How I defended the Brownlee Cup

On the 30th April 2011 the first qualifying round of two was held for the 2011 Brownlee Cup.  The format for the 2011 Brownlee Cup was two rounds of qualifying on Nett, one on Saturday 30th April and the other on the Saturday 4th June. With the best Nett of the two rounds being you’re qualifying score. Then there were five rounds of match play (Meaning only 32 players qualified) starting on Saturday 18th June and the final was scheduled for Saturday 23rd July.

In the first round I scored 78 off my 6 handicap and retuned a 72 nett and was right on the cut off point in 32nd position. The second round (Saturday 4th June) I chose not to play because it rained all day. Only 10 players played and it was decided by the Match Committee there would be a third qualifying round the following Saturday (11th June). I scored a 77 off my 9 handicap and returned a 68 nett and qualified Mid Field.

So to the first round that was scheduled for the Saturday 18th June. My Opponent in the first round was Kane Lucas. He was on a 5 handicap and I was on a 9 handicap so I received 4 strokes from him. We decided by mutual agreement to play our match on Sunday 19th June because it rained all day on Saturday when it was scheduled to be played. I won the first hole with a birdie 2 to go 1up, won the third hole with a par 4 to go 2up, and the fourth hole with par 4 to go 3up. I lost the fifth hole to a par to go back to 2up, won the sixth hole with a birdie to go back to 3up. Lost the seventh hole to a par 4 to back to 2up, won the 8th hole with a par 3 to go back to 3up and we halved the ninth hole. I turned 3up. I won the tenth hole with a par 3 to go to 4up. We halved the eleventh and twelfth holes so I was 4up with 6 holes to play. I won the thirteenth hole with a par 4 and I was now dormie with 5 holes up with 5 holes to play. I lost the fourteenth hole to a par 3 and went back to 4 up. But won the fifteenth hole with a birdie 4 to win the match 4&3 and advance to the second round on Saturday 2nd July. 

So to the second round and my opponent was Stu Blok. It was played on a lovely Sunny Saturday afternoon (2nd July) in bright winter sun shine. I was on a 9 handicap and Stu was on an 11 handicap so I gave him 2 strokes. I won the first hole with a par 3 to go 1up, the fifth hole with a par 4 to go 2up, lost the seventh hole when I made a double bogey 6. And I also lost the eighth hole when I made a bogey 4. So we were all square after 8 holes. I won the ninth hole with a par 5 to turn 1up. Then won the tenth hole with a par 3 to go 2up, the eleventh hole with a par 4 to go 3up, we halved the twelfth hole with par 4’s so I was still 3up with 6 holes to play. I won the thirteenth with a par 4 to go 4up. We both made par 3’s on the fourteenth hole for a half. I was now dormie 4up with 4 holes to play. I won the fifteenth hole with a birdie 4 and won the match 5&3 to advance to the Quarter Finals on Saturday 9th July. 

So to the quarter finals and my opponent was Geoff Sainty. I was on an 8 handicap and Geoff was on a 22 handicap so I had to give him 14 strokes. I knew this match would be my hardest as I was giving away the most strokes of all the games I played. It had been an extremely wet week and on Saturday 9th July the course was boarder line to be closed. But the Green keeper (John Trim) decided to leave it open. We halved holes One and Two; I won the third when Geoff conceded to me so I went to 1up.  I won the fourth hole with a par to go 2up and the fifth with a Par 4 to go 3up. Lost the sixth hole when I made a bogey 5. I was back to only 2up.  Also lost the Seventh hole when I made bogey 5 and I was now only 1up. Won the ninth hole with a par 5 and that meant I turned 2up. Lost the tenth hole when I scored a bogey 4 and was now only 1up. Won the eleventh hole when Geoff conceded to me so I went back to 2up. Lost the twelfth hole with a bogey to go back to 1up and also lost the thirteen hole with a bogey to be all square. We halved the fourteenth hole when I made a par 3. I won the fifteenth hole with a Par 5 to go 1up. We halved the sixteenth hole when I made a bogey. When I sank my 7 foot par putt on the seventeenth hole I had won the match 2&1 and had advanced the Semi – Final on Saturday 16th July.  

So to the Semi – Final, and again it had been a really wet week leading up to it. This was the closest match I had out of the 5. I was playing Gordon Lindsay, he was on 14 handicap and I was on an 8 handicap so I had to give him 6 strokes. I won the first hole with a par 3 to go 1up, and the third hole with a Par 4 to go 2up. Lost the sixth hole when I made a bogey 5 and went back to 1up. I lost the eighth hole when I made a bogey 5 to bring the match back to All Square. I won the ninth hole with a Par 5 to turn 1up. Lost the tenth hole with a bogey 4 and the 11th hole with a bogey 5 to go 1down for the first time in the match.  I won the 12th hole with a par 4 to get back to all square with 6 holes to play. We halved the next 5 holes (13th to 17th), so we came to the eighteen hole all square.  We both hit good tee shots. I played my second shot first with a seven iron and landed it on the green 15 feet below the hole. Gordon then left his second shot just short of the green in the rough. Gordon played a good third shot chip leaving it about 3 feet below the cup. So now I knew what I had to do and that was hole my 15 foot birdie putt to win the match and advance to my second Brownlee Cup Final. And that is exactly what I did! I won this extremely close match 1up.

So to the final of the Brownlee Cup for 2011. It was scheduled to be played on Saturday 23rd July but the Heavy Winter Rains caused the course to be closed. My opponent in the final was Gary Webber. Under Mutual agreement we agreed to play the final on Sunday 31st July because fine weather was predicted for that day. So, Sunday 31st July dawned a lovely sunny clear winter’s day.  We teed off in the final just after 12 noon. I was on an 8 handicap and Gary was on a 12 handicap so I had to give him 4 strokes. I won the first hole with a par 3 to go 1up. I won the second hole when Gary conceded to me so I went to 2up. We halved the third and fourth holes. I won the fifth hole with a birdie 3 to go 3up. Won the sixth hole with a birdie 3 to go 4up. We halved the seventh hole when I made a bogey 5. I won the eighth hole with a par 3 to go 5up and also won the ninth hole with a Par 5 to go 6up after the front nine holes. Out of the five games I won to win the Brownlee Cup for 2011, the front nine holes of the final was the best nine holes I played with scoring 34 one under par. I lost the tenth with a bogey to back to 5up. Lost the eleventh hole with a double bogey to go back to 4up.  Lost the twelfth hole with a bogey to go back to 3up. I won the thirteenth hole with a par 4 to get back to 4up. We halved the fourteenth hole with bogey 4’s so I was now dormie 4up with 4 holes to play. I won the fifteenth hole with a Par 5 to win the match 5&3 and win the Brownlee Cup for 2011 and I also became the first player to defend the Brownlee Cup in 57 years. The last player to defend the Brownlee Cup was G. A. Poulgrain in 1954.

Me holding the the Brownlee Cup (On the Left) that I won for the 2nd Consecutive year!!!

I received the Brownlee Cup on Prize – Giving afternoon which was Saturday 12th November 2011 and got my Voucher to spend in the Golf Shop as well.      

Golf Events from the Weekend 18th December 2011

Well it was another great weekend of Golf to finish off the year on the Professional Golf Tours from around the world. First I will start with the PGA Tour of Australasia and this week it was the final event of 2011 PGA Tour of Australasia season and it was the JBWere Masters from Victoria Golf Club, Melbourne, Australia. And it was the Golfer by the name of Ian Poulter (England) that scored rounds of 65-6, 68-3, 69-2 and a final round of 67-4 for a 72 hole total of 269-15 and he won by 3 strokes for his first ever JBWere Master win and he got to wear the Gold Jacket that comes with the win and the Waterford Chrystal Trophy as well. He won $AU 180, 000 for the win but because he isn’t a member of the PGA Tour of Australasia he doesn’t get a ranking on the Australasian Order of Merit.

Ian Poulter (England) with the Trophy and Gold Jacket he won

He played a great final round with a score of 67-4 in very tough conditions with winds gusting up to 50kmph. He got off to the best possible start when he drove the short par 4, 1st hole with his rescue wood and sank the 25 foot putt for an eagle 2. Then he made 5 pars in a row with some good par putt saves. He made a long putt on the Par 3, 7th hole to get to -14, he then made a solid par on the long par 4, 8th hole. And made a fine birdie on the par 5, 9th hole where he struck his Wedge 3rd shot to within inches of the cup. He went out in an amazing 31-4 and was -15 for the tournament which meant he had a 2 shot lead over the 54 hole leader, Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) with nine holes to play. He then made six solid pars in a row to start the back nine. He moved to -16 when he holed a 25 foot birdie putt on the Par 3, 16th hole. He now had a 4 shot lead over Marcus Fraser (Australia) who had finished at 272-12 after 72 holes after a final round of 64-7 which was an excellent round under the circumstances. And it was the lowest score in the final round by 2 strokes. And his playing partner Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) also birdied the Par 3, 16th hole and he was only 4 strokes back with 2 holes to play.

On the Par 5, 17th hole Ian Poulter (England) hit his 3rd shot over the back of the green and was unable to get up and down and made his lone bogey of the round. But Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) hit his tee shot Out of Bounds and ended up making a Double Bogey 7. That meant that he fell back to -10 and Ian Poulter (England) now had a 4 shot lead over Marcus Fraser (Australia) and a 5 shot lead over Geoff Ogilvy (Australia). Ian Poulter (England) made a solid par 5 on the 72nd hole and it was enough for a 3 stroke victory. I feel the win will give him a lot of confidence to take into the 2012 season on the European Tour and USPGA Tour as well. He also moves to 20th on the Official World Golf Rankings list. I wish him all the best next year and hope he can win a Major Championship.

Coming in solo 2nd Position was Marcus Fraser (Australia), he scored rounds of 70-1, 69-2, 69-2 and a final round of 64-7 for a 72 hole total of 272-12 after 72 holes. He won $AU 102, 000.00 for coming 2nd and it was his second consecutive 2nd place finish on the  2011 PGA Tour of Australasia having finished tied for 2nd in the Australian PGA Championship presented by Coca – Cola, 3 weeks ago. His final position on the 2011 Australasian Order of Merit was 2nd with $AU 229,125.00 earned from all the events he played in. He continued on the fine form he has been showing of late with also easily keeping his European Tour card for 2012. I wish him all the best for the 2012 Season and hope he can grow on this success.

Coming in solo 3rd position was Geoff Ogilvy (Australia), he scored rounds of 71 even, 66-5, 63-8 (Which was a course record) and 73+2 for a 72 hole total of 273-11. He won $US 67, 500 for his weeks work and he finished in 6th position on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit with $AU 126,030.00 earned from the tournaments he played in. He would be disappointed with his final round of 73+2 because the day before he was playing brilliant Golf having scored 63-8 with making 1 eagle and 9 birdies. But as so often happens after a brilliant round an average round follows. And he was just unable to hole the putts that counted in the final round. But he has just had an awesome year with having another fine year on the USPGA Tour and playing in the Presidents Cup in his home town of Melbourne just last month. I know he will get over this defeat quickly and will be ready for the USPGA Tour in early January. Maybe he can even win his 2nd Major Championship next year?

In tied for 4th position at 277-7 after 72 holes was Adam Crawford (Australia), he scored a brilliant final round of 66-5. He won $AU 44,000 for his efforts and finished up in 10th position on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit with $AU 92,401.00 earned from the events he played in and he won the NSW Open Championship as well. It must be his best year on the PGA Tour of Australasia to date in his career? Also tied for 4th position was the ever green Peter Senior (Australia) who too won $AU 44,000 for his weeks work. He is 52 years old and finished in 17th position on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit with $AU 51,100.00 earned from the events he played in. He too had another fine year on the Champions Tour in the US and I hope he can get a win on that tour next year after going so close this year.

In tied for 6th position at 278-6 after 72 holes was Kieran Pratt (Australia), he won $AU 32,333.33 for his weeks work and finished in 12th position on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit with $AU 60,213.33 earned from the events he played in. Also tied for 6th position was the 2011 BMW NZ Open hosted by Christchurch Champion, Brad Kennedy (Australia), he too won $AU 32,333.33 for his weeks work and finished in 5th position on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit with $AU 134,833.33 earned from the events he played in. The final player to tie for 6th position was Ashley Hall (Australia), he too won $AU 32,333.33 for his weeks work and finished in 16th position on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit with $AU 51,149.07 earned from the events he played in. Life is going good for him at the moment because his wife has just had their first child.

Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 9th position at 279-5 after 72 holes was Peter Lonard (Australia) he earned $AU 24,666.66 for his weeks work and he didn’t have a final money list ranking on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit because he didn’t play the required amount of events to get one. Also tied for 9th position was Kurt Barnes (Australia), he too earned $AU 24,666.66 for his weeks work and he finished in 13th position on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit with $AU 58,765.87 earned from the events he played in. The final player to tie for 9th position was Nathan Green (Australia), He too earned $AU 24,666.66 for his weeks work but he too didn’t have a final money list ranking on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit because he didn’t play the required amount of events to get one. The reason for that was he was at the USPGA Tour Qualifying School and he regained his card back for the 2012 USPGA Tour season so well done to him.

The world number 1 golfer Luke Donald (England) had a disappointing tournament finishing tied for 12th after 72 holes on 280-4. He won AU$ 14, 285 for his weeks work, but because he isn’t a member of the PGA Tour of Australasia so he doesn’t have a money list ranking. He said afterwards he would like to come back to Australia because he loved it so much. David Smail (NZL) was the best placed New Zealand Golfer in the field. He scored 70-1, 73+2, 65-6 and a final round of 72+1 for a 72 hole total of 280-4 and he too tied for 12th position. He too won AU$ 14, 285 for his weeks work and finished in 61st position on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit with $AU 17,578.33 earned from the events he played in.

Greg Chalmers (Australia) the 2011 Australasian Tour Order of Merit winner

Greg Chalmers (Australia) who was going for the Triple Crown in Australian Golf this week which is winning the Australian Open, Australian PGA Championship and Australian Masters in the same year. He had already achieved the first two I mentioned by winning both of them. And this week at the JBWere Masters he was trying to do what only one Golfer had done before in PGA Tour of Australasia history. And that was done 6 years ago by Robert Allenby (Australia). He got off to a good start in the first round scoring 69-2. In the second round he scored 70-1 and was 3 under after 36 holes easily making the cut but 6 strokes back from the 36 hole leader Ian Poulter (England). In the third round Greg Chalmers (Australia) scored a fine round of 67-4 and moved to -7 after 54 holes and now 6 strokes back of the 54 hole leader, Geoff Ogilvy (Australia). He knew he need a final round in the low 60’s to have any chance of winning and gaining that Triple Crown Title. However the strong winds on the last day caused him to score a final round of 74+3 and he finished up at 280-4 after 72 holes and in tied for 12th place. He won AU$ 14, 285 for his weeks work and also won the 2011 Australasian Order of Merit Title with $AU 554,285.00 earned from the 3 events he played in which is great for him. And he was presented with the medal for that by the PGA Tour of Australasia Official. He won the 2011 Australasian Order of Merit Title by $AU 325, 160.00 over Marcus Fraser (Australia). For winning the 2011 Australasian Order of Merit Title he will gain an exemption into the 2012 Open Championship and all the WGC – Championships except the Accenture World Match play where only the top 64 on the Official World Golf Rankings get a start. I wish him all the best with his Golf Career and hope he can win his maiden event on the USPGA Tour in 2012. 

Next best New Zealand Golfer was Gareth Paddison (NZL), he scored 69-2, 71 even, 70-2 and a final round of 73+2 for a 72 hole total of 283-1 and tied for 29th position. He won $AU 6,400.00 for his weeks work and he finished in 41st position on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit with $AU 28,144.00 earned from the events he played in. The next best New Zealand was Michael Hendry (NZL), he scored rounds of 71 even, 72+1, 71 even and 71 even for a 72 hole total of 285+1 and he tied for 40th position. He earned $AU 4,400.00 for his weeks work and he finished in 80th position on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit with $AU 12,501.00 earned from the events he played in. Next best New Zealander was Josh Geary (NZL), he scored 73+2, 68-3, 73+2 and a final round of 72+1 for a 72 hole total of 286+2 and finished in tied for 44th position. He earned $AU 3,600.00 for his weeks work and he finished in 25th position on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit with $AU 39,630.00 earned from the events he played in and he was the highest placed New Zealand Golfer on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit. Also tied for 44th position was Douglas R Holloway (NZL), he scored rounds of 71 even, 67-4, 76+5 and a final round of 72+1 for a 72 hole total of 286+2. He too earned $AU 3,600.00 for his weeks work and he finished in 48th position on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit with $AU 25,356.58 earned from the events he played in.

Phil Tataurangi (NZL) scored rounds of 69-2, 71 even, 74+3 and a final round of 74+3 for a 72 hole total of 288+4 and he finished in tied for 52nd position. He earned $AU 2,350.00 for his weeks work and he finished in 125th position on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit with $AU 3,186.00 earned from the events he played in. Brad Shilton (NZL) scored rounds of 74+3, 70-1, 73+2 and a final round of 73+2 for a 72 hole total of 290+6 and he was in solo 56th position. He earned $AU 2,180.00 for his weeks work and finished in 65th position on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit with $AU 16,912.79 earned from the events he played in. Mahal Pearce (NZL) was the final New Zealand Golfer to make the cut. He scored rounds of 67-4, 71 even, 75+4 and a final round of 78+7 for a 72 hole total of 291+7 and he finished in tied for 57th position. He earned $AU 2,160.00 for his weeks work and finished in 53rd position on the final 2011 Australasian Order of Merit with $AU 20,540.94 earned from the events he played in.

The lower Amateur for the week was Bryden MacPherson (Australia) (AM), he scored rounds of 73+2, 71 even, 74+3 and a final round of 67-4 for a 72 hole total of 285+1 and finished in tied for 40th position. The 36 hole cut fell at 144+2 and the New Zealand Golfers that failed to make the 36 hole cut were Ben Campbell (NZL) (AM) who scored rounds of 73+2 and 72+1 for a 36 hole total of 145+3 and missed the 36 hole cut by 1 stroke. Brenden Stuart (NZL) scored rounds of 77+6 and 69-2 for a 36 hole total of 146+4 and missed the 36 hole cut by 2 strokes. Bradley Iles (NZL) scored rounds of 72+1 and 75+4 for a 36 hole total of 147+5 and missed the 36 hole cut by 3 strokes. 2005 US Open Champion, Michael Campbell (NZL) scored rounds of 72+1 and 76+5 for a 36 hole total of 148+6 and missed the 36 hole cut by 4 strokes. David Klein (NZL) scored rounds of 76+5 and 72+1 for a 36 hole total of 148+6 and missed the 36 hole cut by 4 strokes as well.

The PGA Tour of Australasia now takes a break till January 2012 when it will recommence.

The second event I am reporting on this week was the final event on the Asian Tour for 2011 and it was the Thailand Golf Championship. It was played at the Amata Spring Country Club, Bangkok and it was the Golfer by the name of Lee Westwood (England) who scored rounds of 60-12, 64-8, 73+1 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72 hole total of 266-22 and he won by 7 strokes. He won $US 158,500.00 for the win but because he didn’t play enough events on Asian Tour in 2011 he doesn’t have a ranking on the Asian Tour Order of Merit. And it was a shame because he won 3 times this year on the Asian Tour with the other two wins being on back to back weeks in April and they were the Indonesian Masters and Ballantine’s Championship. He played a steady final round of 69-3 that included a front nine 35-1 where he birdied the Par 5, 2nd hole and Par 4, 3rd hole. He made a poor bogey on the Par 3, 5th hole. He came home in 34-2 which included birdies at the  Par 4, 12th hole, Par 3, 13th hole and Par 5, 15th hole with his lone bogey coming at the Par 3, 17th hole. His win at the Thailand Golf Championship was his fourth victory of the season. It was Lee Westwood’s (England) 37th career victory, thanks to a 22-under-par 266 aggregate total and will see him move up one rung to second place on the Official World Golf Rankings to finish the year for 2011.

Lee Westwood (England) in action during the final round of the Thailand Golf Championship

Lee Westwood (England) said this after his win “It means a lot. Any win does. It’s special this week because of the difficulty of the golf course, and whom I was up against in the weekend. Charl is the Masters champion and he’s had a great year. 20 under after two rounds, it’s yours to lose really with an 11 shot lead. There was pressure involved. I was pleased with the way I played today,” . It was a commanding wire-to-wire victory for Lee Westwood (England) and ended his year on a winning note. I hope in 2012 he can finally break through and win that first Major Championship that he long deserves. I wish him all the best on the European Tour and USPGA Tour for the 2012 season.

Lee Westwood (England) with the Thailand Golf Championship trophy he won

Coming in solo 2nd position was Charl Schwartzel (RSA), he scored rounds of 69-3, 66-6, 66-6 and a final round of 72 even par for a 72 hole total 273-15. He won $US 108,500.00 for his weeks work but because he isn’t a member of the Asian Tour he doesn’t have a ranking on their Order of Merit. Charl Schwartzel (RSA) has just concluded one of his best years in Professional Golfer and winning his first Major Championship in April which was the Masters Tournament must be the highlight. I hope he continues his fine form in 2012 on both the European Tour and USPGA Tour. Coming in solo 3rd position was Michael Thompson (USA), he scored rounds of 69-3, 66-6, 69-3 and a final round of 70-2 for a 72 hole total of 274-14 and he earned $US 61,000.00 for his weeks work but because he only played one event in 2011 on the Asian Tour he doesn’t get an Order of Merit ranking.

Coming in tied for 4th position was Simon Dyson (England), he scored rounds of 69-3, 70-2, 68-4 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72 hole total of 276-12 and he won $US 45,150.00 for his weeks work but because he only played a few events he doesn’t get an Order of Merit ranking. Also tied for 4th position was Chawalit Plaphol (Thailand), he scored rounds of 73+1, 71-1, 65-7 and a final round of 67-5 for a 72 hole total of 276-12 and he won $US 45,150.00 for his weeks work. He finished in 19th position on the final Asian Tour Order of Merit for 2011 with $US 180,020.86 earned from the 13 events he played in. Coming in tied for 6th position was Guido Van Der Valk (Netherlands), he scored rounds of 71-1, 69-3, 66-6 and a final round of 73+1 for a 72 hole total of 279-9 and he won $US 31,500.00 for his weeks work. He finished in 59th position on the final Asian Tour Order of Merit for 2011 with $US 68,261.25 earned from the 7 events he played in. And he managed to just keep his card for the 2012 Asian Tour season. Also tied for 6th position was Daisuke Maruyama (Japan), he scored rounds of 73+1, 68-4, 68-4 and a final round of 70-2 for a 72 hole total of 279-9 and he too won $US 31,500.00 for his weeks work. He finished in 20th position on the final Asian Tour of Merit for 2011 with $US 178,560.44 earned from the 7 events he played in. In solo 8th position was Alex Cejka (Germany), he scored rounds of 71-1, 71-1, 71-1 and a final round of 67-5 for a 72 hole total of 280-8. He won $US 25,100.00 for his weeks work but because he isn’t a member of the Asian Tour he doesn’t have a ranking on their Order of Merit.

Rounding out the top 10 in tied for tied for 9th position was Tetsuji Hiratsuka (Japan), he scored rounds of 71-1, 72 even, 68-4 and a final round of 70-2 for a 72 hole total of 281-7. He won $US 20,850.00 for his weeks work. He finished in 2nd position on the final Asian Tour Order of Merit for 2011 with $US 456,667.93 earned from the 8 events he played in. Also tied for 9th position was Jeev Milkha Singh (India), he scored 71-1, 68-4, 72 even and a final round of 70-2 for a 72 hole total of 281-7. He won also $US 20,850.00 for his weeks work. He finished in 3rd position on the final Asian Tour Order of Merit for 2011 with $US $192,808.15 earned from the 10 events he played in.

The only New Zealander Golfer in the field was Mark Brown (NZL), He scored rounds of 72 even, 73+1, 70-2 and 74+2 for a 72 hole total of 289+1. He won $US 8,850.00 for his weeks work. He finished in 79th position on the final Asian Tour Order of Merit for 2011 with $US 44,323.70 earned from the 7 events he played in. It was a good effort considering he played a full schedule on the European Tour this year. This might be the tour that he will focus on next year now that he doesn’t have his European Tour Card for 2012. I wish him luck with his golf next year where ever he chooses to play his Golf.

The Happiest Golfer in the field must be Keith Horne (RSA), he scored rounds of 71-1, 75+3, 75+3 and a final round of 77+5 for a 72 hole total of 298+10. He won $US 2,950.00 for his weeks work. He finished in 61st position on the final Asian Tour Order of Merit for 2011 with $US 65,897.10 earned from the 8 events he played in and was the final player exempt for the 2012 Asian Tour Season. He was US $250.00 ahead of Filipino teenager Miguel Tabuena (Philippines) who was in 62nd position on the final Asian Tour Order of Merit for 2011 with $US 65,647.02 earned from the 13 events he played in. He will now have to go back to the Asian Tour Qualifying School in early 2012 to regain his playing status.

Juvic Pagunsan (Philippines) had a poor tournament scoring rounds of 76+4 and 81+9 for a 36 hole total of 157+13 and he missed the 36 hole cut by 10 strokes. But it didn’t make a difference to him winning the Asian Tour Order of Merit Title for 2011. He earned $US 788,298.60 from the 14 events he played in. He won the Order of Merit by $US 331, 630.67 over Tetsuji Hiratsuka (Japan). He became the first Filipino Golfer in the history of the Asian Tour to win the Order of Merit Title. He also won the Players’ Player of the Year title on the Asian Tour at the Asian Tour Awards Gala to go with the prestigious Order of Merit crown held at the St. Regis Hotel on Sunday night (18th December). 33 year old Juvic Pagunsan (Philippines) will enter the Asian Tour golf annals as the first Filipino to reach the summit in the just concluded 2011 season which came to an exciting close at the inaugural Thailand Golf Championship.

Juvic Pagunsan (Philippines) the Asian Tour Order of Merit and Players Player of the Year Trophies he won 

Juvic Pagunsan (Philippines) rise was due largely to a magical November where he finished second in the lucrative Barclays Singapore Open, which earned him $US 666,660. He also registered three other top-10’s at the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic, Mercuries Taiwan Masters and UBS Hong Kong Open to end the year with US $788,298. The unassuming Filipino also earned the respect of his peers by picking up the Players’ Player of the Year title, which is determined through voting, after a consistent season which saw him miss only two cuts. In his acceptance speech he said “It is an honour to be voted as the Players’ Player of the Year. It shows that my fellow competitors also believe in my abilities. I am proud of this achievement,” he also received products from BlackBerry and Starwood Hotels and Resorts points as well for his success. I hope Juvic Pagunsan (Philippines) keeps up the excellent form he displayed in 2011 and goes on to bigger and bright things in 2012 on the Asian Tour and perhaps even make it onto the European Tour?

Now to the Top 5 in the Official World Golf Rankings for the final time in 2011. Coming in at Number One for the 31st week running is Luke Donald (England) with 10.03 Official Golf World Ranking Points, coming in at Number Two is Lee Westwood (England) with 8.06 Official Golf World Ranking Points, coming in at Number Three is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 7.77 Official Golf World Ranking Points, coming in at Number Four is Martin Kaymer (Germany) with 6.55 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 is Adam Scott (Australia) with 5.50 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) this week slips one place to be at 23rd position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 3.59 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealander in the World. This week he moves up 6 places to be at 151st position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 1.14 Official World Golf Ranking Points.

So that brings an end to my Golf Blogs for 2011. I hope you all enjoyed reading them and I wish you all to have a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year in 2012. So until early January 2012 when I do my next golf blog, I hope you all manage to get a few games in over the Holidays and lower your handicap.

Source: asiantour.com, pga.org.au, pgatour.com

Golf Events from the Weekend 11th December 2011

Well it was another exciting weekend from the Golf Tournaments from all over the World. First I will start with the European Tour and the finale to the Race to Dubai which was the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World and it was played on the Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. And it was the Golfer by the name of Alvaro Quiros (Spain) that scored rounds of 68-4, 64-8, 70-2 and a final round of 67-5 for a 72 hole total of 269-19 and won by 2strokes. He won the huge first prize winners cheque of € 922,645.41 for his efforts. He moved to 6th position on the final 2011 Race to Dubai Money list with € 2,259,242 earned from the 23 events he played this year and he only missed 3 cuts. And € 332,152.35 of the money he won was Race to Dubai Bonus Pool money for finishing inside the top 15 on the final Race to Dubai Money list. Luke Donald (England) won the Race to Dubai Money List with €5,323,400 earned from the 13 events he played in. I will mention more about his amazing feat he achieved later.

Alvaro Quiros (Spain) played a great final round after leading by 2 strokes after 54 holes. He scored a final round of 67-5 which included a front nine of 34-2, with birdies on the Par 4, 1st hole, Par 5, 2nd hole, Par 4, 3rd hole, Par 4, 5th hole and Par 5, 7th hole. But he made poor bogeys on the Par 3, 4th hole, Par 3, 6th hole and Par 4, 9th hole. He had a brilliant back nine of 33-3 that included a birdie on the Par 5, 14th hole, he came to the 18th hole with a one stroke lead at -17 over Luke Donald (England) who had finished on -16 and Paul Lawrie (Scotland) who was also -16 who he was playing with. He hit the Par 5, 18th hole in 2 shots and was left with a 30 foot putt for eagle. Paul Lawrie (Scotland) had knocked his 3rd shot with his wedge into 7feet from the hole. So Alvaro Quiros (Spain) knew that he had to 2 putt for the win. But he went one better and holed his 30 foot putt for eagle to win by 2 strokes. Alvaro Quiros (Spain) then danced about in celebration.

Alvaro Quiros (Spain) holding the Dubai World Championship presented by DP trophy he won

It was Alvaro Quiros (Spain) sixth European Tour International Schedule victory in his 119th European Tour event. He moves to €2,259,242 in The Race to Dubai. This is his highest single-season earnings. It was his second victory of the 2011 European Tour season, following the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. And he would record multiple victories in the same season for the first time in his career. Alvaro Quiros (Spain) moves into the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking, from 52nd. He becomes the 11th multiple winner of the season. They are: Luke Donald (England) (WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship, BMW PGA Championship and Barclays Scottish Open), Thomas Björn (Denmark) (Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy, Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles and Omega European Masters), Charl Schwartzel (Joburg Open and Masters Tournament), Martin Kaymer (Germany) (Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and WGC – HSBC Champions), Darren Clarke (NIR) (Iberdrola Open and The 140th Open Championship), Alex Noren (Sweden)  (Saab Wales Open and Nordea Masters), Simon Dyson (England) (Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland and KLM Open), Michael Hoey (NIR) (Madeira Islands Open and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship), Sergio Garcia (Spain) (Castelló Masters and Andalucía Masters), Rory McIlroy (NIR) (US Open Championship and UBS Hong Kong Open) and Alvaro Quiros (Spain) (Omega Dubai Desert Classic and Dubai World Championship presented by DP World).

This victory is his third Desert title from his six European Tour triumphs overall, including three of his last four wins. They are: 2009 Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy, 2011 Omega Dubai Desert Classic and 2011 Dubai World Championship presented by DP World. He makes European Tour history by becoming the first player to win three different European Tour events in the Desert. They are: Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy, Omega Dubai Desert Classic and Dubai World Championship presented by DP World. This victory comes in his third appearance in the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World. He was tied 42nd in 2009, tied third in 2010 and first in 2011. He joins Ernie Els (RSA) (2005 Dubai Desert Classic and 2005 Qatar Masters), as the only players to win consecutive European Tour events in the Desert, having won the 2011 Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Alvaro Quiros (Spain) continues his wonderful record in recent years in European Tour events in the Desert. Since the start of the 2009 season he has played in 13 events in the Middle East, winning three and finishing in the top ten in eight of the 13. This win is the sixth Spanish victory of the 2011 season. They are: Pablo Martin (Spain) (Alfred Dunhill Championship (Dec 2010), Alvaro Quiros (Spain) (Omega Dubai Desert Classic and Dubai World Championship presented by DP World), Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) (BMW International Open) and Sergio Garcia (Spain) (Castelló Masters and Andalucía Masters). It was the 163rd Spanish victory in European Tour history. It was Alvaro Quiros (Spain) seventh win as a professional. He has now won €5 million in European Tour Official Career Earnings. He gains a five year European Tour exemption until the end of the 2016 season. This is his largest European Tour prize of €922,645. And finally gains a place in the 2012 Masters Tournament (as a result of moving back into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking by the end of 2011), the 2012 US Open Championship and 2012 Open Championship, as a result of his finishing position in The Race to Dubai and the three World Golf Championship events.

I hope Alvaro Quiros (Spain) can build on this win and Achieve even better things in the 2012 European Tour season with perhaps even a Major Win? I wish him all the best with his golf career in the future. Coming in at solo 2nd position at 271-17 after 72 holes was the 1999 Open Champion, Paul Lawrie (Scotland), he earned € 615,094 for his efforts and end up in 18th position on the final Race to Dubai European Tour Money list with € 1,142,013 earned from the 24 events he played in. It ended a fine season for him in which he won the Open de Andalucía de Golf by Turkish Airlines in late March ending a 9 year winless drought. I hope he can continue on his great form in 2012 on the European Tour.

In solo 3rd position at 272-16 after 72 holes was Luke Donald (England) he won € 359,831.71 for his weeks work and also a share of € 1,107,174.49 from the Race to Dubai Bonus Pool Money for finishing top of the Race to Dubai Money List and his final earnings on that list were € 5,323,400 from the 13 events he played in. He achieved 3 wins that included the WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship, BMW PGA Championship, Barclays Scottish Open. He was Runner up in the Volvo World Match Play Championship, WGC – Bridgestone Invitational. He had 5 other top 10 finishes which included a tie for 3rd at the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World, a tie for 4th at the Masters Tournament, a tied for 6th at the WGC – Cadillac Championship, a tie for 8th at the US PGA Championship and a tied for 9th at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The money he won on average per event was €324,325 (excluding Bonus Pool). He had a stroke average of 69.12 strokes per round. He was a total of -90 under par for the 41 rounds of stroke play he played. And 37 of those rounds were par or better. And 27 of those rounds were under par and 22 of those under par rounds being in the 60’s. Luke Donald (England) becomes the European Tour Number One for the first time. He becomes the first player to be Number One on The European Tour and the US PGA Tour Money lists in the same season. He becomes the fifth Englishman to win the Harry Vardon Trophy since The European Tour’s first season in 1972. He follows: Peter Oostherhuis (England) (1972, 73, 74), Sir Nick Faldo (England) (1983, 92), Lee Westwood (England) (2000, 09) and Justin Rose (England) (2007). And finally became the World Number One when he won the BMW PGA Championship in May and has been there for 30 consecutive weeks by the final ranking of 2011. It has also been a very happy year for him on and off the course when just last month his wife Diane gave birth to their 2nd child Sophia Ann Donald, but sadness struck a few days before with the death of Luke Donald’s (England) Father. And this coming week he is heading down to Melbourne, Australia to play in the JBWere Masters. And he won the USPGA Tour Player of the Year title. So it will be great for the Australians to see the World Number 1 play in the flesh. The only thing Luke Donald (England) is lacking now is a Major Championship, but I believe he will win a Major next year. I know he will continue the great form he displayed in 2011 in 2012 on both the USPGA Tour and the European Tour. I wish him all the best in the future as well.

Luke Donald (England) is presented the Race to Dubai Trophy from George O'Grady from the European Tour

In solo 4th position was Peter Hanson (Sweden), he scored 274-14 after 72 holes and earned € 276,793.62 for his efforts. His final position on the Race to Dubai Money list for 2011 was 13th with € 1,500,590 earned from the 24 events he played in and € 166,076.17 of the money he won was Race to Dubai Bonus Pool money for finishing inside the top 15 on the final Race to Dubai Money list. In solo 5th position was Charl Schwartzel (RSA), he scored 275-13 after 72 holes and won € 221,434.90 for his weeks work. His final position on the Race to Dubai Money list for 2011 was 4th and he earned € 2,929,829 from the 18 events he played in which included 2 wins. And € 442,869.80 of the money he won was Race to Dubai Bonus Pool money for finishing inside the top 15 on the final Race to Dubai Money list.

Tied for 6th position at 276-12 after 72 holes were Francesco Molinari (Italy), he earned € 170,290.82 for his weeks work and his final position on the 2011 Race to Dubai Money list was 21st with € 1,087,852 earned from the 22 events he played in. Also tied for 6th position was Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) who too earned € 170,290.82 for his weeks work. He finished in 15th position on the final Race to Dubai Money list with € 1,409,126 earned from the 22 events he played in and € 138,396.81 of the money he won was Race to Dubai Bonus Pool money for finishing inside the top 15 on the final Race to Dubai Money list. In tied for 8th position at 277-11 after 72 holes was Shane Lowry (Ireland), he won € 143,932.68 for his weeks work and he finished in 41st position on the final Race to Dubai Money list with € 764,778 earned from the 25 events he played in. Also tied for 8th position was Robert Rock (England) he too earned € 143,932.68 for his weeks work and finished in 34th position on the final Race to Dubai Money list with € 818,014 earned from the 32 events he played in.

Rounding out the top 10 in solo 10th position at 278-10 after 72 holes was Pablo Larrazabal (Spain), he won € 127,325.07 for his weeks work and finished in 17th position on the final Race to Dubai Money list with € 1,183,040 earned from the 33 events he played in.

So that brought an end to the Race to Dubai European Tour season for 2011 with the 52 tournaments being completed and it travelled through 29 different Destinations. The European Tour has turned into the World Golf Tour. The European Tour now takes a break until early January where it will begin the 2012 Race to Dubai season in South Africa.   

The second tournament I am reporting on this week is the Franklin Templeton Shootout and it was played on the Tiburon GC, Naples, Florida. It is a unique Tournament where 12 two man teams play the first round Modified Alternate Shot - Each player hits a drive on every hole and one drive is selected. The player whose drive is NOT selected hits the second shot, and then play alternate shots until the ball is holed. Second Round, Better Ball - Each player plays through every hole using his own ball. The player whose score is the lowest on each hole will be the team score for that hole. Final Round, Scramble - Each player hits a drive on every hole and the best drive is selected. Each player then plays a second shot from the spot where the selected drive lays, and the best second shot is selected. This process is repeated until the hole is completed. And it was the Team of Keegan Bradley (USA)/Brendan Steele (USA) who scored 63-9 in the first round Modified Alternate Shot, 62-10 in the Second Round, Better Ball and 59-13 in the Final Round, Scramble for a 54 hole total of 184-32 and won by 3 strokes in their very first attempt.

Keegan Bradley (USA) in action during the final round

They both combined very well as a team and proved why Keegan Bradley (USA) had won the Rookie of the Year title on the USPGA Tour for the 2011 season. They both won $US 375,000 for their efforts which just adds to their bank balances for 2011. They just played too steady on the back nine for all the other teams that were chasing them with making lots of birdies and the odd eagle. Coming in tied for  2nd place, 3 strokes back at 187-29 after 72 holes was Rory Sabbatini (RSA) & Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela), they came home strong in the final round scoring 60-12 and they won each $US 187,500. Also tied for 2nd place was two Champions Tour Golfers by the names of Mark Calcavecchia (USA) & Nick Price (Zimbabwe). They too won each $US 187,500 for their efforts. Coming in at tied for 4th position on 188-28 after 54 holes were Charles Howell III (USA) & Justin Leonard (USA) and they scored the equal best final round of 58-14, they each won $US 102,500 for their efforts. Also tied for 4th position were Jerry Kelly (USA) & Steve Stricker (USA), they too each won $US 102,500 for their efforts and they record an awesome final round of 59-13.There were 4 teams tied for 6th position on 190-26 after 54 holes and they were Rickie Fowler (USA) & Camilo Villegas (Columbia), Stewart Cink (USA) & Bo Van Pelt (USA) who too scored the equal best final round of 58-14. Chad Campbell (USA) & Chris DiMarco (USA) and they too had an awesome final round of 59-13. And the final team to tie for 6th position was Kenny Perry (USA) & Scott Stallings (USA), all these 4 teams earned $US 81,875 each for their efforts.

In solo 10th position at 191-25 after 54 holes were the team of Jason Dufner  (USA) & Sean O’Hair (USA). They won each $US75,000  for their efforts. In solo 11th Position at 192-24 after 54 holes were the Tournament host Greg Norman  (Australia) & Scott McCarron (USA), they each earned $US 72,500 for their efforts. And getting the wooden spoon for coming last out of 12 teams and in solo 12th position on 193-23 after 54 holes were Anthony Kim (USA) & Webb Simpson (USA) and they won $US 70,000 each for their efforts.

The USPGA Tour now takes a break to early January 2012 where it will recommence on the Thursday 5th January for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and it is being played at the Plantation Course at Kapalua, Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. It is only for the players that won a tournament on the USPGA Tour in 2011. It carries a huge prize purse of $US 5,600,000. Jonathan Byrd (USA) is the defending Champion and will be looking to win back to back titles. I will report back who won next year.    

Now to the Top 5 players on the Official World Golf Rankings. Coming in at Number One for the 29th week in a row is Luke Donald (England) with 10.29 Official World Golf Ranking Points, coming in at Number Two is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 8.00 Official World Golf Ranking Points, coming in at Number Three is Lee Westwood (England) with 7.81 Official World Golf Ranking Points, coming in at Number Four is Martin Kaymer (Germany) with 6.78 Official World Golf Ranking Points and rounding out the Top 5 is Adam Scott (Australia) with 5.66 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) this week slips one place to 22nd on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 3.69 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealander in the World. This week he slips 1 place to be at 157th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 1.16 Official World Golf Ranking Points.

The third tournament I am reporting on this week is the Final Qualifying Stage of the European Tour which was 108 Holes, and it was played on the PGA Cataluyna Resort, Girona, Spain. And it was the Golfer by the name of David Dixon (England) that was the medallist at the Final Qualifying Stage of the European Tour. He scored rounds of 74, 65, 63, 69, 67 and a final round of 69 for an 108 hole total of 407-21 and won by 1 stroke. He won € 16,000.00 for the win and will be playing on the European Tour and Race to Dubai in 2012. He regained his European Tour Card back for another year after finishing in 139th position with € 175,108 earned from the 31 events he played on the 2011 European Tour, Race to Dubai season (Only the Top 115 players kept their full playing Status for the 2012 European Tour Season). He played a solid final round with scoring 69-3. He went out in a front nine of 36 even par with birdies on the Par 4, 1st hole and Par 4, 2nd hole but suffered a poor double bogey on the Par 4, 9th hole. He came in with a back nine of 33-3 that included two eagles, one on the Par 5, 12th and the other one on the Par 5, 16th hole. He added a couple of birdies as well, one on the Par 3, 11th hole and the other one on the Par 3, 16th hole. He made bogey on the Par 4, 10th hole and had a poor double bogey on the Par 4, 13th hole.

David Dixon (England) holding the Medallist trophy he won for winning the European Tour Qualifying School

So I feel he will have a much better 2012 season on the European Tour and he will be looking to put some good performances in on the early tournaments in South Africa in early January. And he has already won a European Tour Event back in 2008 when he won the SAINT-OMER OPEN presented by NEUFLIZE OBC. I wish David Dixon (England) lots of success on the European Tour and Race to Dubai in 2012.

In solo 2nd place on 408-20 after 108 holes was Sam Hutsby (England). In solo 3rd place on 409-19 after 108 holes was Andy Sullivan (England). In solo 4th place on 410-18 after 108 holes was Richard Bland (England). In tied for 5th place on 411-17 after 108 holes were Steven O’Hara (Scotland) and Jordi Garcia (Spain). In solo 7th place on 412-16 after 108 holes was Knut Borsheim (Norway). In tied for 8th place on 413-15 after 108 holes were Gary Orr (Scotland) and Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) and rounding out the top 10 in tied for 10th position at 414-14 after 108 holes were Guillaume Cambis (France) and Branden Grace (RSA).

The cut off for a 2012 European Tour Card came at 421-7 after 108 holes and 37 Golfers achieved that mark and now have full playing Status on the 2012 European Tour and Race to Dubai. Here are the remaining 26 Golfers that qualified: Joakim Lagergren (Sweden), Thomas Norret (Denmark), Matthew Nixon (England), Bernd Ritthammer (Germany), Warren Abery (RSA), Lloyd Kennedy (England), Darren Fichardt (RSA), Adrien Bernadet (France), Mikael Lundberg (Sweden), Agustin Domingo (Spain), Julien Guerrier (France), Adrian Otaegui (Spain), Matthew Southgate (England), Wil Besseling (Netherlands), Peter Gustafsson (Sweden), Reinier Saxton (Netherlands), Alex Haindl (Netherlands), Scott Pinckney (USA), Tjaart Van Der Walt (RSA), Tim Sluiter (Netherlands), HP Bacher (Austria), Jamie Elson (England), Victor Riu (France), Taco Remkes (Netherlands), Maarten Lafeber (Netherlands) and Andrew Marshall (England).

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So until my next Golf Blog next week remember a smooth putting stroke will hole more short putts!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com

Golf Events from the Weekend 4th December 2011

Well it was another great weekend of golf from the Professional Golf events from all over the world. First I will start with the PGA Tour of Australasia and this week it travelled to New Zealand for the 93rd BMW NZ Open hosted by Christchurch which was played at the Clearwater Golf Resort in Christchurch. And the player that won the Brodie Breeze Trophy and the $AU 72, 000 first prize winners cheque was Brad Kennedy (Australia) who scored rounds of 68-4, 71-1, 68-4 and a final round of 74+2 for a 72 hole total 281+7 after 72 holes, but he was tied on that score by Craig Parry (Australia) who scored rounds of 70-2, 69-3, 73+1 and 69-3 for a 72 holes total of 281-7 and those two players were headed back to the 18th hole for the 1st playoff hole.

So to the first playoff hole and it was decided that Craig Parry (Australia) would have the honour by the PGA Tour of Australasia rules official. He hit his tee shot well to the right of the fairway and landed it in the right hand fairway Bunker. Brad Kennedy (Australia) then hit his drive well and it landed in the first cut of rough on the left side of the fairway. Craig Parry (Australia) played his second shot first and hit it fat and it rolled in to the rough on the left hand side of the fairway just short of the water. Brad Kennedy (Australia) hit a similar shot to the one he hit in regulation play and left his ball 30 feet below the cup. Craig Parry (Australia) then hit a stunning pitch shot from a very difficult lie which nearly went in the hole and settled 8feet past the cup. Brad Kennedy (Australia) now had his 30 foot birdie putt to win his first NZ Open and the biggest title of his career to date. He calmed his nerve and rolled it straight in the middle of the cup.

Brad Kennedy (Australia) with the Brodie Breeze Trophy he won

Brad Kennedy (Australia) won $AU 72, 000 for his first prize winners cheque and moves to 8th position on the PGA Tour of Australasia 2011 Money list with $AU 102,500.00 earned to date this year so far with one event remaining. Greg Chalmers (Australia) still is number one on the list with $AU 540,000.00. It was Brad Kennedy (Australia) second win on the PGA Tour of Australasia having won the 2010 John Hughes Geely Nexus Risk Services WA Open as his maiden one. And it was the biggest win of Brad Kennedy’s (Australia) playing career. After playing the Asian Tour for a while early in his career and having limited success he decided just to the play the PGA Tour of Australasia the last few years. And with this win it may well lift his confidence and he might try to re qualify for the Asian Tour or the One Asia Tour. He played an average final round of 74+2, which included a front nine of 38+2 with a birdie on the Par 4, 7th hole but he made 3 poor bogeys on the Par 3, 3rd hole, Par 4, 6th hole and Par 3, 9th hole. But he played an extremely steady back nine with paring every hole to score 36 even par. And as I mentioned above he won the playoff. I hope Brad Kennedy (Australia) can finish off the year well with another high finish in the JBWere Masters which is being played in two weeks time to finish off the 2011 PGA Tour of Australasia. I wish him well for 2012 with whatever tour he chooses to play on.

Craig Parry (Australia) would be disappointed with his 2nd place finish because the way he played the 1st 17 holes in the final round was just awesome. He scored 69-3 in the final round and that included a front nine 34-2, he eagled the Par 5, 2nd hole where he chipped in from the front fringe. Then he birdied the Par 3, 9th hole, but had a silly bogey on the Par 4, 1st hole. He started the back nine brilliantly with birdies at the Par 5, 10th hole and Par 3, 11th holes. He then added another birdie at the Par 5, 14th hole to get to -9. He pared the next 3 holes and went to the 72 hole at -9 with a 2 stroke lead over the field. He hit a poor drive off the tee that landed in the left hand rough. Then he hit the worst shot of the whole tournament for him when he pulled his 2nd shot into the water on the left. He took his penalty drop and played a good 4th shot pitch to about 15 feet underneath the hole. And now had the bogey putt to win the tournament out right but it just missed on the left hand side. So he made a double bogey 6 and came home in 35-1. And as I mentioned above he lost the playoff to Brad Kennedy (Australia). Craig Parry (Australia) is now in 17th position on the PGA Tour of Australasia 2011 Money list with $AU 42,686.63 earned so far this year to date.

Josh Geary (NZL) was the highest placed New Zealand Golfer in the Tournament. He scored rounds of 71-1, 68-4, 71-1 and a final round of 72 even par for a 72 hole total of 282-6 and he finished in solo 3rd position. His erratic driving in the final round let him down at the crucial moments. He scored a 72 even par in the final round that included a front nine of 36 even par with a birdie 2 on the Par 3, 9th hole, but had a poor bogey 5 on the Par 4, 8th hole. He played the back nine in 36 even par as well, with birdies on the Par 4, 15th and Par 3, 16th holes. But had poor bogeys on the Par 4, 12th and Par 4, 18th holes. The one on the Par 4, 18th hole was extremely disappointing because he was taking a 3 wood for accuracy and hooked it into the water hazard on the left hand side. He took his penalty drop and hit a fine 3rd shot with a mid iron to 15 feet past the hole. But he was unable to convert the par putt and had to settle for bogey and 1 stroke out of the playoff. He is now in 20th position on the PGA Tour of Australasia 2011 Money list with $AU 36,030.00 earned to date so far this year. And he had a good year on the Nationwide Tour in America as well finishing in 74th position with $US 79,586 earned from the 25 events he played in. I wish him luck in the final 2011 PGA Tour of Australasia Tour event which is JB Were Masters in two weeks time.

In solo 4th position on 283-5 after 72 holes was Rohan Blizard (Australia). In tied for 5th position on 284-4 after 72 holes were Nicholas Cullen (Australia) and Leigh Deagan (Australia). In tied for 7th position at 285-3 after 72 holes were Adam Crawford (Australia) and Brent McCullough (Australia). Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 9th position at 286-2 after 72 holes was 2003 NZ Open champion, Mahal Pearce (NZL) who scored rounds of 70-2, 73+1, 72 even and 71-1 for a 72 hole total of 286-2. He is now in 55th position on the PGA Tour of Australasia 2011 Money list with $AU 18,380.94 earned so far this year. Other players to tie for 9th were Terry Pilkadaris (Australia) and Steve Jones (Australia). Other New Zealand Golfers to make the cut were, Doug R Holloway (NZL) on 287-1 after 72 holes and tied for 12th position, Carl Brooking (NZL) on 291+3 after 72 holes an tied for 20th place. David Smail (NZL) on 293+5 after 72 holes and tied for 25th position. Brad Shilton (NZL) was also tied for 25th position on 293+5 after 72 holes. Anthony Doyle (NZL) was in tied for 31st Position on 294+6 after 72 holes. Steve Alker (NZL) was in tied for 35th position on 295+7 after 72 holes, as was David Klein (NZL) with a 72 hole total of 295+7 after 72 holes. Jim Cusdin (NZL) who was tied for the first round lead with Brad Kennedy (Australia) ended up tied for 41st position on 296+8 after 72 holes. In tied for 45th position was Vaughan McCall (Amateur) (NZL) who finished on 297+9 after 72 holes and was in tied for 45th position and he was also tied for the low New Zealand Amateur with Tim Leonard (Amateur) (NZL) who also finished on 297+9 after 72 holes.

Ryan Fox (Amateur) (NZL) finished on 298+10 after 72 holes and finished in tied for 52nd position. In tied for 54th position after 72 holes was Nick Gillespie (NZL) who finished on a score of 299+11. Grant Moorhead (NZL) finished in tied for 60th position with a score of 301+13 after 72 holes. Phil Tataurangi (NZL), Daniel Pearce (Amateur) (NZL) and Peter Spearman-Burn (NZL) were all tied for 62nd position on 302+14 after 72 holes. Marcus Wheelhouse (NZL) was in solo 67th position at 304+16 after 72 holes. And finally the final two New Zealand Golfers to make the cut were Jordan Dasler (NZL) and Jonathan Ratcliffe (Amateur) (NZL), they both scored 305+17 after 72 holes and were tied for 68th position.

The low Amateur for the week was eighteen-year-old Jake Higginbottom (Amateur) (Australia) and he lifted the Bledisloe Cup for the low amateur of the week with rounds of 72 even, 68-4, 76+4 and a final round of 76+4 for a 72 hole total of 292+4 after 72 holes and he finished in tied for 22nd position.

This week there is no event on the PGA Tour of Australasia, but next week the PGA Tour of Australasia has the first stage of PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School which is being played at the Sandhurst Golf Course, Victoria, Australia. It starts on Wednesday 14th December. Also in two weeks time it is the JBWere Masters and it is the final PGA Tour of Australasia event for the 2011. It has a minimum prize purse of $AU 1,000,000 for the taking. Stuart Appleby (Australia) is the defending champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 15th December and I will report back who won the trophy in two weeks time.

The second tournament I am reporting on this week was on the European Tour and part of the Race to Dubai and it was the UBS Hong Kong Open. It was played on the Hong Kong GC, Fanling, Hong Kong. It was the last regular tour event of the season before the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World which the top 60 players on the Race to Dubai money list at the conclusion of this event qualify for. And it was the current US Open Champion, Rory McILroy (NIR) who scored rounds of 64-6, 69-1, 70 even par and a final round of 65-5 for a 72 hole total of 268-12 and he won by 2 strokes. He won € 341,724 for the win and stays in 2nd position the Race to Dubai Money list with € 3,066,606 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this year so far. Luke Donald (England) still leads that list with €3,856,394 earned from the 12 events he has played to date this year so far. So Luke Donald (England) and Rory McILroy (NIR) will face off next week at the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World to see who will win the Race to Dubai Money list for 2011.

Rory McILroy (NIR) pumps his fist after winning holing his bunker shot for birdie on the 72nd hole

Rory McILroy (NIR) won his third European Tour International Schedule victory in his 99th European Tour event. He moves to €3,066,605 in The Race to Dubai. This is the second time in three years he has won more than €3 million in a single European Tour season. The other season was in 2009 where he won €3,610,020. It was his second European Tour title of the season, following the US Open Championship. It was the first time he has won twice in the same European Tour season. He becomes the tenth multiple winner of the season. They are: Luke Donald (England) (WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship, BMW PGA Championship and Barclays Scottish Open), Thomas Björn (Denmark) (Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy, Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles and Omega European Masters), Charl Schwartzel (RSA) (Joburg Open and Masters Tournament), Darren Clarke (NIR) (Iberdrola Open and The 140th Open Championship), Alex Noren (Sweden) (Saab Wales Open and Nordea Masters), Rory McIlroy (NIR) (US Open Championship and WGC – HSBC Champions), Simon Dyson (England) (Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland and KLM Open), Michael Hoey (NIR) (Madeira Islands Open and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship), Sergio Garcia (Spain) (Castelló Masters and Andalucía Masters) and Rory McIlroy (US Open Championship and UBS Hong Kong Open).

Rory McILroy (NIR) removes his hat to Acknowledge the crowd after winning

Rory McILroy (NIR) continues his wonderful record in the UBS Hong Kong Open. He was first in 2011, sixth in 2010 and second in both 2009 editions. He is now 62 under par for his last 16 rounds in the UBS Hong Kong Open. He has now broken or equalled par in his last 16 rounds in the UBS Hong Kong Open. This victory comes in his fifth appearance in the UBS Hong Kong Open. This victory made history for Northern Ireland. It was first time the country has recorded six victories in a single European Tour season. The 2011 wins are: Darren Clarke (NIR) (Iberdrola Open and The 140th Open Championship), Michael Hoey (NIR) (Madeira Islands Open, Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Rory McIlroy (NIR) (US Open Championship and UBS Hong Kong Open). This victory made history for Northern Ireland. It would represent the first time three players have recorded multiple victories in the same season. Rory McILroy (NIR) becomes the 43rd Northern Irish win in European Tour history. He continued his wonderful 2011 European Tour season, with his 12th top ten finishes from his 18 events to date. (12 is the most of any player this season). Rory McILroy (NIR) has recorded nine top ten finishes on the 2010 European Tour season. From the start of last season, he has played 34 European Tour events and has been placed in the top ten 21 times. It was his fifth win as a professional worldwide. And finally it was his third victory of 2011, following the US Open Championship and the Shanghai Masters.

Rory McILroy (NIR) poses with the UBS Hong Kong Open trophy he won

Rory McILroy (NIR) just played a flawless final round with scoring 33-2 on the front nine which included birdies at the Par 5, 2nd hole and Par 4, 9th hole. He continued on the fine form on the back nine with recording birdies on the Par 5, 12th hole, Par 3, 15th hole and came to the 18th hole -4 for the round and -11 for the tournament with a 1 stroke lead. He put his second shot in the front bunker and that meant he would have to get up and down to win the tournament. But he went one better than that and holed out for a birdie 3 in spectacular fashion. This win just confirms what an amazing season he is having and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he won the finale to the Race to Dubai this week which is the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World. I wish Rory McILroy (NIR) all the best with that and winning more Major Championships in 2012.

Coming in solo 2nd position was Gregory Havret (France) he scored 270-10 after 72 holes and earned € 227,813.28 for his week’s work that moved him to 25th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 880,841 earned from the 28 events he has played to date this year so far. He easily qualifies for the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World next week. In solo 3rd position at 271-9 after 72 holes was Peter Hanson (Sweden), he won € 128,352.34 for the week and moves to 16th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 1,057,721 earned from the 23 events he has played to date this year so far. He too easily qualifies for the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World next week.

In tied for 4th position at 272-8 after 72 holes was Richie Ramsey (Scotland), he won € 87,071.82 for his weeks work and moves to 26th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 870,787 earned from the 31 events he has played this year so far. He too easily qualifies for the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World next week. Also tied for 3rd was Ian Poulter (England), he too won € 87,071.82 for his weeks work and moves to 21st position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 955,607 earned from the 15 events he has played to date this year so far and he too easily qualifies for the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World next week. The other player to tied for 4th position at 272-8 after 72 holes was Pariya Junhasavasdikul (Thailand), he too earned € 87,071.82 for his weeks work and moved to 173rd position on the on the Race to Dubai Money list with earning € 98,751 for the 7 events he has played to date this year and he didn’t qualify for the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World next week. He was only playing in this event because it was co – sanctioned by the Asian Tour as well. He didn’t earn enough money to keep his European Tour card for next year.

In tied for 7th position at 273-7 after 72 holes was Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand), he earned € 52,899.21 for his weeks work and moved to 146th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 154,895 earned from the 8 events he played in and he too didn’t qualify for the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World next week. He also was only playing in this event because it was co – sanctioned by the Asian Tour as well. He too didn’t earn enough money to keep his European Tour card for next year. Y. E. Yang (South Korea) was also tied for 7th position; he won € 52,899.21 for his weeks work as well and moves to 28th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 846,230 from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. And he too easily qualifies for the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World next week. The last player to tie for 7th position was Alvaro Quiros (Spain), he also earned € 52,899.21 for his weeks work and moves to 19th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 1,004,445 from the 22 events he has played to date this year so far. He too easily qualifies for the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World next week.

Rounding out the Top 10 in solo 10th position at 274-6 after 72 holes was Juvic Pagunsan (Philippines), he earned € 41,007.14 for his efforts but because he isn’t a member of the European Tour he doesn’t have a Race to Dubai Ranking. But he is leading the Asian Tour Order of Merit with $US 788,298.60 earned from 13 events he has played to date this year on the Asian Tour and with only one tournament left for the 2011 season he is virtually assured of winning the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

The only New Zealand Golfer in the field to make the cut was Danny Lee (NZL), he scored rounds of 70 even, 65-5, 70 even and a final round of 74+4 for a 72 hole total of 279-1 after 72 holes and won € 17,325.52 for his efforts and moves to 84th position on the Final Race to Dubai Money list with € 358,477 earned from the 15 events he played in this year. And he easily keeps his playing status for the 2012 European Tour season. But he missed out on securing his place in the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World next week.

He is now exempt on the two biggest tours around the world next year having gained his USPGA Tour card for 2012 as well by finishing 6th on the Final Nationwide money list. I wish Danny Lee (NZL) the best of luck for the 2012 and hope he can win on the big stage next year. The other New Zealander in the field but missed the 36 hole halfway cut was Mark Brown (NZL), he scored rounds of 73+3 and 70 even for a 36 hole total 143+3 to missed the 36 hole cut by 1 stroke which was bitterly disappointing for him.  He finished in 161st position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 121,005 earned from the 34 events he played in. He will now have to go to Qualifying School to regain his playing Card for the 2012 European Tour season. I wish him luck with that. And hope he has a better season in 2012.

Next week it is the final tour event on the European Tour and the Race to Dubai schedule for 2011. It is the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World and it is being played at the Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the Finale to the season long Race to Dubai Schedule. Only the Top 60 players on the Race to Dubai Money list after the USB Hong Kong Open are exempt to play in it. It has a massive prize purse of $US 7,500,000 for the taking. Robert Karlsson (Sweden) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 8th December and I will report back who won next week.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings this week. Coming in at Number 1 for the 28th week in a row is Luke Donald (England) with 10.20 Official World Golf Ranking Points, Coming in at Number 2 is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 8.14 Official World Golf Ranking Points, coming in at Number 3 is Lee Westwood (England) with 8.08 Official World Golf Ranking Points, coming in at Number 4 is Martin Kaymer (Germany) with 6.91 Official World Golf Ranking Points and rounding out the Top 5 is Steve Stricker (USA) with 5.67 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) this week leaps up 31 places fresh of his first win in over two years which was the Chevron World Challenge. He is now the 21st ranked golfer in the World on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 3.74 Official Golf World Ranking points. Danny Lee (New Zealand) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he moves up 7 places to be at 156th Position on the Official Golf World Rankings Points list with 1.16 points on the Official World Golf Rankings.

Now to the third event I am reporting on this week, and it was Chevron World Challenge that was played on the Sherwood CC, Thousand Oaks, California. And it was Tiger Woods (USA) who scored rounds of 69-3, 67-5, 73+1 and a final round of 69 -3 for a 72 hole total of 278-10 and won by 1 stroke. It was his first win in over 2 years and will give him huge confidence heading into the 2012 USPGA Tour season. He won $US 1,200,000.00 for the win and donated it all to his Tiger Woods (USA) Learning Foundation which benefits Children throughout America. He played a great final round which made for great TV viewing.

Tiger Woods (USA) celebrates after winning his first tournament in over two years

Because it was a Un - Official USPGA Tour event the money doesn’t count towards the money list. Tiger Woods (USA) played a great final round with scoring 69-3 which included a front nine 36 even par where he had a birdie on the Par 5, 2nd hole, but he had a poor bogey on the long Par 3, 8th hole. He started the back nine with a hiss and a roar when he birdied the Par 4, 10th hole and the Par 5, 11th hole. But a poor bogey on the Par 3, 12th hole knocked him back a bit. But he made a fine birdie on the Par 3, 17th hole which tied him all up with Zach Johnson (USA) on -9 with one hole to play. Then he holed an 8 foot birdie putt on the 18th green for 3 and he scored a back nine 33-3. I hope this can be a good platform for him heading into the 2012 USPGA Tour Season and he can have many more wins and even a Major Championship win I hope. I wish all the best for his future in Golf.

Tiger Woods (USA) poses with the Chevron World Challenge Trophy he won

Zach Johnson (USA) put up a great fight in the final round and can be proud of the way he finished. He scored rounds of 73+1, 67-5, 68-4 and a final round of 71-1 for a 72 hole total of 279-9 and finished in solo 2nd position. In solo 3rd position was Paul Casey (England), he scored rounds of 79+7, 68-4, 67-5 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72 hole total of 283-5. In tied for 4th position on 284-4 after 72 holes were Hunter Mahan (USA) and Matt Kuchar (USA). In tied for 6th position at 287-1 after 72 holes were Jim Furyk (USA), Martin Laird (Scotland), Rickie Fowler (USA) and Bubba Watson (USA). Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 10th position at 288 even par were Bo Van Pelt (USA) and Gary Woodland (USA).

Next week is the final end of season event for the USPGA Tour which is the Franklin Templeton Shootout and it is being played on the Tiburon GC, Naples, Florida. It is a unique event in which 12 Two Man Teams play 3 rounds. The first round is a modified version of Foursomes, the Second round is a four ball and the Final round is a Scramble Format where each player has a go at the one shot after the best tee shot is taken. There is a prize purse of $US 3,000,000 for the taking. Dustin Johnson (USA) & Ian Poulter (England) are the defending Champions and will be looking for back to back titles. It starts on Friday 9th December and I will report who won next week.

The final event I am reporting on this week is the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament and it was played on the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course, La Quinta, California and the PGA West Stadium Course, La Quinta, California. And it was the Golfer by the name of Brendon Todd (USA) that scored rounds of 71-1, 68-4, 69-3, 71-1, 68-4 and a final round of 68-4 for 108 hole total of 415-17. He was the medallist at the Q-School for 2011. I hope he has a fine season on the USPGA Tour in 2012 and keeps his card for the 2013 season.

Brendon Todd (USA) lining up a putt in the final round

In solo 2nd position at 416-16 after 108 holes was Stephen Gangluff (USA). In tied for 3rd position at 417-15 after 108 holes was the 2010 NZ Open Champion, Bobby Gates (USA) and Seung-yul Noh (South Korea). In tied for 5th position at 418-14 after 108 holes were Tommy Biershenk (USA), Vaughn Taylor (USA) and Jarrod Lyle (Australia). And rounding out the top 10 in tied for 8th position at 419-13 after 72 holes were Bob Estes (USA), Brian Harman (USA) and Marco Dawson (USA).

The next 19 players all gained their 2012 USPGA Tour cards as well as the 10 players I mentioned above and they were Sang-Moon Bae (South Korea), Kevin Kisner (USA), Roberto Castro (USA), William McGirt (USA), Jeff Maggert (USA), Charlie Beljan (USA), Harris English (USA), Patrick Sheehan (USA), Scott Dunlap (USA), Greg Owen (England), Daniel Summerhays (USA), Will Claxton (USA), Edward Loar (USA), Mark Anderson (USA), Alexandre Rocha (Brazil), Richard H. Lee (USA), John Huh (USA), Nathan Green (Australia) and Colt Knost (USA).

The only New Zealander in the field was Tim Wilkinson (NZL) he scored rounds of 70-2, 74+2, 75+3, 72 even, 70-2 and a final round of 69-3 for an 108 hole total of 430-2 and tied for 72nd position. He missed out on his 2012 USPGA Tour card by 6 strokes. But he got his Nationwide Tour card for 2012.

So until my next Golf Blog next week remember with the ground being so hard now remember to allow for the run on the ball when you’re playing your shots.

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com, pga.org.au