Armour (USA). Tied 8th at -11 were Brian Vranish (USA), Josh Geary (NZL) who had his best ever finish on the Nationwide Tour with rounds of 71 even, 67-4, 67-4 and 68-3 for 72 hole total of 273-11. He won $US 15,950.00 for his efforts and is now placed 72nd on the Nationwide Tour money list with $US 22,920 earned from the 9 events he has played this year to date. This could be the start for some really good form for him. Also tied 8th was Danny Wax (USA).

Tim Wilkinson (NZL) the other New Zealand player in the field to make the cut had his best finish on the Nationwide Tour this year so far, he scored rounds of 69-2, 68-3, 70-1 and a final round of 67-5 that included a final 9 holes of 30-5 for a 72 hole total of 274-10. He won $US 12,100.00 for his efforts and was tied 11th. He is now in 77th position on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 20,786 earned from the 9 events he has played to date this year. But will need to have some top 10’s in the weeks to come if he is going to get his 2012 USPGA Tour card by finishing inside the top 25 on the Nationwide Tour Money list. But he can do it I feel.

The New Zealanders in the field that missed the 36 hole halfway cut were, Steve Alker (NZL) who scored 70-1 and 72+1 for a 36 hole total of 142 even to miss the cut by 1shot. Bradley Iles (NZL) was the other New Zealander to miss the cut scoring two poor rounds of 74+3 for a 36 hole total of 148+6 and miss the cut by 7shots. He will be looking for a much better performance next week. Next week the Nationwide Tour heads to Kansas for the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open and it is being played at Crestview CC, Wichita, Kansas. With a purse of $US 600,000 to play for it is sure to attract a fine field and maybe even some USPGA Tour players who are looking for a tournament to playing because they haven’t qualified for the 111th US Open Championship. It will have a new champion because Jhonattan Vegas (Columbia) the defending champion is now on the USPGA Tour. It starts on Thursday 16th June and I will report back who won next week.

Mark Wiebe (USA) in Action during the final round of
the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn

The final tournament I am reporting on this week is on the Champions Tour and is Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn and was played at Rock Barn G&S, Conover, North Carolina. And it was Mark Wiebe (USA) who scored rounds of 64-8, 68-4, 65-7 for a 54 hole total of 197-19, but he was tied on that score by James Mason (USA) who scored rounds of 67-5, 65-7, and a final round of 65-7 for a 54 hole total of 197-19 also. So it was back to the 18th Tee for the 1st playoff hole. They both made birdie 4’s on the Par 5, so it was back to the 18th hole again for the 2nd playoff hole. And again they halved it, but this time in par 5’s. So they went over to the Par 3, 17th for the 3rd playoff hole. But this time Mark Wiebe (USA) made a solid par 3, and James Mason (USA) had a 4foot par putt to keep the playoff going, but he missed. So Mark Wiebe (USA) got the win. It was his 3rd win on the Champions Tour having won the 2007 SAS Championship and 2008 The Cap Cana Championship. He won $US 262,500.00 for the win and is now in 7th position on the Champions Tour Money list with $US 580,808 earned from the 9events he has played this year to date. Tom Lehman (USA) still leads the money list with $US 1,230,695 earned from the 9events he has played this year to date. Mark Wiebe (USA) also moves to 8th on the Charles Schwab Cup Points list with 536 points earned from the 9 events he has played this year to date. He is 958 points behind Tom Lehman (USA) who also leads that list with 1,494 points earned from the 9 events he has played this year to date.

I must say it comes with no real surprise this win by Mark Wiebe (USA) because prior to this event he had made every cut in the 8 events he had played including a 2nd place at the Toshiba Classic in mid March. And since his Champions Tour debut when he become the 12th player in Champions Tour history to win his 1st start at the 2007 SAS Championship, he has never looked back. I wish him all the best for the rest of the season. It was a great showing for James Mason (USA) in his 1st event of the season to finish 2nd. Tied 3rd were Fred Funk (USA) who scored a final round of 62-10 which was the equal best of the tournament, also tied 3rd was Chip Beck (USA) they were -18.

Tied 5th were Loren Roberts (USA) and Nick Price (Zimbabwe) on -17. Jeff Sluman (USA) was solo 7th on -16, Tied 8th were Kenny Perry (USA) who scored 62-10 in the final round as well; Corey Pavin (USA) was also tied 8th with David Eger (USA), Jim Gallagher, Jr. (USA), Mark O’Meara (USA), Bob Tway (USA) and Tommy Armour III (USA) they were all on -15.

Next week the Champions Tour takes a break, but it is back the following week for the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open and it is being played at the En-Joie GC, Endicott, New York. It carries a purse of $US 1,750,000 and will attract another great field of Champions Tour players. Loren Roberts (USA) is the defending Champion and will be looking to win again. It starts on Thursday 24th June, and I will report back who won in two weeks time.

So until next week’s report, remember keep hitting the ball long and straight and make all your putts inside ten feet and your scores will be lower!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com