Golf Events from the Weekend 22nd July 2012

Well again it was another great weekend on the Major Professional golf tours from around the world. First I will start with the European Tour and Race to Dubai and the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup. This week it was in England for the third major of the year which was the 141st Open Championship and it was played on the Royal Lytham & St Annes GC, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England. The first round began on Thursday 19th July in the morning and was played in relatively benign conditions and the leader after the first round was Adam Scott (Australia) who scored a fine first round of 64-6. He had a chance to score 62-8 and have the lowest score for a single round ever scored in Major Championship history if he had birdied the last hole but he made an untimely bogey. One stroke behind him on 65-5 were last week’s John Deere Classic winner, Zach Johnson (USA), 1999 Open Champion, Paul Lawrie (Scotland) and Nicholas Colsaerts (Belgium). Steve Alker (NZL) the only New Zealander in the field and he had to pre- qualify to get into the field scored a very impressive first round of 69-1 and was inside the top 10.

So to the second round on Friday 20th July and it was played in relatively benign conditions for the second straight day. Brandt Snedeker (USA) was the big mover on the day scoring a flawless second round of 64-6 equalling Adam Scott’s (Australia) first round score for the best round of the tournament so far. He finished the second round on top of the leader board with 130-10 after 36 holes. Brandt Snedeker (USA) had a 1 stroke lead over first round leader Adam Scott (Australia) who backed up his first round with a solid second round of 67-3 and was at 131-9 after 36 holes. Tiger Woods (USA) had his second consecutive round of 67-3 which included holing his bunker shot from the green side bunker at the 18th hole for a birdie 3. He was in third position at 134-6 after 36 holes. Steven Alker (NZL) the only New Zealander golfer in the field scored his second consecutive round of 69-1 and was on 138-2 for the tournament after 36 holes and in tied for 11th position with the world Number One Golfer, Luke Donald (England). It was a great effort by Steven Alker (NZL) even to make the cut considering he had to qualify to get a start. The cut fell at 143+3 after 36 holes and 83 players made it. Notable players to miss the cut were current Race to Dubai Money Leader, Justin Rose (England) 144+4, Sergio Garcia (Spain) 144+4, 2009 Open Champion, Stewart Cink (USA) 145+5, Defending Champion, Darren Clarke (NIR) 147+7 and 4 time Major Winner, Phil Mickelson (USA) 151+11.

So to the Third round on Saturday 21st July, and for the third straight day the conditions were relatively benign with little wind. Adam Scott (Australia) scored a solid third round of 68-2 to go with his first round 64-6 and his second round 67-3 and was on 199-11 after 54 holes and would take a four stroke lead into the final round over Graeme McDowell (NIR) and Brandt Snedeker (USA) who scored a poor third round of 73+3 after being the 36 hole leader. Those two Golfers were on 203-7 after 54 holes. Tiger Woods (USA) was 1 stroke further back on 204-6 after 54 holes after an up and down third round of even par 70. Zach Johnson (USA) was another stroke further back after the lowest third round of 66-4 and he was on 205-5 after 54 holes. Also on that score was 2002 Open Champion, Ernie Els (RSA). In tied for 10th position on 208-2 after 54 holes were the Current Master Tournament Champion, Bubba Watson (USA), 2010 Open Champion, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) and 1989 Open Champion, Mark Calcavecchia (USA) who is now 52 years old and plays on the Champions Tour. Steven Alker (NZL) scored his worst round of the tournament so far which was 72+2 and he fell back to 210 even par after 54 holes inside the top 20 which is a fine effort and with an under par round in the final round he could of had a top 10 finish.

So to the final round on Sunday 22nd July and it was played in strong winds which were completely different conditions to the three previous days. Nicholas Colsaerts (Belgium) who was tied for second position after the first round scored the best final round of 65-5 and set the early club house lead at 279-1 after 72 holes. He was finished over an hour before the leading group and final pairing of Adam Scott (Australia) and Graeme McDowell (NIR) teed off in their final rounds. Nicholas Colsaerts (Belgium) eventually finished in tied for 7th position which was a fine effort for him and he is exempt for the 142nd Open Championship in 2013.

Adam Scott (Australia) got off to a shaky start in his final round with scoring a two over par front nine of 36+2 which included bogeys on the Par 3, 1st hole, Par 4, 3rd hole and Par 4, 6th hole. His lone birdie came on the Par 4, 2nd hole. But he still had a 4 stroke lead over his nearest competitor who was Ernie Els (RSA) who too had a poor front nine of 36+2 which included bogeys on the Par 4, 2nd hole and Par 3, 9th hole. But the back nine was a different story for Ernie Els (RSA), he started off with a birdie on the Par 4, 10th hole, made another birdie on the Par 3, 12th hole to get to -5 with 6 holes to play. When he birdied the short par 4, 14th hole he was now -6 with 4 holes to play and 3 strokes behind his good friend, Adam Scott (Australia). Adam Scott (Australia) made a strong start to his back nine with paring holes 10 – 13. Then he too birdied the short Par 4, 14th hole and as I mentioned before he had a 3 stroke lead over Ernie Els (RSA) and it appeared it was only a formality that he was going to win the 141st Open Championship and claim his first Major Championship.

Ernie Els (RSA) prepares to throw his ball into the crowd after holing his birdie putt on the 72nd hole

Ernie Els (RSA) pared holes 15 – 17 and came to the 72nd hole -6 for the Championship needing a birdie for any hope of getting into a playoff even if the chances still were extremely slim. He struck brilliant drive and landed it right in the centre of the fairway. Then struck his mid iron second shot pin high 15 feet to the left of the pin. Now he had a putt for birdie and to get to -7 and set the club house lead. It was virtually a straight putt with a slight left to right break. He hit a perfect putt and it rolled right in the centre of the cup for his birdie 3 and he scored 68-2 in the final round which was a brilliant round under the circumstances. Adam Scott (Australia) now knew what he had to do and that was to play the last four holes in no more than two over par and he would win the 141st Open Championship. He played the Par 4, 15th hole very poorly landing his second shot in the green side bunker and he failed to get up and down and made a bogey 5. Now back at -9 with 3 holes to play he seemed to still have the tournament well in his grasp. He hit a long iron off the short par 4, 16th hole which left a short wedge shot for his second to the green. He must off been pumped up because he struck it a little hard and landed in about 30 feet past the pin on the green. He rolled his birdie putt up to within 4 feet of the cup on the left. Then he lipped out his par putt and had to settle for his bogey 5. Wayne Grady (Australia) who was commentating for the BBC Sports commented “That putt just came from total nerves”. Now he was -8 with two holes to play and he now needed two pars to win the 141st Open Championship. He hit a fine drive down the long Par 4, 17th hole and landed it right in the centre of the fairway. His second shot with his long iron was playing right into the teeth of the head wind. He struck a very poor shot and it landed left of the left hand front green side bunker. Now he faced a third shot from thick rough with not much green to work with. He struck his short chip shot from the thick rough and it landed on the green but rolled 25 feet past the pin. Now he faced a putt to keep his lead in the 141st Open Championship heading to the 72nd hole. Adam Scott (Australia) struck a good putt but it just didn’t take the slight left to right break and just missed on the left hand side. He tapped in for his bogey 5 and was now tied with Ernie Els (RSA) on -7 with the 72nd hole to play.

Adam Scott (Australia) was told by his caddie, Steve Williams (NZL) to hit his 3 wood off the 18th tee for accuracy. He slightly pulled it to the left of the fairway and it rolled into one of the pot bunkers meaning the best he could do was advance his ball 20 metres down the fairway. He managed to do that with his second shot from the bunker. He was left with an 8 iron for his third shot and struck it very well and it landed 10 feet short of the pin. He now was left with that 12 foot putt to getting into a playoff with Ernie Els (RSA). Sir Nick Faldo (England) who was commentating for the BBC Sports and had won the Open Championship on three previous occasions commented “If Adam Scott (Australia) misses this putt he will be scared mentally for life”. Adam Scott (Australia) steadied himself and then struck a good putt but it just missed on the left hand side by an inch. So that meant the Ernie Els (RSA) had won the 141st Open Championship by 1 stroke.

Ernie Els (RSA) kisses the Claret Jug that he won for the 2nd time in his Career

Ernie Els (RSA) scores during the week were 67-3, 70 even par, 68-2 and a final round of 68-2 for a 72 hole total of 273-7. He won € 1,136,880.00 for the win and moved to second position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 1,674,725 earned from the 6 events he has played to date this year so far. Justin Rose (England) still leads that list with €1,836,334 earned from the 8 events he has played to date this year so far. Ernie Els (RSA) also moved to 8th position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 3,050,548 earned from the 14 events he has played to date so far this year. Tiger Woods (USA) leads that list with $US 4,685,123 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. He also moves to 7th position on the current FedEx Cup points list with 1,402 points earned from the 14 events he has played in to date this year so far. He is 730 points behind the current leader who is Tiger Woods (USA) who has earned 2,132 points from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far.

Ernie Els (RSA) claimed a number of notable milestones with his victory in the 141st Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes by claiming his fourth Major Championship title. It was his 27th European Tour International Schedule victory in his 269th European Tour event. It is the 11th time in his European Tour career he has passed €1 million in a single season. He moves to 15th of the Official World Golf Ranking from 40th. It was his first European Tour victory since the 2011 South African Open Championship (Dec 2010). It was his fourth Major Championship victory in his 79th Major Championship appearance. It was also his first Major Championship victory since the 2002 Open Championship. He has played in 37 Major Championships since his last win in the 2002 Open Championship. He has won the US Open Championship twice, once in 1994 and the other time was 1997 and The Open Championship twice, in 2002 and 2012. It was his second victory in The Open Championship in his 22nd appearance. It was his second consecutive top ten finish in a Major Championship, after a tie for ninth at the US Open Championship last month. His gap of ten years between wins is the second longest gap between victories in Open Championship history. Sir Henry Cotton (USA) holds the record with 11 years, between 1937 to 1948. It was his 13th top ten finish in The Open Championship from his 22 appearances. At age 42 years and 279 days he becomes the second consecutive 42 year old to win The Open Championship, following Darren Clarke. (NIR) (Clarke was 42 years 337 days).

 His victory means that European Tour Members have won seven of the last ten Major Championships, dating back to Graeme McDowell (NIR) at the 2010 US Open. It was the 16th consecutive Major Championship won by a different player. This sequence began with Padraig Harrington at the 2008 US PGA Championship. His six shot final round winning comeback is the largest in The Open Championship since Padraig Harrington (Ireland) in 2007.  His six shot final round winning comeback is the largest in a Major Championship since Padraig Harrington (Ireland) at the 2007 Open Championship. His six shot final round winning comeback is the largest on The European Tour in 2012, beating the five shot come back of Jeev Milkha Singh (India) at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. It was the 44th Major Championship victory by a European Tour Member since Seve Ballesteros (Spain) won The Open Championship in 1979. It was third European Tour Member to win four or more Major titles, following Sir Nick Faldo (England) (six) and Seve Ballesteros (Spain) (five). He moves into joint second place in the list of most Majors won by South Africans. He would join Bobby Locke (RSA) on four.

 This victory represents the 15th different European Tour season he has won in. This victory is the eighth for South Africa on The European Tour in 2012. They are: Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) (Africa Open and Maybank Malaysian Open), Branden Grace (RSA) (Joburg Open, Volvo Golf Champions and Volvo China Open) and Jbe’ Kruger (RSA) (Avantha Masters) and Darren Fichardt (RSA) (SAINT-OMER OPEN presented by Neuflize OBC) and Ernie Els (RSA) (The 141th Open Championship). This is the most of any country so far this season. It was the 109th South African victory in European Tour history. It was his third European Tour victory over the age of 40, following the 2010 WGC – Cadillac Championship and 2011 South African Open Championship (Dec 2010). He has now won over €28 million in European Tour Official Career Earnings. It was his 66th win as a professional worldwide. He gains a European Tour exemption until the end of the 2019 season. He gains a five year exemption into the Masters Tournament, US Open Championship and US PGA Championship. And finally gains a place in the 2012 Grand Slam of Golf, 2012 WGC – HSBC Champions and 2013 Volvo Golf Champions.

It was great to see Ernie Els (RSA) finally get a win in the 2012 season because he has been playing good golf for the last 3 months on both the USPGA Tour and European Tours with no trophy to show for it. But now he has the Claret Jug to hold for his 141st Open Championship Victory. He has also been recently working with an eye doctor in South Africa that is helping him putt much better. He was very gracious in victory when interviewed by the BBC Sports straight afterwards saying he believes this is just a minor setback in Adam Scott’s (Australia) career and he believes he will win at least two Open Championships before his career is done. His win went down really well with the fans because he always is a crowd favourite because of his long easy swing and his attitude towards the game of Golf. It was a shame his wife,  Liez and two children Samantha who is now 13 and Ben who is now 10 couldn’t be there to share in his success. But Ernie Els (RSA) said he was travelling back to their family home in London later on in the evening to celebrate his success with them. He has now won 27 tournaments on the European Tour in his career and they are in order from the first to the 27th: 1994 Dubai Desert Classic; 1994 U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP; 1995 Lexington S.A. PGA; 1997 Johnnie Walker Classic; 1997 U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP; 1998 South African Open; 1999 Alfred Dunhill S.A. PGA; 2000 Standard Life Loch Lomond; 2002 Standard Life Loch Lomond; 2002 Heineken Classic; 2002 Dubai Desert Classic; 2002, 131st OPEN GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP; 2003 Heineken Classic; 2003 Johnnie Walker Classic; 2003 The Barclays Scottish Open; 2003 Omega European Masters; 2004 Heineken Classic; 2004 WGC - American Express Championship; 2004 HSBC World Match Play Championship; 2005 Dubai Desert Classic; 2005 Qatar Masters; 2005 BMW Asian Open; 2006 dunhill championship; 2007 South African Airways Open; 2007 HSBC World Match Play Championship; 2010 WGC - CA Championship; 2011 South African Open Championship and the 141st OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. 

Another photo of Ernie Els (RSA) posing with the Claret Jug

Ernie Els (RSA) has now also won 19 times on the USPGA Tour and here are his 19 wins on that tour from very first to the most recent: 1994 U.S. Open Championship, 1995 GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic, 1996 Buick Classic, 1997 U.S. Open Championship, Buick Classic. 1998 Bay Hill Invitational, 1999 Nissan Open, 2000 The International Presented by Qwest, 2002 Genius Championship, British Open Championship, 2003 Mercedes Championships, Sony Open in Hawaii, 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii, the Memorial Tournament, World Golf Championships-American Express Championship, 2008 The Honda Classic, 2010 World Golf Championships-CA Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard and the 2012 The Open Championship. As you can see he has had an unbelievable career and he fully deserved his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame in May on the Monday prior to THE PLAYERS Championship of 2011. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he won another Major Championship in the next couple of years. I wish him all the best for the rest of his 2012 season on both the USPGA Tour and European Tour.

Adam Scott (Australia) who finished in solo second position after 72 holes after rounds of 64-6, 67-3, 68-2 and a final round of 75+5 for a 72 hole total of 274-6. But even though he said when interviewed by the BBC Sports straight after his round that he will not let this defeat bring him down and he will only remember the good shots, I tend to disagree with this because this was his best chance to win his first Major Championship so far in his career and he was unable to get the job done. But I do think he will learn a lot from the loss as well and he has a very experienced caddie, Steve Williams (NZL) who will guide him through this tough time for him. The best thing he can do now in my opinion is get back on the horse and play in his next scheduled tournament and put in a good performance to silence his critics. And the € 656,864.00 he won for coming in solo 2nd position can only help him get over it. But because he is only focusing on the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup in the 2012 season he doesn’t have a money list ranking on the Race to Dubai Money list. But he won $US 812,292.00 on the USPGA Tour for coming second and is now in 27th position on the current USPGA Tour Money list with $US 1,993,191 earned from the 10 events he has played to date this year so far. And he also has earned 876 FedEx Cup points from the 10 events he has played to date this year so far which places him in 31st position on the current FedEx Cup Points lists. He is 1,256 points behind the current leader who is Tiger Woods (USA).

Adam Scott (Australia) now has two second place finishes in Major Championships which include his second placing in the 141st Open Championship and his tied for 2nd position in the 2011 Masters Tournament. And of course he won the 2004 THE PLAYERS Championship; 2006 THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola and the 2011 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. This proves he can perform on the stage just below Major Championships. A chat with  Kyle Stanley (USA) who is a fellow USPGA Tour player could do him the world of good, because he lost the Farmers Insurance Open in similar fashion in late January this year but came straight back the following week and won Waste Management Phoenix Open in great style. Also a chat with his fellow country man and Golf Hero, Greg Norman (Australia) will help him stay positive. I wish Adam Scott (Australia) all the best for the rest of the 2012 USPGA Tour Season.

Coming in tied for 3rd position at 277-3 after 72 holes was Brandt Snedeker (USA) who will be disappointed with his play on the weekend after leading the Open Championship after 36 holes. Tiger Woods (USA) was also tied for 3rd position. He will also be disappointed with his final 36 holes. Especially his final round of 73+3 in which included a Triple bogey 7 on the Par 4, 6th hole where he took 2 shots to get out of the green side bunker. And on the back nine he suffered 3 bogeys in a row from holes 13 – 15. But he said afterwards when interviewed that he is getting closer to winning his 15th Major Championship. In tied for 5th position at 278-2 after 72 holes was the 2010 US Open Champion, Graeme McDowell (NIR) and he will be disappointed with his final round of 75+5. Also tied for 5th position was the current World Number One Golfer, Luke Donald (England) and he will be pleased with his final round of 69-1. Coming it tied for 7th position at 279-1 after 72 holes was Thomas Aiken (RSA) and Nicholas Colsaerts (Belgium) who I mentioned earlier. And rounding out the top 10 in tied for 9th position at 280 even par after 72 holes were last week’s winner, Zach Johnson (USA), Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark), 1989 Open Champion, Mark Calcavecchia (USA), Long hitting, Dustin Johnson (USA), Current Players Champion, Matt Kuchar (USA), three time Major Winner, Vijay Singh (Fiji), Alexander Noren (Sweden), Highly successful English Professional, Ian Poulter (England), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) and the 2006 US Open Championship winner, Geoff Ogilvy (Australia).

There was only one New Zealander in the field and he was Steve Alker (NZL); he scored rounds of 69-1, 69-1, 72+2 and a final round of 71+1 for a 72 hole total of 281+1 and tied for 19th position, a fine effort considering he had to qualify for the Open Championship. He won $US 79,276.58 for his efforts. But because he isn’t a member of the USPGA Tour he doesn’t have a ranking on either the USPGA Tour or FedEx Cup Points list. And he isn’t a member of the European Tour as well so he doesn’t appear on the Race to Dubai Money list. This finish should give him some confidence when he heads back to the Web.com tour in the coming weeks. I wish him all the best with his golf for the remaining events in the 2012 season.

Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai heads to Austria for the Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity and it is being played on the Diamond CC, Atzenbrugg, Austria. It has a prize purse of €1,000,000 for the taking. Kenneth Ferrie (England) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts a day earlier than usual on Wednesday 25th July and I will report back who took home the trophy next week.

The final event I am reporting on this week was on the USPGA Tour and was part of the FedEx Cup and it was the True South Classic and it was played on the Annandale GC, Madison, Mississippi. This tournament was for the Golfers on the USPGA Tour that hadn’t qualified for the 141st Open Championship. And it was the Golfer by the name of Scott Stallings (USA) who scored rounds of 68-4, 64-8, 64-8 and a final round of 68-4 for a 72 hole total of 264-24 to win by 2 strokes for his second win on the USPGA Tour having won the Greenbrier Classic in 2011 as his maiden tour win. He won $US 540,000.00 for the win and moved to 94th position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 741,005 earned from the 19 events he has played in to date this year so far. He is also earned 250 FedEx Cup points for the win and moved to 98th position on the FedEx Cup Points list with 414 points earned from the 19 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 1,718 points behind the current leader who is Tiger Woods (USA). 

Scott Stallings (USA) in action during the final round

Scott Stallings (USA) played a steady fine round of 68-4 which included a front nine of 34-2 with birdies on the Par 4, 3rd hole and Par 5, 5th hole. He scored 34-2 on the back nine as well with birdies on the Par 5, 11th hole, Par 4, 16th hole and Par 4, 17th hole and his lone bogey came on the Par 4, 14th hole. It was good to see Scott Stallings (USA) finally get a good result this season because before this win his best result was tied for 22nd at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and he had also missed 12 cuts out of the 18 events he had played in before this tournament. He set the tournament scoring record at Annandale GC with a 24-under 264 to claim his second career PGA TOUR title as I mentioned earlier, by two strokes over Jason Bohn. It was his first start in the event. And the win put him in prime position to make the Playoffs. En route to the winning he posted back-to-back, 8-under 64s in the second and third rounds. Following the win, Scott Stallings (USA) announced to television crews and the crowd the pregnancy of his wife with their first child. Stallings told his wife, Jennifer, that if he won, he was going to announce the news a week before originally planned. I sure this win will give him the confidence to have many more top finishes on the USPGA Tour in the 2012 season. I wish him all the best and every continuing success on the USPGA Tour in 2012.

Scott Stallings (USA) poses with the True South Classic Trophy he won

Coming in solo 2nd position at 266-22 after 72 holes was Jason Bohn (USA) who had his best finish to date this year on the USPGA Tour and has now won $US 603,472 which is well on his was to keeping his card for the 2013 USPGA Tour season. Coming in Solo 3rd position at 268-20 after 72 holes was Billy Horschel (USA) and it was his career best finish on the USPGA Tour to date so far. Coming in solo for 4th position at 269-19 after 72 holes was Bud Cauley (USA), it was his third top 10 finish in his rookie season on the USPGA Tour and he has now won $US 956,012 which means he will easily keep his playing Status for the 2013 season. He was just the 7th player to earn their USPGA Tour card by earning enough money in the Tournaments he got sponsor’s exemptions into in 2011 to be inside the top 125 money earners that year and avoided the dreaded Qualifying School.

 Coming in tied for 5th position at 270-18 after 72 holes was Scott Brown (USA) who returned his second top 10 finish of the season. Also tied for 5th position were, Will Claxton (USA) and William McGirt (USA). In solo 8th position at 271-17 after 72 holes was the 2011 Web.com tour Money list winner, J. J. Killeen (USA), and it was his best career finish to date on the USPGA Tour in a rookie season that he has really struggled in. Coming in solo 9th position at 272-16 after 72 holes was Josh Teater (USA), and this finish was his first top 10 of the season. Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 10th position at 273-15 after 72 holes were Hunter Hamrick (USA), Chris Kirk (USA) who was the defending Champion and had a fine defence of his title. The last player to tie for 10th position was Ryuji Imada (Japan) and it was his first top 10 finish on the 2012 USPGA Tour season that has so far been a real struggle for him.

Grant Waite (NZL) was the best of the New Zealanders in the field. He scored rounds of 69-3 and 73+1 for a 36 hole total of 142-2 to miss the 36 hole cut by a single stroke. As it was his first appearance on the USPGA Tour this season and he doesn’t yet have a USPGA Tour Money list ranking or a ranking on the FedEx Cup points list. Danny Lee (NZL) was the other New Zealand Golfer in the field. He scored rounds of 74+2 and 70-2 for a 36 hole total of 144 even par and miss the 36 hole halfway cut by 3 strokes. He has now made only 10 cuts from the 19 events he has played in to date this year with his best finish being tied for 19th in the HP Byron Nelson Championship in late May. He moved to 161st position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 257,252 earned from the 19 events he has played to date this year so far. He also has 219 FedEx Cup Points from the 19 events he has played to date this year so far which places him in 151st position on the current FedEx Cup Points list, he is 1,913 points behind the current leader, Tiger Woods (USA).

 I feel he will be disappointed with this result because I saw this tournament as a real chance for him to gain his first top 10 finish of the year as the top players were away playing in the 141st Open Championship. He now has even more work to do to get inside the top 125 players on the FedEx Cup Points list that qualify for the first FedEx Cup Playoff event in late August which is The Barclays. He will likely get a start in three of the remaining five FedEx Cup regular season events in the weeks to come and top 10 finishes are essential if he is going to make it. He also has at least seven events left in the USPGA Tour season for 2012 that he is likely to get starts in to try and earn about $US 670,000.00 that is required to finish inside the top 125 Money earners on the Final USPGA Tour Money list in 2012, and keep his full playing Status for the 2012 season. I wish him all the best for the remaining events on the USPGA Tour in 2012.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup head to Canada for the RBC Canadian Open and it is being played at the Hamilton G&CC, Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. It has a large prize purse of $US 5,200,000 for the taking. Sean O'Hair (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen for back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 29th July and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position for the 4th spell of his career and the 54th week of his career is Luke Donald (England) with 9.81 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Tiger Woods (USA) with 8.45 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 8.41 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Lee Westwood (England) with 7.89 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list is the 112th US Open Champion, Webb Simpson (USA) with 6.47 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he slips 5 places to be at 193rd position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.94 Official World Golf Rankings Points on the list.

Remember in winter to take two to three more clubs than usual because the air is heavy!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com

Thames Golf Club News 21st July 2012

Thames Golf Club – Thursday Scramble

On Thursday 19th July a very small field played in the Thursday Scramble. Conditions were pleasant with the Sun Shining and Tom Handley found them to his liking scoring 76 off his 12 handicap and equalling his age again. He returned 42 Stableford points to win the scramble. Best gross round was 74 returned by Steve Gooder. 

(Full results below) (All on Stableford):

Men’s: Tom Handley 42, Doug Madgwick 40 and Frank Walsh 37.

Two’s: There were none.

Hidden Hole’s: Tom Handley and Steve Gooder shared them on 9 points. 

Thames Golf Club – Saturday Scramble

Just fewer than 30 Golfers played in the Saturday Scramble on Saturday 21st July. Conditions were difficult with a strong north easterly wind blowing and some of the pin placements were tucked in tricky places. Bruce Stockman scored 84 off his 20 handicap and returned 42 Stableford points to win the scramble. Best gross round on the day was 73 returned by Hayden Thomas.

(Full results below) (All on Stableford):

Men’s: Bruce Stockman 42, Don Lyon 40, Geoff Page 40, Hayden Thomas 39, Craig Bradley 38, Merv Cunningham 36, Murray Newby 36, Jamie Smith 36, Tasi Rae 35, Paul Mitchell 35, Herb Mabey 35, Stan Kendall 34 and Bob Carr 34.

Two’s: Paul Mitchell had the only one on the 14th hole to take all the balls.

Hidden Hole’s: Jamie Smith and Bob Carr each had 12 points to share the cash.

Next Saturday (28th July) is the Mystery Pairs in conjunction with the usual Saturday Scramble.

Golf Events from the Weekend 15th July 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 the Race to Dubai. This week it was in Scotland for the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and it was played at the Castle Stuart Golf Links, Inverness, Scotland. And it was the Golfer by the name of Jeev Milkha Singh (India) who scored rounds of 66-6, 70-2, 68-4 and a final round of 67-5 for a 72 hole total of 271-17 after 72 holes. He was joined on that score by Francesco Molinari (Italy) who scored rounds of 62-10, 70-2, 67-5 and a final round of 72 even par for a 72 hole total of 271-17 after 72 holes also. So those two players headed back to the 18th tee for the first playoff hole.

Both players found the fairway off the tee, and laid up with their second shots down the par five, 18th hole but the advantage swung in Jeev Milkha Singh’s (India) favour when he hit his short iron approach shot to 15 feet from the pin. Francesco Molinari (Italy) could only manage to land his short wedge third shot 25 feet from the cup. When Molinari’s 25 foot effort pulled up well short, Jeev Milkha Singh (India) now had a chance to win and he calmly stroked his birdie putt from 15 feet home to become the 2012 Aberdeen Asset Scottish Open Champion. Jeev Milkha Singh (India) won € 518,045.88 for winning the title and moves to 14th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with earning € 751,061 from the 18 events he has played in to date this year so far. Justin Rose (England) still leads that list with €1,831,912 earned from the 7 events he has played to date this year so far. 

Jeev Milkha Singh (India) shakes Francesco Molinari (Italy's) hand after winning the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open

It was Jeev Milkha Singh’s (Scotland) fourth European Tour International Schedule victory in his 273rd European Tour event entered; the other three wins came at the 2008 Bank Austria GolfOpen presented by Telekom Austria, 2006 Volvo Masters and the 2006 Volvo China Open. He could move to inside the top 90 in the Official World Golf Ranking from 192nd.  It was his first European Tour victory since the 2008 Bank Austria GolfOpen presented by Telekom Austria. It is a gap of four years and 37 days between victories. In that time he has played in 95 European Tour events between victories. This victory beats his previous best performance since his 2008 win of fourth in the 2009 WGC - CA Championship.

 This victory beats his previous best 2012 performance of tied seventh at the Nordea Masters. He becomes the first Indian to win the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. India becomes the 14th different nation to win the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.  This victory comes in his tenth appearance in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. This victory beats his previous best performance in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open of tied ninth in 2008. His five shot final round winning comeback is the largest winning comeback on The European Tour in 2012. He beat the four shot come back of Francesco Molinari (Italy) (Reale Seguros Open de España), Ricardo Santos (Portugal) (Madeira Islands Open - Portugal) and Webb Simpson (USA) (US Open Championship).

It was the ninth Indian win in European Tour history. He became the first Indian to win on The European Tour since S S P Chowrasia (India) at the 2011 Avantha Masters. He moves to the top of the list for most Indian victories on The European Tour with four, moving ahead of Arjun Atwal (India), who has three. At aged 40, is the third over 40 to win on The European Tour in 2012. He follows Paul Lawrie (Scotland) (43 -Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy) and Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) (42 - ISPS Handa Wales Open). He moves over €6 million in European Tour Official Career Earnings. He claims his 19th win as a professional. He gains a three year European Tour exemption until the end of 2015. And finally gains a place in the 2012 Open Championship, 2012 WGC - Bridgestone Invitational, 2012 WGC - HSBC Champions and 2013 Volvo Golf Champions.

Jeev Milkha Singh (India) poses with the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open Trophy he won

Jeev Milkha Singh (Scotland) played a flawless final round of 67-5 which included a front nine of 32-4 with birdies on the Par 4, 1st hole, Par 4, 3rd hole, Par 4, 5th hole and Par 5, 6th hole. He played a very steady back nine of 35-1 with his lone birdie on the Par 4, 10th hole. It was also the equal low final round. Since joining the European Tour in 1998 he has played on that tour every year since on and off. But 2006 was his breakout season where he won two tournaments that were the Volvo China Open and the Volvo Masters. And he finished in 16th position on the final European Tour Order of Merit. He backed it up with a solid 46th position on the final European Tour Order of Merit in 2007. He bettered his 2006 performance in 2008 with finishing in 12th position on the final European Tour Order of Merit which is his best to date so far in his career. In 2009 he finished in 34th position on the final European Tour Order of Merit. In 2010 he finished in 74th position on the final European Tour Order of Merit. In 2011 he finished in 94th position on the final European Tour Order of Merit. But this season I feel he is on his way to his best final finish position on the final European Tour Order of Merit of his career if he continues his fine form of late. And I feel he could achieve a top 10 finish in the third Major Championship of the year which is the 141st Open Championship which is the next event on the European Tour. I wish him all the best with the remaining events on the European Tour in 2012.

Coming solo 2nd position was Francesco Molinari (Italy) and with his finish moves to 2nd position in the current Race to Dubai Money list standings. Coming in tied for 3rd position at 272-16 after 72 holes were Alexander Noren (Sweden) and Marc Warren (Scotland) who was the low Scottish player of the tournament. Coming in tied for 5th position at 273-15 after 72 holes was Matthew Baldwin (England) who also returned the equal low final round of 67-5. Also tied for 5th position were Thomas Levet (France) and Soren Kjeldsen (Denmark). Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 8th position on 274-14 after 72 holes were Philip Price (Wales), Henrik Stenson (Sweden) and Peter Whiteford (Scotland). Some notable players that were tied for 16th position on 276-12 after 72 holes were three time Major Champion, Padraig Harrington (Ireland), World Number One, Luke Donald (England) and four times Major Champion, Phil Mickelson (USA).

Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai head to England for the third Major of the year and it is the 141st Open Championship. It is being played at the Royal Lytham & St Annes GC, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England. It has a large prize purse of £5million for the taking as well as the covered Claret Jug. Darren Clarke (NIR) is the defending Champion and will be hoping for back to back titles. But with the likes of Tiger Woods (USA), Luke Donald (England) and Rory McILroy (NIR) all playing it will be tough. It starts on Thursday 19th July and I will report back who won the Claret Jug next week.

The second event I am reporting on this week was on the USPGA Tour and part of the FedEx Cup and was the John Deere Classic and it was played on the TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois. And it was Zach Johnson (USA) who scored rounds of 68-3, 65-6, 66-5 and a final round of 65-6 for a 72 hole total of 264-20 but he was joined on that score by Troy Matteson (USA) who scored a brilliant first round of 61-10, 68-3, 66-5 and a final round of 69-2 that included an amazing eagle on the Par 5, 17th hole where he holed a 64 foot putt. And he had a 72 hole total of 264-20 also. So those two players head back to the 18th tee for the first playoff hole. Zach Johnson (USA) was the first to draw a number from the Tournament Directors hat and he drew number one. So Zach Johnson (USA) teed off first and hit his drive down the left hand side of the fairway but it rolled through the fairway into the left hand fairway bunker. Troy Matteson (USA) teed off second and his drive and it landed well to the right of the fairway in the left trees and he was lucky he got a kick off the tree to the left leaving him at least a chance of playing his 2nd shot towards the green. When Troy Matteson (USA) reached his ball he discussed with his caddie whether going up over the trees in front of him and hitting towards the green was an option. But they decided chipping out to the left into the fairway was the much more sensible option. This was because the ball was sitting down in the rough. He chipped his ball out with a mid iron but because the fairways were so dry from the drought that the Mid West American States are suffering from at the moment, it rolled right across the fairway and into the water hazard on the left.

Meanwhile Zach Johnson (USA) now knew that if he could keep his second shot from the left hand fairway bunker dry and hit it somewhere on the green he would more than likely make par and win the title. But he was too aggressive and slightly pulled his second shot and it kicked off the bank left of the green and went in the same hazard that Troy Matteson (USA) had gone in, but he was much closer to the green. Troy Matteson (USA) took his 2 club length drop no nearer the hole and played his fourth shot with his wedge to about 15 feet past the pin that was situated at the back of the green. He still had a difficult fast putt for his bogey and Zach Johnson (USA) still looked as though he was guy in control of the playoff. Zach Johnson (USA) took his drop under the watchful eye of the USPGA Tour Official. In trying to land his ball on the fairway cut he dropped his ball on the tees that were marking the end of his 2 club lengths he was permitted to drop his ball in and had to drop it again. He eventually dropped it in the first cut of rough leaving a chip that was hard to control the spin. Zach Johnson (USA) played a poor 4th shot and it rolled right into the back fringe. He was still away and putted from the back fringe for his bogey but missed at least 6 inches to the right of the cup and left himself a difficult putt for Double Bogey. Troy Matteson (USA) now had his 15 foot bogey putt to win the John Deere Classic. He struck a good putt and it just missed on the right hand side and rolled 7 feet past the cup. Troy Matteson (USA) calmly rolled in his 7 foot double bogey putt for his 6. Zach Johnson (USA) now had to hole his 6 foot putt for Double Bogey 6 to keep the playoff alive and that is exactly what he did. So those two players headed back to the Par 4, 18th hole for the second playoff hole. 

Zach Johnson (USA) in action during the final round

Zach Johnson (USA) teed off first again and hit his drive down the left hand side of the fairway and didn’t fade and landed in the same fairway bunker on the left hand side, the same one he was in on the first playoff hole. But this time he had a much flatter lie. Troy Matteson (USA) played second and hit 3 wood this time and landed it in the middle of the fairway just in front of Zach Johnson’s (USA) ball that was in the left hand fairway bunker. Ian Baker – Finch (Australia) who is CBS Sports Golf Analyst commented saying “He should of being hitting 3wood in the first place”. Zach Johnson (USA) played his second shot first and struck what will be one of the memorable shots in his Golf Career to date so far. He stuck a mid iron that drew in and landed on the front of the green. It rolled up to rest within 1 foot of the cup leaving a tap in for birdie. And the huge crowd cheered because this tournament is played near Zach Johnson (USA) home state of Iowa and is the USPGA Tour event closest to his home. It is like a fifth Major to him. Now Troy Matteson (USA) stood in the fairway stunned knowing that he now had to make birdie to keep the playoff going. He struck his 7 iron second shot which under normal circumstances would have been a good shot. It landed on the front of the green leaving a 25 foot putt for birdie. Troy Matteson (USA) lined up his 25 foot birdie putt knowing he had to hole it to keep the playoff alive. He struck a good putt but just left it short and easily tapped in for his par 4. Now Zach Johnson (USA) had his moment of Glory and tapped in for his birdie 3 and he had won the John Deere Classic for the first time in his career. His two Children came running on to the 18th green to give him a hug and then he got kiss from his Wife to celebrate. And Zach Johnson (USA) had his long time Golf Teacher on the bag this week as his regular caddie, Damon Green had the week off to play in the US Senior Open Championship.

Zach Johnson (USA) won $US 828,000.00 for the win and moved to 3rd position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 3,912,941 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this year so far. Tiger Woods (USA) leads that list with $US 4,220,398 earned from the 12 events he has played to date so far this year. Zach Johnson (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup points and moved to 2nd position on the FedEx Cup Points list with 1,920 points earned from the 17 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 32 points behind Tiger Woods (USA) who leads that list with 1,952 points earned from the 12 events he has played to date this year so far. It was also his second win this year on the USPGA Tour having won the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in late May. It was also his 9th win on the USPGA Tour. Here are all his 9 wins on the USPGA Tour in the order he won them: 2004 BellSouth Classic, 2007 Masters Tournament, AT&T Classic, 2008 Valero Texas Open, 2009 Sony Open in Hawaii, Valero Texas Open, 2010 Crown Plaza Invitational at Colonial, 2012 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, John Deere Classic. In 2007 he really came into the public eye with winning the first Major Championship which was the Masters Tournament.

Zach Johnson (USA) poses with the John Deere Classic Trophy he won

I feel this win will give Zach Johnson (USA) some real confidence heading into the third Major Championship of the year next week which is the 141st Open Championship played in England. His results prove he is one of the most consistent players on the USPGA Tour in 2012 with making 16 cuts out of the17 events he has entered to date this year so far and as well as his two wins he has secured two second place finishes. I wish him every continuing success on the USPGA Tour in 2012.

Troy Matteson (USA) will be disappointed with his second placing when he seemed in control of this tournament for so long. But it was his best finish on the USPGA Tour this year by a mile and the cheque of $US 496,800.00 he earned for the solo second place moves him to 97th position on the current USPGA Tour Money list with $US 710,543 earned from the 22 events he has entered to date so far this year and his playing Status for the 2013 season is now virtually secure. He also moved to 73rd position on the current FedEx Cup Points list with 500 points earned from the 22 events he has entered to date this year so far. He is 1,452 points behind Tiger Woods (USA). And he also gained a place in next week’s 141st Open Championship.

Coming in solo 3rd position at 266-18 after 72 holes was Scott Piercy (USA), and it was also his best finish of the season so far this year and he has now made just over $1million from the 20 events he has played in to date this year so far. Coming in solo 4th position at 267-17 after 72 holes was John Senden (Australia), it was his best finish of the season as well and he too has now earned just over $1million from 15 events he has played to date this year. He must like this tournament because this was the tournament that he had his maiden and only win to date on the USPGA Tour in 2006 season. He is still considered one of the best ball strikers on the USPGA Tour and it is only his putting that is holding him back from winning more tournaments. Coming in tied for 5th position at 268-16 after 72 holes was Luke Guthrie (USA), and it was his best finish on the USPGA Tour ever in his short career. And to think he had to Monday qualify to make the field. He has earned $US 242,672 from the 2 events he has played this year which is just amazing. He will get another start this week at the True South Classic because players who finish in the top 10 are exempt for the following week’s regular USPGA Tour event.

Also tied for 5th position was Steve Stricker (USA) who will be disappointed he never got the four peat here after winning John Deere Classic the last three years. After 11 holes of his final round he was -18 and only 1 stroke off the lead and looking like the four peat was possible, but 3 bogeys in the last five holes put pay to his chances. He has now won $US 2,095,377 from the 12 events he has entered so far this year and that includes a win in the very first tournament of the year which was Hyundai Tournament of Champions. I feel he is a long shot to win the 141st Open Championship next week. In solo 7th position at 269-15 after 72 holes was Scott Brown (USA), this is his second best finish on the USPGA Tour in 2012 and he graduated from the Web.com Tour in 2011. He has only made 4 out of 16 cuts from the 16 events he has entered and 2 of those cuts he has made he ended up with top 10 finishes. Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 8th position at 270-14 after 72 holes was Kevin Steelman (USA) and since gaining his card at the 2007 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament he has made $1million every year since. But this year he was struggling and he needed this result to gain some valuable confidence. He has now made $US 718,201 to date this year so far and has secured his playing status for next year. Also tied for 8th position was the two time US Open Champion, Lee Janzen (USA). It was his first top 10 in two years. Also in tied for 8th position was Ryan Moore (USA) who recorded his first top 10 finish since early May after some mediocre performance. Also tied for 8th position was Chris DiMarco (USA) and it was his first top 10 of the season, and his first since the 2010 Reno-Tahoe Open. He has had a lean spell the last few years after playing so well in the mid 2000s. The last played to tie for 8th position was Billy Hurley III (USA) who had his 2nd top 10 finish in the last 3 weeks. He has now earned $US 465,210 from the 20 events he has played to date this year so far. A Couple more top 10 finishes and he will secure his playing status for the 2013 season. He is current sitting in 122nd position of the USPGA Tour Money list.

Danny Lee (NZL) the only New Zealander in the field scored rounds of 70-1, 68-3, 70-1 and a brilliant final round of 66-5 for a 72 hole total of 274-10 after 72 holes. He finished in tied for 30th position which was his third best result of the 2012 USPGA Tour season to date so far this year. He earned $US 27,945.00 for his efforts and remained in 159th position on the current USPGA Tour Money list with $US 257,252 earned from 18 events he has played to date this year so far. He is also in 148th position on the current FedEx Cup Points list with 219 points earned from the 18 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 1,733 points behind Tiger Woods (USA) who leads that list. Danny Lee (NZL) has now made 10 cuts from the 18 events he has entered to date this year so far. Although he may be happy with his rookie season I personally think he could have done a little better and achieved some top 10 finishes. Two out of the next three regular tour events will have much weaker fields as the better players will be playing in the 141st Open Championship and the World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational. So I hope he can achieve top 10 finishes in the this coming weeks True South Classic and in 3 weeks time in the Reno – Tahoe Open that is played opposite the World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational. He needs to earn at least $US 670,000.00 by the end of the 2012 USPGA Tour Season because that is what it took to keep your full exempt playing status in 2011 by finishing inside the top 125 money earners. But if he can at least earn about $US 410,000.00 he will more than like earn semi – exempt status for the 2013 season by finishing inside the top 150 money earners and get to play 10-15 tournaments. The only thing is he won’t be able to choose which ones he is going to play in. And he now has about 8 tournaments that he will more than like get a start in for the remaining events on the USPGA Tour in 2012 unless he can get inside the top 125 points earners on the FedEx Cup before the playoffs start and then he may get to play a couple more? I wish Danny Lee (NZL) all the best in the coming weeks on the USPGA Tour.

Next week there are two tournaments on the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup. The first is the third Major of the year and it is the 141st Open Championship. It is being played at the Royal Lytham & St Annes GC, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England. It has a large prize purse of $US 8, 000,000 for the taking as well as the covered Claret Jug. Darren Clarke (NIR) is the defending Champion and will be hoping for back to back titles. But with the likes of Tiger Woods (USA), Luke Donald (England) and Rory McILroy (NIR) all playing it will be tough. It starts on Thursday 19th July and I will report back who won the Claret Jug next week. The second event is for players that aren’t eligible for 141st Open Championship. It is the True South Classic and is being played on the Annandale GC, Madison, Mississippi. It has a smaller prize purse of $US 3,000,000 for the taking and will give lesser players on the USPGA Tour a chance to shine. Chris Kirk (USA) is the defending Champion and will be hoping for back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 12th July and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position for the 4th spell of his career and the 53rd week of his career is Luke Donald (England) with 9.55 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 8.53 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Lee Westwood (England) with 7.97 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Tiger Woods (USA) with 7.65 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list is the 112th US Open Champion, Webb Simpson (USA) with 6.54 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he gains 8 places to be at 188th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.95 Official World Golf Rankings Points on the list.

Remember the most important fundamental in the Golf Swing is to keep the head still!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com