Golf Events from the Weekend 27th May 2012

Well it was another awesome weekend of Golf on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world. First I will start with the European Tour and the Race to Dubai. This week it was the BMW PGA Championship and was played at the Wentworth Club, Surrey, England. And it was the Golfer by the name of Luke Donald (England) who scored rounds of 68-4, 68-4, 69-3 and a final round of 68-4 for a 72 hole total of 273-15 and won by 4 strokes. He was the only player in the field to score four rounds in the 60’s. He won € 750,000.00 for his efforts and moves to 7th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with €1,021,669 earned from the 5 events he has played to date this year so far. Justin Rose (England) is the new leader of that list with €1,695,687 earned from the 5 events he has played to date this year so far.

Luke Donald (England) with his wife and two kids after he had just won

It was Luke Donald’s (England) seventh European Tour International Schedule victory in his 109th European Tour event. He has now won more than €1 million in a single European Tour season for the sixth time in his career. Luke Donald (England) moves back to Number One in the Official World Golf Rankings. This is the start of his fourth stint at World Number One. He moves to Number One for the second consecutive year as a result of his performance at the BMW PGA Championship. He makes a successful defence of his BMW PGA Championship title, just the third player to win in back-to-back years following Sir Nick Faldo (England) (1980-1981) and Colin Montgomerie (Scotland) (1998-2000). This marks the first time in his professional career he has successfully defended a professional title. He becomes the second player on The European Tour in 2012 to successfully defend a European Tour title, following Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) (2011-2012 Africa Open).

He becomes the fourth different Englishman to win multiple titles in this event. He follows: Sir Nick Faldo (England) (1978, 1980, 1981 and 1989), Peter Alliss (England) (1957, 1962 and 1965) and Tony Jacklin (England) (1972 and 1982). He becomes the ninth different player to win multiple titles in the event. He follows: Sir Nick Faldo (England) (1978, 1980, 1981 and 1989), Peter Alliss (England) (1957, 1962 and 1965), Bernhard Langer (Germany)(1987, 1993 and 1995), Colin Montgomerie (Scotland)(1998, 1999 and 2000), Tony Jacklin (England) (1972 and 1982), Seve Ballesteros (Spain) (1983 and 1991), Ian Woosnam (Wales) (1988 and 1997) and Anders Hansen (Denmark)(2002 and 2007). It was the fourth consecutive English victory in the BMW PGA Championship. This follows Paul Casey (England) (2009), Simon Khan (England) (2010) and Luke Donald (2011).

It was his fourth European Tour International Schedule victory in his last 18 appearances on The European Tour, dating back to the start of 2011. He has now won for three consecutive seasons on The European Tour. It was his third European Tour International Schedule victory on European soil from his last five appearances, dating back to the 2011 BMW PGA Championship. He also won the Barclays Scottish Open in July 2011. Since the start of the 2011 European Tour season he has won €6,345,069 from 18 European Tour events, at an average of €352,503 per event. He becomes the 34th different player to successfully defend a European Tour title. It was the 29th English victory in the Championship, dating back to the first event in 1955. It was the 274th English victory in European Tour history. He moves to €1,459,696 in The European Ryder Cup Points Table. He becomes the third English winner on The European Tour in 2012. They are: Robert Rock (England) (Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship) and Justin Rose (England) (WGC – Cadillac Championship) and Luke Donald (England) (BMW PGA Championship). It was his 13th victory worldwide as a professional. And finally he moves over the €14 million in European Tour Official Career Earnings.

Luke Donald (England) played a great final round of 68-4, which included a front nine of 35-1. He birdied the Par 4, 6th hole and Par 4, 7th hole. But he made his only bogey of the round on the Par 5, 4th hole. And he played a flawless back nine of 33-3 which included birdies on the Par 3, 10th hole, Par 5, 12th hole and Par 4, 16th hole. It was great to see Luke Donald (England) defend the title he won here last year. His Wife Diane and his two Daughters, Elle and Sophia came onto the 18th green to congratulate him on his success. And it was his 2nd win in 2012 having won Transitions Championship in mid March on the USPGA Tour. And to think he is a full member of the USPGA Tour and only plays the European Tour part time with his main focus being USPGA Tour and he still keeps a high ranking in the Race to Dubai Money list. He has now made every single cut so far in the 13 events he has entered in 2012. The only thing that is missing now on his resume is a Major Championship and perhaps it will coming at the US Open Championship next month in June?

Luke Donald (England) poses with the BMW PGA Championship Trophy he won again

I hope Luke Donald (England) does win his first Major of his Career this year. He is always a perfect gentleman and represents the game of Golf well. I wish him every continuing success in 2012 on both the USPGA Tour and European Tour as well. And his place on the Ryder Cup for September in the USA is now a certainty.

Coming in tied for 2nd position at 277-11 after 72 holes were Justin Rose (England) and Paul Lawrie (Scotland) who scored the equal lowest final round of 66-6. Coming in solo 4th position at 280-8 after 72 holes was Peter Lawrie (Ireland). Coming in solo 5th position at 281-7 after 72 holes was Branden Grace (RSA). Coming in solo 6th position at 282-6 after 72 holes was Richard Sterne (RSA). Coming in tied for 7th position at 283-5 after 72 holes were Marcel Siem (Germany), Francesco Molinari (Italy) and Ernie Els (RSA). And rounding out the top 10 in tied for 10th position at 284-4 after 72 holes were Alvaro Quiros (Spain), David Drysdale (Scotland), David Higgins (Ireland), James Morrison (England) who was the 36 hole leader and Ian Poulter (England).

The only New Zealander in the field was Michael Campbell (NZL); He scored a poor first round of 78+6 but came back in the second round with a great round of 71-1 for a 36 hole total of 149+5 and missed the cut by 4 strokes. He is now in 266th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 4,531.76 earned from the 8 events he has played to date this year so far. He is really struggling this season with only making one cut. And it seems to be his first round that is hurting him this year because he has had a lot of under par rounds in the second rounds he has played. I hope he can put four rounds together in the near future. And perhaps recapture the awesome form he showed in 2005 when he won his only Major which was the US Open Championship. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2012 European Tour season.

Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai heads to Wales for the ISPS Handa Wales Open and it is being played at the Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales. It has a good prize purse of £1,800,000 for the taking. Alexander Noren (Sweden) is the defending Champion and will be looking for back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 31st May and I will report back who won the Trophy next week.

The second event I am reporting on this week was on the USPGA Tour and was part of the FedEx Cup and was the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and was played on the Colonial CC, Ft. Worth, Texas. And it was the Zach Johnson (USA) who scored rounds of 64-6, 67-3, 65-5 and a final round 72+2 for a 72 hole total of 268-12 and he won by 1 stroke and got his second win at this tournament having won this same event in 2010. He won $US 1,152,000.00 for the win and moved to 5th position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 3,033,525 earned from the 13 events he has played in to date this year so far and he has made 13 out 13 cuts that makes him the most consistent player on the USPGA Tour along with Matt Kuchar (USA) and Luke Donald (England). Jason Dufner (USA) leads that list with $US 3,800,172 earned from the 14 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 500 FedEx Cup points and moved to 3rd position on the FedEx Cup Points list with 1,386 points earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year. He is 349 points behind the Current Leader who is Jason Dufner (USA) who has earned 1,735 points from the 14 events he has played to date this year so far.

Zach Johnson (USA) in action during the final round

It was Zach Johnson’s (USA) 8th win on the USPGA Tour having won previously the 2004 BellSouth Classic, 2007 Masters Tournament, AT&T Classic, 2008 Valero Texas Open, 2009 Sony Open in Hawaii, Valero Texas Open and the 2010 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. It was an interesting final round with Zach Johnson (USA) and Jason Dufner (USA) all tied at -14 after 10 holes of their final rounds. There was a two shot swing on the Par 5, 11th hole, where Zach Johnson (USA) birdied to a Jason Dufner (USA) bogey. But at the very next hole at the Par 4, 12th hole, Jason Dufner (USA) made a birdie to a Zach Johnson (USA) bogey where he took two shots to get out of the fairway bunker. So they were all tied up at -13 with 6 holes to play. They both pared the Par 3, 13th hole, but Zach Johnson (USA) birdied the Par 4, 14th hole and got to -15. Jason Dufner (USA) was only able to par that hole. So Zach Johnson (USA) had a 1 stroke lead with four holes to play. Disaster then struck Jason Dufner (USA) on the Par 4, 15th hole where he struck his 2nd shot that was in the fairway bunker and slightly pulled it left of the green and it rolled in to the hazard. Then he fluffed his chip shot, eventually got on the green for 5 strokes and two putted for a Triple Bogey 7.  Perhaps all the pressure of the last month was finally catching up with him? Zach Johnson (USA) made an easy par and now had a 4 stroke lead with three holes to play.

Jason Dufner (USA) reduced the margin to 3 strokes on the Par 3, 16th hole when he made a solid par 3, to Zach Johnson’s (USA) 3putt bogey. So Zach Johnson (USA) was -14 with two holes to play to Jason Dufner (USA) who was -11. They both pared the short par 4, 17th hole so Zach Johnson (USA) took a three stroke lead up the Par 4, 72nd hole. Zach Johnson (USA) was so excited that he stole Jason Dufner’s (USA) honour and teed off first. He hit an awesome tee shot right down the middle of the fairway. Jason Dufner (USA) hit his tee shot into the right rough. Jason Dufner (USA) hit his second shot first and landed it 20 feet to the right of the flag stick pin high. Zach Johnson (USA) hit a surprisingly poor second shot that landed in the right hand green side bunker. He played a good third shot out to 7 feet short of the hole. He spanned his marker for Jason Dufner’s (USA) birdie putt. Jason Dufner (USA) just missed his birdie putt and tapped in for his par to finish at -11 after 72 holes. Zach Johnson (USA) putted for what he thought would be a par and a 3 stroke win. He holed the putt and then hugged his caddie, Damon Green. It was a special victory for Zach Johnson (USA) and Damon Green because Damon’s Dad had just passed on a week ago. Zach Johnson’s (USA) two boys and Wife came on to the 18th green to congratulate him. Before he signed his card he was inform by the USPGA Tour Official that he did not replaced his marker on the 18th green to the position it was and would suffer a two stroke penalty. It meant he made a double bogey 6 and would only win by 1 stroke. He didn’t know it at the time, but that par putt from 7 feet on the 18th green was to win the Tournament. It shows how careful and not to take thinks for granted you have to be in the game of golf.

Zach Johnson (USA) poses with the Jacket and Trophy he won

Zach Johnson’s (USA) had been playing good golf leading in to this win and it was very much deserved. I wouldn’t be surprised if Zach Johnson (USA) wins his 2nd Major of his career this year in one of the remaining three Major Championship’s. I wish him all the best for the remaining events on the USPGA Tour in 2012.

Coming in solo second position at 269-11 after 72 holes was Jason Dufner (USA). He will be disappointed with his final round 74+4. But as I mentioned earlier everything that happened in the last month finally got to him. With getting his first win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in the last week of April, Marrying his fiancée, Amanda Boyd the following Saturday and then winning his second tournament last week which was the HP Bryon Nelson Championship. Now he leads the USPGA Tour Money list and FedEx Cup points list. He is taking a break now till the US Open Championship (Second Major) which starts in mid June and I feel it is well earned. Coming in solo 3rd position at 273-7 after 72 holes was Tommy (Two Gloves) Gainey (USA) who had his best finish of the season by miles. Coming in solo 4th position at 274-6 after 72 holes was the ever consistent Jim Furyk (USA). Coming in tied for 5th position at 275-5 after 72 holes were Chris Kirk (USA) who scored 65-5 which was the low score of the final round. Harris English (USA) was also tied for 5th continuing his fine rookie season on the USPGA Tour and it was also his best finish this year. Rickie Fowler (USA) was also tied for 5th position and had another top 10 finish. John Huh (USA) was also tied for 5th position and he must now be heading for the rookie of the year award on the USPGA Tour at the end of the season? The last player to tie for 5th position was Ryan Palmer (USA). Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 10th position at 277-3 after 72 holes were Ben Crane (USA), Jonathan Byrd (USA) and Jonas Blixt (Sweden) who is having a fine rookie season.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to Ohio for the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance and it is being played at the Muirfield Village GC, Dublin, Ohio and the Tournament is hosted by Jack Nicklaus (USA). It has a large prize purse of $US 6,200,000 for the taking. Steve Stricker (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 31st May and I will report who took home the trophy next week.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings this week and coming in at Number One for the 4th spell of his career and the 46th week of his career is Luke Donald (England) who is fresh off his BMW PGA Championship win with 10.43 Official World Golf Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 9.39 Official World Golf Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Lee Westwood (England) with 8.05 Official World Golf Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Bubba Watson (USA) with 6.37 Official World Golf Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 is Matt Kuchar (USA) with 6.04 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) this week slips down 2 places to be in 9th Position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list. He now has 5.16 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he slips 3 places to be at 171st position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list with 1.03 Official World Golf Rankings Points on the list.

Remember a good pre shot routine and visualization of all golf shots is the best way to get a low score!!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com

Thames Golf Club - Golf News 30th May 2012

Thames Golf Club – Thursday Scramble

A very small field played in the Scramble on Thursday 24th May. Tom Handley scored 83 off his 12 handicap and returned 35 Stableford points to win the scramble.

(Full results below) (All on Stableford):

Men’s: Tom Handley 35, Rod Bathurst 32 and Jim McConnell 27.

Two’s: There were none.

Hidden Holes: Rod Bathurst won them with 9 points to take the cash.

Thames Golf Club – Saturday Scramble

On Saturday 26th May, 33 players played in the Saturday Scramble in conjunction with the Browns 100% Trophy in overcast conditions with early fog and hardly a breath of wind to speak of. Jamie Smith certainly found the conditions to his liking; playing off his 6handicap he scored a 2 under par 68 which was his best of the year so far and returned 44 Stableford Points and won the Browns 100% Trophy and the Spoils that go with it. And of course it was the best gross score of the day.

(Full results below) (All on Stableford):

Browns 100 % Trophy Winner: Jamie Smith

Men’s: Jamie Smith 44, Richard Blight 42, Dirk Develter 42, Gordon Lindsay 40, Bill Watene 38, Craig Bradley 38, Michael Daly 38, Mark Browne 37, Doug Adkins 37, Richard Elgie 37, Sam Carswell 37, Ike Ashworth 37, Leslie Wairepo 36, Stan Kendall 36, Geoffrey Sun 36 and John Farquhar 36.

Two’s: John Trim on the 14th hole and Dirk Develter on the 8th hole.

Hidden Holes: Barbara McFarlane and Richard Elgie shared them with 11 points to win the Cash.

There was one quarter final Petley Cup 4BBB Match played where Richard Blight/Bill Watene defeated Gary Webber/Craig Bradley to advance to the Semi – Finals. The early leader midway through the 2nd round of the Harcourt’s Shootout is Craig Bradley on 122 nett, 18 under his handicap after his March/April round of 59 and his May/June round of 63. Next Saturday (2nd June) is the quarter finals of the Petley Cup 4BBB Match play in conjunction with the usual Saturday Scramble.

Golf Events from the Weekend 20th May 2012

Well it was another exciting weekend on the Professional Golfer Tours from around the world. First I will start with the European Tour and the Race to Dubai. This week it travelled back to Spain for the Volvo World Match Play Championship and it was played on the Finca Cortesin, Casares, Andalucía, Spain. And it was the Golfer by the name of Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) who beat Graeme McDowell (NIR) 1up in the final. It is the only Match play tournament on the European Tour excluding the WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship which is co – sanctioned with the USPGA Tour. 22 of the European Tours elite players got a chance to compete with a couple of invited guests from the USPGA Tour that included John Senden (Australia) and Brandt Snedeker (USA).

Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) holding the Volvo World Match Play Championship Trophy he won

The final was a very close fought match with Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) getting several times to 1up and then losing the next hole to fall to all square. On the 17th hole, Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) had a short par putt to win the Match and the Championship but he surprisingly missed it. So he took a 1up lead to the final hole. Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) hit a long drive on the par 5, 18th hole straight down the middle of the fairway and struck his 2nd shot just to the right of the green pin high. Graeme McDowell (NIR) laid up with his 2nd shot and then hit his 3rd shot over the green. Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) chipped his 3rd shot to within 15feet of the cup. That meant that Graeme McDowell (NIR) would most likely have to hole his chip shot for his birdie to take the final down the 19th hole. He was unable to do so and left it 8 feet short of the cup. Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) now had two putts to win the match and rolled his birdie putt down inches short of the cup and Graeme McDowell (NIR) conceded his par putt and that meant Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) had won his first Volvo World Match Play Championship 1up. It was great to see Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) win because last year he came so close losing in the Semi – Finals. He won € 458,333 for the win and moved to 4th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with €1,130,111 earned from the 11 events he has played in to date this year so far. Rory McILroy (USA) still leads that list with €1,348,517 earned from the 5 events he has played in to date this year so far.

It was his second European Tour International Schedule victory in his 207th European Tour event. This is the second consecutive season and second time in his career he has won more than €1 million in a single season. It is also his highest single-season earnings, beating the €1,091,504 he amassed in 2011. He could move to just outside the top 30 of the Official World Golf Ranking from 51st. Both of his European Tour victories have come in Volvo-sponsored events, following the 2011 Volvo China Open. This victory beats his previous best 2012 performance of second in the 2012 Volvo China Open. This victory comes in his second appearance in the Volvo World Match Play Championship. This victory beats his previous best finish in the Volvo World Match Play Championship of losing in the semi-finals in 2011. He becomes the first Belgian to win twice on The European Tour.

He becomes the second player in European Tour history to win his first two events in Volvo-sponsored tournaments. The first was Ignacio Garrido (Spain). He won the 1997 Volvo German Open and 2003 Volvo PGA Championship. He continues his wonderful record in Volvo-sponsored events since 2011. He was first in 2011 Volvo China Open and tied third in the 2011 Volvo World Match Play Championship. In 2012 he was fourth in the Volvo Golf Champions, second in the Volvo China Open and first in the Volvo World Match Play Championship. It was his seventh win as a professional. It was the third Belgian victory in European Tour history. This victory continues his wonderful form in 2012.This is his seventh top ten finish from his 11 events he has played so far this year and the most of any player so far this season. He gains a place in the 2012 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational, 2012 WGC – HSBC Champions and 2013 Volvo Golf Champions.

He moves to €1,382,544 in The European Ryder Cup Points Table. He gained his largest European Tour prize of €458,333. He extended his European Tour exemption until the end of 2014. He becomes the 14th European Tour victory by a former Challenge Tour player on the 2012 European Tour from 19 events so far. They are: Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) (Africa Open and Maybank Malaysian Open), Branden Grace (RSA) (Joburg Open, Volvo Golf Champions and Volvo China Open), Robert Rock (England) (Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship), Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) (Omega Dubai Desert Classic), Justin Rose (England) (WGC – Cadillac Championship), Julien Quesne  (France) (Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol), Michael Hoey (NIR) (Trophée Hassan II), Thorbjørn Olesen (Denmark) (Sicilian Open), Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) (Ballantine’s Championship), Ricardo Santos (Portugal) (Madeira Islands Open – Portugal) and Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) (Volvo World Match Play Championship). And finally he becomes the 298th European Tour victory by a former Challenge Tour player.

Another picture of Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) with the Volvo World Match Play Championship trophy he won

It will give Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) a huge boost of confidence and will guarantee him a start in the second Major of the year which is the U. S. Open Championship which is a month away. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2012 European Tour season. Graeme McDowell (NIR) will be disappointed with losing the final but will be pleased with having his best finish of the year on the European Tour. He will also be pleased with the runners up cheque of € 305,555 he won. The two losing Semi Finalist were Rafael Cabrera – Bello (Spain) and Paul Lawrie (Scotland). And the four losing quarter finalist were Sergio Garcia (Spain), Retief Goosen (RSA), Alvaro Quiros (Spain) and Brandt Snedeker (USA).

Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai heads to England for the flagship event that is the BMW PGA Championship and it is being played at the European Tour Head Quarters which is Wentworth Club, Surrey, England. Outside the Majors and World Golf Championships it carries the largest prize purse on the European Tour of €4,500,000. Luke Donald (England) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 24th May and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

The second event I am reporting on this week was on the USPGA Tour and part of the FedEx Cup and it was the HP Bryon Nelson Championship and it was played on the TPC Four Seasons Resort, Irving, Texas. And it was Jason Dufner (USA) who scored rounds of 67-3, 66-4, 69-1 and a final round of 67-3 for a 72 hole total of 269-11 and he won by 1 stroke. He won $US 1,170,000.00 for the win and moved to 3rd position on the USPGA Tour money list with $US 3,108,972 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. Bubba Watson (USA) still leads that list with $US 3,204,778 earned from the 9 events he has played to date this year so far. He also gains 500 FedEx Cup points for the win and moves to the top of the FedEx Cup points list with 1,435 points earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. He has a 40 point lead over Hunter Mahan (USA) who has earned 1,395 points from the 10 events he has played to date this year so far.

Jason Dufner (USA) tees off on the Par 3, 17th hole in the final round 

It has been a dream month for Jason Dufner (USA) after winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in the last week of April in a Playoff over Ernie Els (RSA) for his maiden USPGA Tour win. Then marrying his Fiancée, Amanda Boyd on Saturday May 5th and then getting the win here two weeks later. He played flawless golf the whole week and was always near the lead from round one to the final round. But it took a 25 foot birdie putt on the 72nd green to secure the 2nd Victory of his career on the USPGA Tour. He scored a final round of 67-3 which included a front nine of 34-1. He got off to a poor start in his final round on the front nine with recording bogeys on the Par 3, 2nd hole and Par 4, 3rd hole. But he redeemed himself with birdies on the Par 4, 4th hole, Par 3, 5th hole and Par 5, 7th hole. He came home in 33-2 that included birdies on the Par 4, 10th hole, Par 5, 16th hole and Par 4, 18th hole with the lone bogey coming on the Par 4, 11th hole. Every Golfer growing up dreams of sinking a winning birdie putt on the final green to win the tournament and Jason Dufner (USA) has final realised that Dream.

Jason Dufner (USA) poses with the HP Byron Nelson Championship Trophy he won

 And this win moves Jason Dufner (USA) to an all time high ranking of 14th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list. He must be the second most consistent Golfer on the USPGA Tour having made 12 out of the 13 cuts in the tournaments he has entered to date this year. Last week’s winner, Matt Kuchar (USA) is still the most consistent making 11 out 11 cuts in the 11 events he has played in to date this year. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Jason Dufner (USA) won one of the last 3 Major Championships in 2012 having already been in a playoff at last year’s PGA Championship. I wish him every success for the rest of the 2012 USPGA Tour season.

Coming in solo 2nd position at 270-10 after 72 holes was Dicky Pride (USA) and it was his best finished on the USPGA Tour since winning the Federal Express St. Jude Classic 18 years ago in 1994. And he has secured his USPGA Tour card for the 2013 season, so it was a great week for him. Coming in tied for 3rd position at 271-9 after 72 holes were Joe Durant (USA), Marc Leishman (Australia), Jonas Blixt (Sweden) and J. J. Henry (USA) who had a hole in one on the Par 3, 5th hole and was actually the leader at -11 with 2 holes to play only to double bogey the short par 3, 17th hole. Coming in tied for 7th position at 274-6 after 72 holes were Ken Duke (USA) and Phil Mickelson (USA) who both had final rounds of 66-4. And rounding out the top 10 in tied for 9th position at 275-5 after 72 holes were Robert Garrigus (USA), Ryan Palmer (USA), Jason Bohn (USA), Pat Perez (USA), Vijay Singh (Fiji) and Jason Day (Australia).

Danny Lee (NZL) was the only New Zealander in the field. He scored rounds of 71+1 and 71+1 to make the cut right on the number at 142+2, then he scored 68-2 and a final round of 67-3 for a 72 hole total of 277-3 and tied for 18th position which is his best finish on the USPGA Tour all season so far. He earned $US 78,780.00 for his efforts and has now made 7 cuts from the 13 events he has entered to date this year. He is now in 141st position on the current USPGA Tour Money list with $US 205,453 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. He also moved to139th position on the FedEx Cup points list with 162 points earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 1,273 points behind the current leader, Jason Dufner (USA). I feel a top 10 finishes isn’t too far away for him and may come in the next month? This finish and the way he played on the weekend after just making it through the cut should give him a big boost of confidence to keep on improving. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2012 USPGA Tour season.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to the other side of Texas for the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and it is being played at the Colonial CC, Ft. Worth, Texas. It has a large prize purse of $US 6,400,000 for the taking. David Toms (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen for back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 24th May and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings this week and coming in at Number One for the 2nd week of his 3rd spell and the 7th week total of his career is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 9.53 Official World Golf Ranking Points; Coming in at Number Two is Luke Donald (England) with 9.36 Official World Golf Ranking Points; Coming in at Number Three is Lee Westwood (England) with 8.13 Official World Golf Ranking Points; Coming in at Number Four is Bubba Watson (USA) with 6.45 Official World Golf Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 is Matt Kuchar (USA) with 6.08 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) this week remains in 7th Position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list. He now has 5.22 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he gains 4 places to be at 168th position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list with 1.04 Official World Golf Rankings Points on the list.

Remember the most important thing to do when you play a golf shot is to make solid contact with the ball!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com

Thames Golf Club News 22nd May 2012

Thames Golf Club – Saturday Scramble

27 players played in the scramble in conjunction with the second round 4BBB Matches on Saturday 19th May. The course was wet under foot from the recent heavy rains and there was a moderate westerly wind blowing. But the greens were rolling well. Keith Williams found them to his liking scoring 81 off his 18 handicap and returned a 63 nett to win the Scramble on the day on count back. Hayden Thomas returned the best gross round of the day which was 74.

(Full results below) (All on Nett):

Men’s: Keith Williams 63, Craig Bradley 63, Stuart Bell 64, Doug Madgwick 64, Stan Kendall 65, Neil Hall 65, Mark Browne 67, Tasi Rae 67, Murray Newby 69, Gordon Lindsay 70, Bill Rendall 70, Gary Webber 70 and Hayden Thomas 70.

Two’s: There were none.

Hidden Holes: Keith Williams and Craig Bradley shared the cash with 11 points.

There was one first round 4BBB game played, Bob Carr/Stan Kendall defeated John Farquhar/Tom Handley; and there was also a quarter final game played where Ian Fielder/Mark Browne defeated Murray Newby/Herb Mabey.

Next Saturday (26th May) is the Browns 100% Trophy on nett in conjunction with the usual scramble.

Golf Events from the Weekend 13th May 2012

It was another amazing weekend of Golf on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the World. First I will start with the European Tour and the Race to Dubai. This week it was in Portugal for the Madeira Islands Open – Portugal and it was played on the Santo da Serra, Madeira, Portugal. And it was the Golfer by the name of Ricardo Santos (Portugal) who scored rounds of 68-4, 67-5, 68-4 and a final round of 63-9 for a 72 hole total of 266-22 and he won by 4 strokes. He won € 112,500.00 for the win and moves to 50th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 186,637 earned from the 11 events he has played in to date this year so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) still leads that list with €1,348,517 earned from the 5 events he has played in to date this year so far.

Ricardo Santos (Portugal) in action during the final round

It was his first European Tour International Schedule victory in his 23rd European Tour event. He could move to just outside the top 190 in the Official World Golf Ranking from 305th position. This victory beats his previous best European Tour finishes of tied tenth in the 2011 Madeira Islands Open – Portugal and 2012 Avantha Masters.  And it is in his rookie season on The European Tour. He is the first rookie to win on The 2012 European Tour. The last rookie to win on The European Tour was Tom Lewis at the 2011 Portugal Masters. He graduated from the 2011 European Challenge Tour Rankings. He is the second 2011 graduate to win the year after graduation, following Julien Quesne (France) (2012 Open de Andalucia Costa del Sol). He becomes the seventh first-time winner of the 2012 European Tour International Schedule. They are: Branden Grace (RSA) (Joburg Open), Jbe’ Kruger (RSA) (Avantha Masters), Julien Quesne (France) (Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol), Thorbjørn Olesen (Denmark) (Sicilian Open), Bubba Watson (USA) (Masters Tournament),  Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) (Ballantine’s Championship) and Ricardo Santos (Portugal) (Madeira Islands Open – Portugal).

He becomes the first Portuguese player to win the Madeira Islands Open – Portugal and first Portuguese to win a European Tour event on home soil. He becomes only the second Portuguese player to win on The European Tour; following Daniel Silva (Portugal) (1992 Jersey European Airways Open). (José-Filipe Lima (Portugal), although now Portuguese, was playing under the French flag when he won the 2004 As St Omer Open). His final round of 63 (-9) is the lowest final round by a winner in 2012. This beats the 64 (-8) by Julien Quesne (France) (Open de Andaluica Costa del Sol). His final round of 63 (-9) is the lowest final round by a winner in the history of the Madeira Islands Open – Portugal. This beats the 66 (-6) by Des Smyth in 2001. His 72 hole total of 266 (-22) is the lowest winning total in the history of the Madeira Islands Open – Portugal.

He is the ninth player to make the Madeira Islands Open – Portugal their maiden European Tour victory. He would follow: Santiago Luna (Spain) (1995), Pedro Linhart (Spain) (1999), Niclas Fasth (Sweden) (2000), Bradley Dredge (Wales) (2003), Christopher Hanell (Sweden) (2004), Daniel Vancsik (Argentina) (2007), Estanislao Goya (Argentina) (2009) and James Morrison (England) (2010). This victory came in his seventh appearance in the Madeira Islands Open – Portugal. This victory beats his previous best performance in the event of tied tenth in 2011. His four shot final round winning comeback equals the largest on The European Tour in 2012. This matches the four of Francesco Molinari (Italy) in the Reale Seguros Open de España. He is the 404th different player to win on The European Tour. He gains a European Tour exemption until the end of the 2013 season. He gains his largest European Tour prize of €112,500. He gains a place in the 2013 Volvo Golf Champions. He gains his fourth win as a professional. He becomes the 42nd rookie to win in European Tour history. He becomes the 25th different Challenge Tour graduate to win on The European Tour the year after graduation.

 He becomes the 13th European Tour victory by a former Challenge Tour player on the 2012 European Tour from 18 events so far that have been played this year. They are: Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) (Africa Open and Maybank Malaysian Open), Branden Grace (RSA) (Joburg Open, Volvo Golf Champions and Volvo China Open), Robert Rock (England) (Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship), Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) (Omega Dubai Desert Classic), Justin Rose (England) (WGC – Cadillac Championship), Julien Quesne (France) (Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol), Michael Hoey (NIR) (Trophée Hassan II), Thørbjorn Olesen (Denmark) (Sicilian Open), Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) (Ballantine’s Championship) and Ricardo Santos (Portugal) (Madeira Islands Open – Portugal). He becomes the 297th European Tour victory by a former Challenge Tour player. And finally becomes the 126th different former Challenge Tour player to win on The European Tour.

Ricardo Santos (Portugal) poses with the Madeira Islands Open - Portugal Trophy he won

Ricardo Santos (Portugal) played just a brilliant final round of 63-9 which included a front nine of 32-4 that included birdies on the Par 5, 3rd hole, Par 4, 5th hole, Par 5, 7th hole and Par 3, 8th hole. He continued on his great form on the back nine scoring 31-5 which included birdies on the Par 4, 12th hole, Par 4, 13th hole, Par 5, 16th hole, Par 3, 17th hole and Par 4, 18th hole. I feel this win will be a huge boost to Ricardo Santos (Portugal) confidence and I expect him to carry on the good form for the rest of the 2012 season on the European Tour. I wish him all the best.

Coming solo 2nd position at 270-18 after 72 holes was Magnus A Carlsson (Sweden). Coming in solo 3rd position at 271-17 after 72 holes was Andreas Harto (Denmark). Coming in tied for 4th position at 272-16 after 72 holes were John Parry (England), Oliver Wilson (England), Carlos Del Moral (Spain), Joakim Lagergren (Sweden) and Mikael Lundberg (Sweden) and rounding out the top 10 in tied for 9th position at 273-15 after 72 holes were Alistair Forsyth (Scotland) and David Dixon (England).

Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai heads back to Spain for the Volvo World Match play Championship and it is being played on the Finca Cortesin, Casares, Andalucía, Spain. It has a large prize purse of €2,750,000 for the taking. Ian Poulter (England) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 17th May and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

Now to the second event I am reporting on this week and it is on the USPGA Tour and was part of the FedEx Cup. It was The Players Championship and was played on the TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. And it was Matt Kuchar (USA) that scored rounds of 68-4, 68-4, 69-3 and a final round of 70-2 for a 72 hole total of 275-13 and won by 2 strokes for his biggest win of his career so far. He won $US 1,710,000.00 for the win and moved to 4th position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 2,927,799 earned from the 10 events he has played in to date this year. And the amazing thing is he has made 10 out of 10 cuts from the 10 events he has played in to date this year so far. Bubba Watson (USA) still leads the money list with $US 3,204,778 earned from the 9 events he has played in to date this year so far. He also earned 600 FedEx Cup points and moved to 6th position on the FedEx Cup Points list with 1,202 points earned from the 10 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 193 points behind the current leader, Hunter Mahan (USA) who has earned 1,395 points from the 10 events he has played in to date this year so far.

Matt Kuchar (USA) salutes the crowd after winning the Players Championship

Matt Kuchar (USA) started the final round 1 stroke out of the lead and after an early bogey 5, at the Par 4, 1st hole and he fell back to -10. He got back to -11 after the Par 4, 4th hole when he hit his 2nd shot into 3feet from the flag. He made a good birdie on the Par 5, 9th hole when he hit his 2nd shot up by the green in 2 and got up and down for his birdie 4. So he went out in 35-1 and was now at -12. He made another birdie at the short Par 4, 12th hole and moved to -13 and now had a 2 stroke lead. He hit a great 5 iron 2nd shot from the fairway bunker on the Par 4, 14th hole that he managed to get on the green and which he 2 putted for a good par 4. He had a good chance to birdie the Par 4, 15th hole when he hit his 2nd shot within 12 feet of the flag and gave himself a 12 foot birdie putt which he just missed.

On the Par 5, 16th hole he hit 2 good shots to get pin high in two. He then hit a fine chip shot to within 15 feet of the pin and struck a perfect putt that rolled right in the middle of the hole for a birdie 4 and he moved to -14 with two holes to play. He now had a 3 stroke lead over 4 players. He hit a conservative shot in the Famous Island Green Par 3, 17th hole. It landed on the front left of the green. But the flag was in the front right hand side which is the Traditional Sunday pin placement. He struck his birdie putt a little too firm and it rolled 6 feet past the cup. And he was unable to make the return putt for par. So he tapped in for his bogey 4 and fell back to -13 with the 72nd hole to play he had 2stroke lead over 4 players that had all finished. He hit an awesome drive down the right hand side of the fairway which drew to the centre. He hit his mid iron 2nd shot which landed short of the green and rolled up to within 40 feet of the cup. He rolled his birdie putt at a perfect pace and it came to rest within 3 feet of the cup. He now knew he could 2 putt from there and still win the Players Championship. But he calmly sank the 3 footer for the par and scored a 70-2 in the final round and he had won his very first Players Championship at 33 years of age.

Matt Kuchar (USA) holds his two Sons on the 18th Green after winning

It was the biggest win of his career to date. His two young sons came running onto the 18th green to give him a hug and his Wife gave him a kiss. Then he hugged his Mum for Mothers Day and his Father as well. It must have been great to have his whole Family by his side to share in his Glory. His was presented with the Players Championship Trophy by last year’s winner, K. J. Choi (South Korea). I feel Matt Kuchar (USA) has now really matured as a Golfer and it won’t be long before he wins a Major Championship. Perhaps his first Major Championship will come at next month’s U. S. Open Championship? It was his fourth win on the USPGA Tour with the previous 3 being the 2002 Honda Classic, 2009 Turning Stone Resort Championship and the 2010 The Barclays. It was just great to see one of the real nice guys on the USPGA Tour win one of the biggest tournaments. He has always showed a lot of promise since winning the 1997 US Amateur and finishing in 21st position at the 1998 Masters Tournament in his first appearance as an Amateur. At the time it was the best finish by an Amateur at the Masters Tournament in 20 years. He also played in the 1998 US Open Championship which was played at the Olympic Club and he finished in 14th position. He turned professional in 2000 and got his first win at the 2002 Honda Classic at the age of 23. But his golf game went south after that and he was forced to play the Nationwide Tour in 2006 where he won the 2006 Henrico County Open Pres'd by Saxon Capital, Inc. That got him back on the USPGA Tour for the 2007 season and that’s where he has been up to now. I feel now he has moved up a level and his new World Ranking of 5th Position on the current Official World Rankings list proves that. I wish him every continuing success in the rest of the 2012 Season on the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup.  

Matt Kuchar (USA) gets the Players Championship Trophy from the 2011 Champion, K. J. Choi (South Korea)

Coming in tied for 2nd position at 277-11 after 72 holes were Martin Laird (Scotland), 2007 Masters Tournament winner, Zach Johnson (USA), last week’s winner, Rickie Fowler (USA), and the 2012 Valero Texas Open winner, Ben Curtis (USA). Coming in solo 6th position at 279-9 after 72 holes was Luke Donald (England), but it wasn’t quite good enough to regain the Number One World Ranking. But he scored 30-6 on the back nine of his final round. In tied for 7th position at 280-8 after 72 holes were Bo Van Pelt (USA), Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) who had his best finish of the season and Kevin Na (USA) who was the 54 hole leader who blew out in the final round with a 76+4. He was really having trouble pulling the trigger in his swing all week. Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 10th position at 281-7 after 72 holes were David Toms (USA) who scored the lowest equal final round of 65-7 and the 2012 RBC Heritage Champion, Carl Pettersson (Sweden).

Tiger Woods (USA) had a poor tournament by his Standards. He scored rounds of 74+2, 68-4, 72 even and a final round of 73+1 which included a front nine of 40+4 and a back nine of 33-3. He finished 72 holes on 287-1 and tied for 40th position. He will be looking to improve before next month’s US Open Championship. Defending Champion, K. J. Choi (South Korea) had a poor tournament defending his title. He scored rounds of 75+3 and 76+4 for a 36 hole total of 151+7 after 36 holes to miss the cut by 7 strokes.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup head to Texas for the HP Bryon Nelson Championship and it is being played on the TPC Four Seasons Resort, Irving, Texas. It has another large prize purse of $US 6,500,000 for the taking. Keegan Bradley (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 17th May and I will report back who won the Trophy next week.

Now to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings this week and coming in at Number One on the list for his third spell and the 6th week in total of his career is Rory McILroy (NIR) even with missing the cut at the Players Championship. He has 9.65 Official World Ranking Points. Coming in a close 2nd position on the list is Luke Donald (England) with 9.52 Official World Ranking Points; Coming in 3rd position on the list is Lee Westwood (England) with 8.27 Official World Ranking Points; Coming in 4th position on the list is Bubba Watson (USA) with 6.52 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the Top 5 with 6.22 Official World Ranking Points is the Players Championship winner, Matt Kuchar (USA). Tiger Woods (USA) this week remains in 7th Position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list. He now has 5.29 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he slips 2 places to be at 172nd position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list with 1.01 Official World Golf Rankings Points on the list.

Remember now it is getting into Winter conditions it is all carry to the green so allow to hit the green on the full.

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com

Thames Golf Club News - 15th May 2012

Thames Golf Club – Thursday Scramble

Only a small field played in the scramble on Thursday 10th May with one visitor from Palmerston North. Weather conditions were good with the sun shining and light winds blowing. Danny Lark (Palmerston North) scored 97 Adjusted of his 30 handicap and returned 39 Stableford points to win the scramble.

(Full results below) (All on Stableford) (Thames unless stated):

Men’s: Danny Lark (Palmerston North) 39, Rod Bathurst 36, Bob Broughton 36, Chris Leavy 36 and Tom Handley 35.

Two’s: Don Lyon had the only one on the 14th hole.

Hidden Holes: Jim McConnell won them with 12 points to take the Cash.

Thames Golf Club – Saturday Scramble

On Saturday 12th May, a good field of 33 players including one visitor from Pakuranga played in the Nett Scramble in conjunction with the first round of 4BBB Matches. A moderate westerly wind was sweeping across the course, but the greens were in very good condition. Gary Webber found them to his liking scoring 74 off his 12 handicap and returning a 62 nett to win the scramble on count back. Sam Carswell returned the best gross score on the day which was a one over par 71.

(Full results below) (All on Nett) (Thames unless stated):

Men’s: Gary Webber 62, Geoffrey Sun 62, Herb Mabey 63, Laurie Wells 63, Bob Hind 64, Ike Ashworth 64, Mark Browne 64, Tom Handley 67, Jamie Smith 67, Sam Carswell 67, Richard Blight 67, Ian Fielder 68, Lee Thompson 68, Merv Cunningham 68, David Clarke 68, Leslie Wairepo 68 and Gordon Lindsay 68.

Two’s: Sam Carswell had two on the 8th and 14th holes. Gary Webber had one on the 1st hole. Ian Fielder had one on the 10th hole and Jamie Smith had one on the 14th hole.

Hidden Hole’s: Laurie Wells won them on his own with 11 points to take a large amount of Cash.

4BBB first round results: Geoffrey Sun/Leslie Wairepo defeated Gordon Lindsay/Ike Ashworth; Ian Fielder/Mark Browne defeated Doug Madgwick/John Pinnell 2&1; Richard Blight/Bill Watene defeated Laurie Wells/David Clarke; and Gary Webber/Craig Bradley defeated Mev Cunningham/John Browne.

Next week (Saturday 19th May) is the usual Scramble in conjunction with the remaining first round 4BBB Matches.

Golf Events from the Weekend 6th May 2012

Well it was another exciting weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world. First I will start with the European Tour and Race to Dubai. This week it was in Spain for the Reale Seguros Open de Espana and it was played on the Real Club de Golf de Sevilla, Seville, Spain. And it was the Golfer by the name of Francesco Molinari (Italy) who scored rounds of 70-2, 71-1, 74+2 and a final round of 65-7 for a 72 hole total of 280-8 and he won by 3 strokes. He won € 333,330.00 for the win and now moves to 7th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 708,209 earned from the 9 events he has played to date this year so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) leads that list with €1,348,517 earned from the 5 events he has played to date this year so far.

Francesco Molinari (Italy) in action during the final round

It was Francesco Molinari (Italy) third European Tour International Schedule victory in his 205th European Tour event. He could move back into the top 30 position on the Official World Golf Ranking, from 46th position. It was his first victory since the 2010 WGC – HSBC Champions. Since his 2010 victory has played in 32 European Tour events. In that time his best finish was tied third in the 2011 WGC – Cadillac Championship. To highlight his consistency in his last 32 events, he has been placed in the top ten on ten occasions. This victory beats his previous best 2012 performance of tied sixth in the Volvo China Open. He becomes the first Italian to win the Reale Seguros Open de España.

This victory comes in his fifth appearance in the Reale Open de España. This victory beats his previous best finish in the event of tied 11th in 2009. His four shot final round winning comeback is the largest on The European Tour in 2012. The previous best was three by Justin Rose (England) (WGC – Cadillac Championship), Julien Quesne (France) (Open de Andalucia Costa del Sol) and Bubba Watson (USA) (Masters Tournament). It was the 17th Italian victory in European Tour history. He moves to second in the list of most wins by an Italian in European Tour history with three, two behind Costantino Rocca (Italy), who has five. He extends his European Tour exemption until the end of 2014.He gains a place in the 2012 WGC – HSBC Champions and 2013 Volvo Golf Champions. And finally it was his third win as a professional.

Francesco Molinari (Italy) poses with the Reale Open de Espana Trophy he won along with his Wife and young child

Francesco Molinari (Italy) played just a flawless final round with scoring 65-7. It included a front nine of 32-4 with birdies on the Par 4, 1st hole, Par 3, 3rd hole, Par 5, 5th hole and Par 5, 9th hole. He played an equally as good back nine with scoring 33-3 which included birdies on the Par 4, 10th hole, Par 5, 13th hole and Par 4, 14th hole. This win should really give him a huge confidence boost. And now he is inside the top 30 players on the world rankings he is guaranteed a place in the 2nd Major of the year which is the US Open Championship next month. He really took advantage of the calm conditions in the final round after playing in the first 3 rounds with high winds. And his 65-7 in the final round was the best score by 2 strokes. The other 2 wins he had before this one on the European Tour were the 2006 Telecom Italia Open and the 2010 WGC - HSBC Champions. I wish Francesco Molinari (Italy) all the best for the rest of 2012 on the European Tour and hope he has more wins.

Coming in tied 2nd position at 283-5 after 72 holes were Alejandro Canizares (Spain), Soren Kjeldsen (Denmark) and Pablo Larrazabal (Spain). Coming in tied for 5th position at 285-3 after 72 holes were Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) and Jorge Campillo (Spain). And rounding out the top 10 in tied for 7th position at 286-2 after 72 holes were Markus Brier (Austria), Gareth Maybin (NIR), Matteo Manassero (Italy), Graeme Storm (England) and Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium).

Michael Campbell (NZL) was the only New Zealander in the field. He scored rounds of 75+3 and 74+2 for a 36 hole total of 149+5. He missed the 36 hole cut by a single stroke which would be very disappointing to him. Because he finished off his 2nd round bogey, double bogey, bogey. He still has only made 1 cut in the 7 events he has played to date this year so far. He now is in 246th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 4,532 earned from the 7 events he has played to date this year so far. But to think less than 7 years ago he had won his first Major which was the 2005 US Open Championship and finished 2nd to Colin Montgomerie (Scotland) on the European Tour Order of Merit with €2,496,269 earned from the 22 events he played that season. It must be depressing for him. I hope he can at least make a few cuts in the coming events and gain a bit of confidence in his game. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2012 European Tour Season.

Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai heads to Portugal for the Madeira Islands Open – Portugal and is being played at the Santo da Serra, Madeira, Portugal. It has a smaller than usual prize purse for the taking of €675,000. Michael Hoey (NIR) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 10th May and I will report back who won the trophy next week.  

The second event I am reporting on this week is on the USPGA Tour and is part of the FedEx Cup. It was the Wells Fargo Championship and was played on the Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina. And the Golfer by the name of Rickie Fowler (USA) scored rounds of 66-6, 72 even, 67-5 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72 hole total of 274-14. Rory McILroy (NIR) scored rounds of 70-2, 68-4, 66-6 and a final round of 70-2 for a 72 hole total of 274-14 also. And D. A. Points (USA) scored rounds of 66-6, 68-4, 69-3 and a final round of 71-1 for a 72 hole total of 274-14 as well. So those 3 players headed back to the 18th tee for the first playoff hole.

Rickie Fowler (USA) in action during the final round

D. A. Points (USA) drew number one from the hat and teed off first. He hit his drive right the centre of the fairway. Rickie Fowler (USA) drew number two from the hat and teed off second. He too hit his drive right down the centre of the fairway just past D. A. Points (USA). Finally Rory McILroy (NIR) drew number three from the hat and teed off last. He hit his 3wood 320 yards right down the centre of the fairway and well past Rickie Fowler (USA) and D. A. Points (USA) drives. D. A. Points (USA) hit his short wedge shot first and it landed 40 feet past the pin in the left hand fringe leaving a very difficult 3rd shot. Rickie Fowler (USA) played his short wedge shot next and hit the best wedge shot under the circumstances of his short playing career so far and it came to rest 5 feet to the left of the flag stick pin high. Rory McILroy (NIR) played his 2nd shot last and landed his short wedge shot 30 feet to the right of the flag Stick leaving a very difficult birdie putt. D. A. Points (USA) played his 3rd shot first and had a go at the birdie from 40feet above the hole. But had far too much pace on it and rolled it 12 feet past the hole. Rory McILroy (NIR) putted next and his very fast 30 foot downhill birdie putt just missed going in and rolled 10 feet past the cup. D. A. Points (USA) putted for his par next from 12 feet and rolled it right in the centre of the cup. Rory McILroy (NIR) putted for his par next from 10 feet and rolled it in the centre of the cup also. So that left the stage for Rickie Fowler (USA) to putt for birdie from 5 feet for the Wells Fargo Championship. He steadied himself and hit a perfect putt that went straight in the centre of the cup and he had won his maiden USPGA Tour title.

His Girlfriend, Kelly and his Mum were present alongside the 18th green to congratulate him as well as his fellow USPGA Tour Professional and good friend, Ben Crane (USA). He won $US 1,170,000.00 for the win and moved to 11th position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 1,834,254 earned from the 12 events he has played in to date this year so far. Bubba Watson (USA) leads that list with $US 3,204,778 earned from the 9 events he has played in to date this year so far. He also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points and moved to 15th position on the FedEx Cup points list with 856 points earned from the 12 events he has played in to date this year so far. He is 539 points behind Hunter Mahan (USA) who leads that list with 1,395 points earned from the 9 events he has played to date this year so far.

Rickie Fowler (USA) poses with the Wells Fargo trophy he won

It was great to see Rickie Fowler (USA) finally get over the line after going so chose to winning in the last few years. And he has a real following by the youth in the USA so he might bring more young people to liking the game of Golf. And we all like to see him in those bright orange clothes on Sundays. I would not be surprised at all if he won another tournament this year on the USPGA Tour or even contended in the 3 Majors that are yet to be played. His presence on the USPGA Tour can only be a good thing I feel. I wish Rickie Fowler (USA) every continuing success on the USPGA Tour in 2012.

For Rory McILroy (NIR) it will be a disappointment to not win after being such a good position to do so. But he will be pleased with the fact that he had another great result on the USPGA Tour. And he regains the Number One World Golf Ranking again. For D. A. Points (USA) it will be more of a disappointment for him, because all he had to do was to Par the 18th hole in regulation play to win, but he bogeyed. But at the same time he will be pleased that his good friend, Rickie Fowler (USA) won. And it will give him a lot of confidence to know that he can still compete with the best in the game after his win last year in the 2011 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am.

Coming in solo 4th position at 275-13 after 72 holes was the Charlotte local, Webb Simpson (USA). Coming tied for 5th position at 277-11 after 72 holes were former World Number One, Lee Westwood (England), Valero Texas Open Winner, Ben Curtis (USA) and Ryan Moore (USA). Coming in solo 8th position at 278-10 after 72 holes was Nick Watney (USA). Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 9th position at 279-9 after 72 holes were Jonathan Byrd (USA), James Driscoll (USA), Jason Day (Australia), Brian Davies (England), Seung – Yul Noh (South Korea) and Jonas Blixt (Sweden).

Tiger Woods (USA) who was playing in his first tournament after having a poor performance in the first Major of the year which was the Masters Tournament. He had another poor tournament here though scoring rounds of 71-1 and 73+1 for a 36 hole total of 144 even par and missed the cut by a single stroke. And it was only the 8th cut he had missed of his USPGA Tour Career. He will be hoping for a better performance at The Players Championship next week.

Danny Lee (NZL) was the only New Zealand Golfer in the field. He scored a fine first round of 69-3 and was inside the top 25 Golfers in the field looking like he would make his 5th cut in a row on the USPGA Tour, But he had a disastrous second round of 79+7 and failed to sign his score card and was disqualified. It was a shame because he has so much talent but has yet to really display it over 72 holes on the USPGA Tour in 2012. He now moves to 158th position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 126,673 earned from the 12 events he has played in to date this year so far. He is also in 151st position on the FedEx Cup Points list with 112 points earned from the 12 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 1,283 points behind the current leader, Hunter Mahan (USA). Danny Lee (USA) is having an average year as a Rookie on the USPGA Tour with making 4 cuts out of the 12 events he has played in to date this year, withdrawing from one and being disqualified from one also, with his best result being tied for 25th in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am back in early February. He will have to have a Major improvement in the next few months if he is going to have any chance to finish in the Top 125 Money earners that keep their USPGA Tour Status for the 2013 season. I feel he can do it with a few top 10 finishes. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2012 USPGA Tour season.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup head to USPGA Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida for The Players Championship and it is being played on the famed TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. It has the largest prize purse on the USPGA Tour all year with a huge $US 9,500,000 up for Grabs. K. J. Choi (South Korea) is the defending Champion and will be keen to be the first player to win back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 10th May and I will report back who won the Trophy next week.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings this week and coming in at Number One in the World for his third spell and a 5th week in total of his career is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his 2nd equal placing at the Wells Fargo Championship with 9.78 Official World Golf Ranking Points; Coming in Number Two in the world is Luke Donald (England) with 9.39 Official World Golf Ranking Points; coming in Number Three in the world is Lee Westwood (England) with 8.40 Official World Golf Ranking Points; coming in Number Four in the world is Bubba Watson (USA) with 6.46 Official World Golf Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 is Hunter Mahan (USA) with 5.66 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) this week remains 7th Position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list. He now has 5.29 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he remains in 170th position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list with 1.03 Official World Golf Rankings Points on the list.

The final event I am reporting on this week was on the Champions Tour and part of the Charles Schwab Cup and it was the Insperity Championship presented by United Healthcare and it was played on The Woodlands CC, The Woodlands, Texas. And it was the Golfer by the name of Fred Funk (USA) that scored rounds of 66-6, 69-3 and a final round of 67-5 for a 54 hole total of 202-14 to win by 1 stroke. He won $US 255,000.00 for the win and moved to 13th position on the Champions Tour Money list with $US 365,533 earned from the 6 events he has played to date this year so far. Michael Allen (USA) leads that list with $US 964,882 earned from the 8 events he has played to date this year so far. He is in 12th position on the Charles Schwab Cup points list with 295 points earned from the 6 events he has played in to date this year so far. He is 628 points behind the current leader who is Michael Allen (USA) who has earned 923 points from the 8 events he has played to date this year so far.

He played a flawless final round with scoring 67-5 which included a 35-1 on the front nine in which his lone birdie came at the Par 5, 1st hole. He played a brilliant back nine with scoring 32-4 which included 3 birdies in a row from holes 14 – 16, and then he added another birdie at the Par 4, 18th hole to win the Tournament. It was his first win on the Champions Tour in nearly two years and the 7th of his Champions Tour career having won previously the 2006 AT&T Championship, 2007 Turtle Bay Championship, 2008 MasterCard Championship at Hualalai, JELD-WEN Tradition, 2009 U.S. Senior Open Championship and 2010 JELD-WEN Tradition. And to think that just over 7 years ago he was winning the biggest Championship of his life which was the 2005 Players Championship on the USPGA Tour.

Fred Funk (USA) poses with the Insperity Championship trophy he won

He is still only 55 years old so I feel he has a few more wins left in him on the Champions Tour in the coming years. I have always enjoyed watching Fred Funk (USA) because he is one of the straightest drivers in the game of Golf and he has a great positive attitude. I wish him all the best for the rest on the 2012 season on the Champions Tour.

Coming in solo 2nd position at 203-13 after 54 holes was Tom Lehman (USA). Coming in sole 3rd position at 206-10 after 54 holes was Mike Goodes (USA). Coming in tied for 4th position at 208-8 after 54 holes were Dan Forsman (USA), Bernhard Langer (Germany), Brad Bryant (USA), Bobby Clampett (USA) and Michael Allen (USA) and rounding out the top 10 in tied for 9th position at 210-6 after 54 holes were Rod Spittle (Canada), Gene Jones (USA), Corey Pavin (USA) and Tom Byrum (USA).

The Champions Tour now takes a 3 week break but will resume on Thursday 24th May for the Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid and it is being played at The Golf Club at Harbor Shores, Benton Harbor, Michigan. It has a large prize purse of $US 2,000,000 for the taking. The legendary Golfer, Tom Watson (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen for back to back titles. I will report back who won the trophy in 3weeks time.  

Remember the key to putting is getting the line and length right!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com