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.
 |
| 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.
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) 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 |
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
No comments:
Post a Comment