It was another exciting Weekend on the Professional Golf tours from around the world. And this week the European Tour and Race to Dubai and the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup were both in America for the final major of the year which was the 93rd PGA Championship which is known as “Glories Last Shot”. It was played at Atlanta Athletic Club, Johns Creek, Georgia. And it was the player by the name of Keegan Bradley (USA) who is only 25 years old that won his 1st ever Major Championship in his 1st ever Major Championship he had played in. He scored rounds of 71+1, 64-6, 69-1 and a final round of 68-2 for a 72 hole total of 272-8, but he was tied on that score by Jason Dufner (USA) who scored rounds of 70 even, 65-5, 68-2 and a final round of 69-1 for a 72 hole total of 272-8 and he and Keegan Bradley (USA) were headed back to the 16th tee for a 3 hole aggregate playoff which consisted of playing holes 16-18 and the player with the lowest score would win the 93 rd PGA Championship.
Keegan Bradley (USA) was -9 standing on the difficult Par 3, 15th Hole with the pin cut near the right hand side of the green, and water on the right as well. He slightly pulled his tee shot and it landed in a terrible lie on the left hand side of the green. He was too aggressive on his 2nd shot pitch and it rolled through the green and into the water. He then had to go to the drop zone and play his 4th shot which was still a difficult chip over water. He hit it on the green and 2putted for a triple bogey 6. He had slipped back to -6 and it seemed that his dream of winning the 93rd PGA Championship was now gone. But he came back strong with a brilliant birdie on the Par 4, 16th hole, and when he holed a brilliant putt downhill right to left breaking 40 footer on the extremely hard Par 3, 17th hole he was now -8. So to the 72nd hole, Keegan Bradley (USA) hit a brilliant drive right down the centre of the fairway. He had 190 yards to the green with his 2nd shot and chose a 6iron which he hit a sensible shot on the green, but it was 40 feet past the hole leaving a difficult 2putt to post a score of -8 for the 72 holes. But he was up to the task rolling his birdie putt within 3 feet of the cup and easily tapping in for his par.
Jason Dufner (USA) on the other hand had what seemed the PGA Championship in his hands. He stood on the Par 3, 15th tee at -11 and had a 4 shot lead over the rest of the field. He chose to hit a 5wood off the long Par 3, which was playing over 230 yards and hit a fade that turned into a slice and landed in the water to the right. He took his penalty drop and went to the drop zone and hit a fine chip shot to 15 feet. Then he holed that bogey putt which was a good result. So he was -10 with 3 holes to play and now only had a 3shot lead. He hit a good drive in the fairway on the Par 4, 16th hole and was left with a mid iron to the green. He pushed it slightly and it landed in the right hand green side bunker. He hit an average bunker shot out to 8 feet above the hole and missed his tricky downhill putt for par, but made the return one for a bogey 4. So he was now -9 with 2 holes to play. On the Par 3, 17th hole he hit a nice tee shot that just carried the water and landed on the green leaving him a 20 foot birdie putt. He hit his uphill birdie putt a touch hard and it rolled 7 feet past the cup and he was unable to make the return putt for par. So he headed to the Par 4, 72nd tee at -8 and was now tied with Keegan Bradley (USA) who was already in the club house at -8. He hit a fine drive down the Par 4, 72nd hole that landed in the right hand side of the fairway. He hit his mid iron shot 40 feet from the pin in the same place that Keegan Bradley (USA) had landed his ball earlier. He too rolled his ball down to within 4 feet of the cup. And sank his Par putt to force the 3 hole aggregate playoff which consisted of playing holes 16-18 and the player with the lowest score would win the 93rd PGA Championship.
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| Keegan Bradley (USA) celebrates after winning the 93rd PGA Championship |
The 2 players were driven back out to the 16th tee in Golf Carts. When they got there PGA of America official let Jason Dufner (USA) choose a number from the hat. He chose number 2 and teed off 2nd. Keegan Bradley (USA) hit 1st and landed his drive right in the middle of the fairway. Jason Dufner (USA) hit his drive too down the middle of the fairway just behind Keegan Bradley (USA). Jason Dufner (USA) then hit a stunning 2nd shot mid iron that landed 20 feet short of the pin on the green and roll past the hole just missing going in for an eagle 2 by inches, it eventually settled 8feet past the pin, unfortunately leaving a tricky birdie putt. Keegan Bradley (USA) responded to Jason Dufner’s (USA) fine 2nd shot with a great 2nd shot of his own and brought it in high to land his ball 6feet below the cup leaving an easier putt. Jason Dufner (USA) missed his 8 foot birdie putt to the left and tapped in for par. Keegan Bradley (USA) rolled his birdie putt straight in the cup.
So they headed to the 17th tee with Keegan Bradley (USA) taking a 1shot lead over Jason Dufner (USA). Keegan Bradley (USA) hit a good mid iron to the Par 3, that required a carry over the water, and it landed 20 feet under the hole. Jason Dufner (USA) hit a conservative tee shot out to the right hand side of the green. The pin was tucked well left, and he had a 35 foot putt for birdie that was extremely fast. He put a nice roll on it but the speed of the downhill putt fooled him just as it had done to every other player in the field that had left there ball in that same position on the green and it rolled 15feet past the cup. Keegan Bradley (USA) putted his 20 footer up the hill and rolled it 6feet past the hole. Jason Dufner (USA) then put a good stroke on his 15 foot return par putt and it just missed to the left leaving him with a tap in for a bogey 4. Keegan Bradley (USA) then rolled in his 6 foot par putt to take a 2stroke lead to the 18th tee and the final hole of the 3 hole aggregate playoff.
Keegan Bradley (USA) took 3wood off the 18th tee and landed his ball in the middle of the fairway. Jason Dufner (USA) hit driver and landed it in the fairway as well further up than Keegan Bradley (USA). Keegan Bradley (USA) then hit a fine mid iron shot that landed to the left of the pin 18 feet from the hole. Jason Dufner (USA) with nothing to lose hit his 2nd shot in the same place about 20 feet from the hole. Jason Dufner (USA) putted for his birdie and rolled the tricky downhill left to right putt in to the cup for a birdie 3 and finished the 3 hole aggregate playoff at even par. That meant all Keegan Bradley (USA) had to do was 2putt from 20 feet and he was the 93rd PGA Champion. He rolled his putt that was also down hill on a perfect line and it just missed on the right hand side, but rolled 3feet by. He calmed his nerve and holed that 3 foot par putt to finish -1 in the 3 hole playoff and win the 93rd PGA Championship and become the 1st player since Ben Curtis (USA) in the 2003 Open Championship to win his 1st major in the 1st Major he had ever made an appearance in. He pumped his fist in the air to celebrate.
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| Keegan Bradley (USA) very Happy after winning the 93rd PGA Championship |
It was his 2nd win of the year in his rookie year on the USPGA Tour having won the HP Byron Nelson Championship in Dallas, Texas in late May. That was also in a playoff. Keegan Bradley (USA) won $US 1,445,000.00 for his win and moves to 5th position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 3,432,200 earned from the 24 events he has played to date this year. Luke Donald (England) is leading the Money list with $US 4,517,748 earned from 14 events he has played to date this year. Keegan Bradley (USA) also got 600 FedEx Cup points for his win and moves to 4th position on the FedEx Cup Points list with 1,621 points earned from the 24 events he has played to date this year. He is 285 points behind Nick Watney (USA) who leads with 1,906 points earned from the 17 events he has played to date this year.
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| Keegan Bradley (USA) holds the Wanamaker Trophy aloft as he celebrates being the Champion |
It was the 14th playoff on the USPGA Tour this year. It is amazing to think that last year at this time Keegan Bradley (USA) was playing on the Nationwide Tour and had never even played in a USPGA Tour event. He finished in 14th position on the final Nationwide Tour Money list in 2010 with $US 264,760 earned from the 28 events he played and gained his 2011 USPGA Tour card. And he has certainly grabbed the opportunity with both arms. And he was only out in New Zealand in January (2010) playing in the Michael Hill New Zealand Open at the Hills Course that was co – sanctioned with the Nationwide Tour, where he finished tied for 32nd at 286-2 and earned $US 3,720.00 for his efforts. He also broke the Americans drought on Majors wins and became the 1st American to win a Major since Phil Mickelson (USA) won the 2010 Masters Tournament.
He also moves to 18th position on the Presidents Cup Points list with 6,864,399 points earned to date and with 4 more events before the top 10 players on the list gain their places in the US Presidents Cup Team he must like his chance of getting in the Top 10 and going down to play at the Royal Melbourne Course, Melbourne, Australia. Even if he doesn’t get inside the top 10 that automatically qualify, Fred Couples (USA) who is the USA Team Captain would be stupid to leave him out in my opinion from his 2 Captains Picks. I feel the USPGA Tour has found a New American Star, and he is a breath of fresh air to the USPGA Tour. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2011 USPGA Tour Season and hope he wins many more USPGA Tour events and many more Major Championships in the years to come.
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| Keegan Bradley (USA) with the Wanamaker Trophy beside him answering questions in the press conference |
Jason Dufner (USA) must feel he threw the 93rd PGA Championship away with having that 4 stoke lead with 4 holes to play and then losing the playoff to Keegan Bradley (USA). And he is still to win his maiden USPGA Tour Event. But I feel he will gain a lot from this experience and will be a much better player for it. He won $US 865,000.00 for coming 2nd and moves to 16th Position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 2,543,060 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this year. And he is also in 25th position on the FedEx Cup Points list with 1,143 points earned from the 18 events he has played to date this year which is 763 points behind Nick Watney (USA) who is leading. He has also had 5 top 10 finishes this year to date with two 2nd places both losing in playoffs. I feel he could be a real factor in the up and coming FedEx Cup Playoffs.
In 3rd place was Anders Hansen (Denmark) he was -7 after 72 holes and had his best ever Major Championship finish and also had the equal best final round that was 66-4 along with Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) he finished at +5 in tied for 45th place. Anders Hansen (Denmark) moves to 6th place on the Race to Dubai Money list with €1,588,340 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this year. And he was also the low European Tour Golfer in the 93rd PGA Championship. In Tied for 4th place at -5 was Robert Karlsson (Sweden) who had another good finish on the USPGA Tour and continued on the fine form he has been showing this year. Also tied for 4th was David Toms (USA) who won his only Major Championship on this very course in the 83rd PGA Championship 10 years ago in 2001 and he now has won $US 3,404,230 from the 17 events he has played to date this year and is in 6th place on the USPGA Tour Money list. He is also in 8th position on the FedEx Cup points list with 1,487 points earned from the 17 events he has played to date this year and is only 419 points behind Nick Watney (USA). The 3rd player to finish tied for 4th was Scott Verplank (USA), who had his best ever Major Championship finish which is hard to believe. Because he always seems to be in contention in the Majors.
In solo 7th place was Adam Scott (Australia) at -4 after 72 holes, backing up his great win from last week at the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational. In tied for 8th place was Lee Westwood (England) who was -3 after 72 holes and had another top 10 finish in a Major Championship. And Luke Donald (England) the number 1 player in the World was also tied for 8th position at -3 after 72 holes. Rounding out the Top 10 in tied for 10th place at -2 were Kevin Na (USA) and D. A. Points (USA). Rory McILroy (NIR) had rather a poor PGA Championship after injuring his wrist early in the 1st round, he eventually finished up in tied for 64th place at 291+11. Tiger Woods (USA) had a shocking PGA Championship scoring 77+7 in the 1st round after a good start of -3 after 5 holes he dropped 10 strokes in the next 13 holes. And in round 2 he scored 73+3, so his 36 hole total was 150+10 and he missed the cut by 6 strokes. It was the time he had ever missed the cut in the PGA Championship since 1st playing in it in 1997. He isn’t expected to play any more golf in American on the USPGA Tour until early in 2012 season. And it is the 1st time since the FedEx Cup began in 2007 that he has failed to make the playoffs. The real question is will Fred Couples (USA) the US Team Presidents Cup Captain pick him as one of his 2 Captain’s Picks for the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Melbourne, Australia in mid November?
Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to North Carolina for the Wyndham Championship and is being played at the Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina. With a purse of $US 5,200,000 up for grabs it is sure to attract a fine field of USPGA Tour Golfers, and it is also the last chance to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs with only the Golfers inside the Top 125 on the FedEx Cup points list at the completion of the Wyndham Championship will be eligible to play in the 1st FedEx Cup playoff which is the Barclays. It is played the week after the Wyndham Championship. Arjun Atwal (India) is the defending Champion and will be looking to go for back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 18th August and I will report back who won next week.
So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Ranks this week, coming at Number 1 for the 12th week in a row is Luke Donald (England) with 10.28 Official World Ranking Points, coming in at Number 2 is Lee Westwood (England) with 8.44 Official World Ranking Points, coming in at Number 3 is Steve Stricker (USA) with 7.03 Official World Ranking Points, coming in at Number 4 is Martin Kaymer (Germany) with 6.98 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 6.91 Official World Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) this week slips a further 3 places to 33rd on the Official World Rankings Points list with 3.31 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealander Golfer with 0.69 Official World Ranking Points and places him in 254th position on the Official World Rankings Points list.
The 2nd and final tournament I am reporting on this week was on the Nationwide Tour and was the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper and it was played on the Highland Springs CC, Springfield, Missouri. And it was the Golfer by the name of Steve Friesen (USA) who scored rounds of 62-10, 68-4, 68-4 and a final round of 64-8 for a 72 hole total of 262-26 and won by 5 strokes for his 1st ever Nationwide Tour event. The amazing thing was he made 1 eagle, 25 birdies and just the one lone bogey for the 72 holes. He won $US 112,500.00 for the win and moves to 23rd position on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 114,911earned from the 2 events he has played to date this year. Mathew Goggin (Australia) is leading the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 343,852 earned from the 12 events he has played to date this year.
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| Steve Friesen (USA) in Action during the final round of the Price Cutter Charity Presented by Dr Pepper |
Steve Friesen (USA) played flawless golf all week. And he totally deserved the win. And he wasn’t even sure he was in the field before the Tournament began. He has only had conditional status on the Nationwide Tour this season after starting the 2011 season on a minor medical exemption. He got his 1st start of the year last week where he finished tied for 49th position at the Cox Classic in Omaha and won $US 2,411 for his efforts and that was enough to give him a start this week. And the funny thing is he only got his start last week due to a sponsor’s exemption. This win will do Steve Friesen’s (USA) confidence the world of good, and after playing the Nationwide Tour on and off for the last 10 years without much success he now has a great chance to gain his 2012 USPGA Tour card if he can earn $US 100, 000 before the Nationwide Tour season is over and get inside the top 25 money earners that gain their 2012 USPGA Tour cards. I wish him all the best for the rest of the Nationwide Tour season and hope he has another win in the coming months.
Gavin Coles (Australia) was solo 2nd at -21 after 72 holes. Tied for 3rd place were Paul Claxton (USA), Cliff Kresge (USA), Ted Potter, Jr. (USA), Josh Broadway (USA) and Travis Hampshire (USA), they were all -20 after 72 holes. In solo 8th place was Justin Bolli (USA) at -19 after 72 holes. And rounding out the top 10 were Jay Williamson (USA), Michael Sims (Bermuda) and Casey Wittenberg (USA), they were all -18 after 72 holes. None of the New Zealand Golfers made the cut this week. The best of them was Josh Geary (NZL) who scored rounds of 73+1 and 68-4 for a 36 hole total of 141-3 and missed the cut by 2 strokes which fell at -5. Next best New Zealand Golfer was Bradley Iles (NZL) who scored rounds of 70-2 and 73+1 for a 36 hole total of 143-1 and missed the cut by 4 strokes. And Danny Lee (NZL) also scored rounds of 72 even and 71-1 for a 36 hole total of 143-1 also and missed the cut by 4 strokes as well. But still remains in 10th position on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 159,800 earned from the 10 events he has played to date this year. But he suffered his 1st missed cut of the year last week, having made the previous 9.
Next week the Nationwide Tour heads to Kansas for the Midwest Classic Presented by Time Warner Cable and it is being played at Nicklaus GC at LionsGate, Overland Park, Kansas. It has a purse of $US 550,000 to play for and will attract another good field of Nationwide Tour players. Michael Sim (Australia) is the defending Champion but because he now has his USPGA Tour card he won’t be defending so there will be a new Champion. It starts on Thursday 18th August and I will report who took home the trophy next week.
So until then remember to keep hitting the ball long and straight and hole all your Putts!!
Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com
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