Golf Events from the Weekend 22th September 2012

Well it was another brilliant weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world. Only one tournament this week and it was on the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup. And this week it was the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola which was the Finale to the FedEx Cup and it was played on the East Lake GC, Atlanta, Georgia. Only the top 30 players on the FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list after the BMW Championship qualified to play here. One of those players was going to win the FedEx Cup and the $US 10,000,000 bonus that goes with it. And it was Brandt Snedeker (USA) who scored rounds of 68-2, 70 even, 64-6 and a final round of 68-2 for a 72 hole total of 270-10 to win by 3 strokes and he also won the prized FedEx Cup for 2012. He won $US 1,440,000.00 for the win and that moved him to third position on the current USPGA Tour Money list with $US 4,989,739 earned from the 22 events he has played to date this year so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) still leads that list with $US 8,047,952 earned from the 16 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 2500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and that moved him to first place on the Final 2012 FedEx Cup Points list with 4100 points earned from the 22 events he played in. He was 1,273 points ahead of Rory McILroy (NIR) who earned 2827 FedEx Cup points on the final 2012 standings from the 16 events he played in.

Brandt Snedeker (USA) follows his tee shot during the final round

It was just an awesome final round by Brandt Snedeker (USA) who scored 68-2 which included a front nine of 35 even par. He had shared the 54 hole lead with Justin Rose (England) at minus 8. He birdied the Par 4, 3rd hole to get to minus 9. But then suffered a double bogey 5 on the Par 3, 6th hole where he lost his tee shot to the right and it landed in the water. And he fell back to minus 7, but he came straight back with birding the Par 4,8th hole to get back to minus 8. Heading into the back nine he was still minus 8 and had a two stroke lead over Justin Rose (England) and Ryan Moore (USA) who were both at minus 6. Brandt Snedeker (USA) then pared holes 10-12 and was still at minus 8 with 6 holes to play. But his lead was now only one stroke because Justin Rose (England) and Ryan Moore (USA) had both made birdie at the Par 3, 11th hole and now both players were minus 7 just one stroke behind Brandt Snedeker (USA).

Brandt Snedeker (USA) made birdie on the Par 4, 13th hole to move to minus 9 and increase his lead to two strokes over Justin Rose (England) and Ryan Moore (USA) who were still on minus 7. Brandt Snedeker (USA) only made a Par 4, on the Par 4, 14th hole, but Ryan Moore (USA) made a birdie 3 on the same hole mentioned and moved to minus 8 only one stroke behind Brandt Snedeker (USA) with four holes to play. Brandt Snedeker (USA), Ryan Moore (USA) and Justin Rose (England) all birdied the short par 5, 15th hole. So Brandt Snedeker (USA) was now at minus 10, Ryan Moore (USA) was now at minus 9 and Justin Rose (England) minus 8 with three holes to play. Ryan Moore (USA) struggled on the final three holes making three consecutive bogeys and eventually finishing in tied for third position at minus 6. Brandt Snedeker (USA) and Justin Rose (England) both hit brilliant second shots in to the Par 4, 16th hole and both narrowly missed their birdies but easily secured their pars. So with only two holes remaining Brandt Snedeker (USA) was at minus 10 and held a two stroke lead over Justin Rose (England) who was minus 8.

On the Par 4, 17th hole both Brandt Snedeker (USA) and Justin Rose (England) missed their tee shots to the right of the fairway with Brandt Snedeker (USA) missing his in the right hand rough and Justin Rose (England) in the right hand fairway bunker. Brandt Snedeker (USA) played his second shot first and it just landed over the front green side bunker in the rough. Justin Rose (England) played next and hit a good fairway bunker shot with his mid iron but lost it slightly to the right and it came to rest on the front right fringe leaving a difficult up and down for his par 4. He played his third shot with his putter from about 50 feet away and hit it too hard and it rolled 10 feet past the cup. Brandt Snedeker (USA) played his third shot which was a 30 foot chip shot and he hit the perfect shot that rolled right to the hole and fell in for his birdie 3 and he moved to minus 11. He must have at this point thought that the day was meant for him. Justin Rose (England) then putted for his par 4 from 10 feet but it missed and he tapped in for bogey 5. He fell to minus 7 and that meant that Brandt Snedeker (USA) now had a four stroke lead playing the long par 3, 72nd hole. Brandt Snedeker (USA) teed off first pulled his tee shot well to the left of the green pin high and it landed in one of the corporate tents. Justin Rose (England) teed off second and missed his tee shot to the left of the green as well but not as bad. Brandt Snedeker (USA) got a free drop from the corporate tent under the aid of the USPGA Rules Official; he played a good chip under the circumstances and land in 20 feet from the hole. Justin Rose (England) got up and down for his Par 3 and finished on minus 7 for the tournament. Brandt Snedeker (USA) putted for his par 3, but left it 4 feet short.  He tapped in for his bogey and finished minus 10 to win by three strokes and pumped his arms in the air to celebrate!!

He had his Dad there watching him hole the winning putt on the 72nd green.  It was only the second time this year he has been there in person to see him play on the USPGA because just under a year ago he had a lung transplant because of Cancer. Also his long time coach’s son had suffered a serious car accident just last week and had been transferred to a rehab hospital in Atlanta this week. Brandt Snedeker (USA) went to visit him before his final round. He was so badly injured that he couldn’t talk. So Brandt Snedeker (USA) said to him “Do you think I can beat Wood’s and McILroy today”? Brandt Snedeker (USA) said he gave him a wink as to say yes!! When interviewed afterwards he also gave credit to the support his wife Mandy has given him throughout his USPGA Tour career. She couldn’t be there this week because she is eight months pregnant with their second child. But she is planning to attend the 39th Ryder Cup Matches next week where Brandt Snedeker (USA) makes his Ryder Cup debut.   

Brandt Snedeker (USA) poses with the 2012 FedEx Cup and the Tour Championship Trophy he won

Winning the 2012 FedEx Cup just put the icing on the cake on Brandt Snedeker’s (USA) season. It was his 7th top 10 finished of the year that included a win at the Farmer Insurance Open in late January and of course the win here. And he has made 20 out 22 cuts which proves he has a lot of consistency in his game. The year could get better for him next week if Team USA which he is member of have a win in the Ryder Cup. I think the next step for Brandt Snedeker (USA) is to win a Major Championship. Maybe it will happen in 2013? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2012 season.

Coming in solo second position at 273-7 after 72 holes was Justin Rose (England); he will be disappointed with his final round 71+1 after going into the final round being tied for the lead with Brandt Snedeker (USA). He will be pleased with his season on the USPGA Tour to date so far. He has had eight top 10 finishes from the 19 events he has played to date this year so far and that includes a win at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship in early March. He also finished in 6th position on the Final FedEx Cup Playoffs points list in 2012 with 1,770 points earned from the 19 events he played in. He also earned $US 800,000.00 in the FedEx Cup bonus money pool. I wish Justin Rose (England) all the best for the remaining events in 2012.

Coming in tied for third position at 274-6 after 72 holes was Luke Donald (England); he is having another great season on the USPGA Tour with already recording eight top 10 finishes including a win at the Transitions Championship in mid May. And he has only missed one cut this season. He has already earned $US 3,512,024 on the current USPGA Tour money list and his final standing on the FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list was 9th position with 1,275 points earned from the 17 events he played in. He also earned $US 550, 000.00 of bonus money in the FedEx Cup. He could be the player that excels for Team Europe in this week’s 39th playing of Ryder Cup Matches. I wish Luke Donald (England) all the best for the remaining events in 2012. Also tied for third position was Ryan Moore (USA); he will be disappointed with how he finished with three consecutive bogeys. It was his best finish on the USPGA Tour to date this season so far. It was his seventh top 10 finish from the 23 events he has played to date this year so far and he has earned $US 2,048,944 so far this year. He also finished in 11th position on the final 2012 FedEx Cup Points list with 1,105 points earned from the 23 events he played in and won $US 300,000.00 in the FedEx Cup Bonus Pool money.

Coming in tied for fifth position at 275-5 after 72 holes was the 112th US Open Champion, Webb Simpson (USA); he scored the equal low final round of 66-4. It was his seventh top 10 finish of the season for him from the 22 events he has played to date this year with earnings to date of  $US 3,436,758. But I would suggest he would be disappointed with his final placing on the FedEx Cup points list with 785 points earned from the 22 events he played in and finishing in 16th position. He also earned $US 245,000.00 in the FedEx Cup Bonus Pool money. Look for him to play well in the Ryder Cup next week. Also tied for 5th position was the 2012 Master Tournament winner, Bubba Watson (USA); he has had a brilliant year with recording his maiden Major Championship win and also having six other top 10 finishes from the 19 events he has played to date so far. He has earned $US 4,644,997 to date this year so far. He also will be disappointed with his final placing on the FedEx Cup Points list for 2012 which was 13th with 1,005 points earned from the 19 events he played. He won $US 280,000.00 in the FedEx Cup Bonus Pool money.

Coming in solo 7th position at 277-3 after 72 holes was Jim Furyk (USA); he will be disappointed with his final two rounds after being in good position to win after 36 holes. It sort of summed up his year with a bit of luck and better play during the final few holes he could of won the Transitions Championship in mid March; 112th US Open Championship in late June and at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational in early August. But his poor play cost him a chance to win all of them. He has still had a very good year with winning $US 3,351,805 from the 23 events he has played in to date this year so far. He finished in 15th position on the final FedEx Cup points standings with 790 points earned from the 23 events he played in. He won $US 250,000.00 in the FedEx Cup Bonus Pool money. Also look for him to play well at the Ryder Cup next week.

Coming in tied for 8th position at 278-2 after 72 holes was Hunter Mahan; he had the equal best final round of 66-4. He has had a brilliant season with recording five top 10 finishes from the 23 events he has played in to date this year so far and that includes wins at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship in late February and the Shell Houston Open in early April. He has earned $US 4,019,193 to date so far this year. But he will be disappointed with his final placing of 19th on the Final FedEx Cup points standings with 693 points earned from the 23 events he played in. He won $US 230,000.00 in the FedEx Cup Bonus Pool money. The other player to tie for 8th position was Tiger Woods (USA); he will be disappointed with his second and final rounds after playing so well in the first and third rounds. But he has had a great season with recording 9 top 10 finishes which includes wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard in late March; the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance in early June and AT&T National in early July. And he has recorded earnings of $US 6,133,158 from the 19 events he has played to date this year so far. He finished in third position on the final FedEx Cup points standings with 2,663 points earned from the 19 events he played in. And he won $US 2,000,000.00 in the FedEx Cup Bonus Pool money. Look for him as well to have a very strong Ryder Cup.

Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 10th position at 279-1 after 72 holes was Dustin Johnson (USA); he has had another consistent season on the USPGA Tour with recording nine top 10 finishes from the 19 events he has played in so far and that includes a win at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in early June. He has earnings of $US 3,393,820 to date so far. He finished 8th on the final FedEx Cup Points list with 1,527 points earned from the 19 events he played in. He earned $US 600,000.00 in the FedEx Cup Bonus Pool money. Look for him to have a big Ryder Cup next week as well. Also tied for 10th position was Matt Kuchar (USA); he will be disappointed with his final round of 73+3. But he has had just an awesome season with recording 9 top 10 finishes from the 22 events he has played to date this year so far. And that includes a win at THE PLAYERS Championship in mid May. And he has amazing only missed one cut this season to date. He has earnings of $US 3,903,065 to date this season so far. He will be disappointed with his 18th position on the final FedEx Cup Points standings list with 707 points earned from the 22 events he played in. He earned $US 235,000.00 in the FedEx Cup Bonus Pool money. Also look for him to have a big Ryder Cup next week as well.

Also tied for 10th position was Bo Van Pelt (USA); he has had another great season on the USPGA Tour with recording 10 top 10 finishes from the 24 events he has played to date this year so far. And he has earned $US 3,043,509 from the events he has played so far this year. He will be disappointed with his final position on the FedEx Cup Points list of 22nd in which he scored 607 points from the 24 events he played in. He earned $US 215,000.00 in the FedEx Cup Bonus Pool money. Also tied for 10th position was Robert Garrigus (USA); he will be disappointed with his final round of 73+3. He has had another fine season on the USPGA Tour with recording seven top 10 finishes from the 24 events he has played to date this year so far. He has earned $US 2,753,443 to date so far this year. He finished in 23rd position on the final FedEx Cup Points standings list with 637 points earned from the 24 events he played in. He earned $US 210,000.00 in the FedEx Cup Bonus Pool money. The last player to tie for 10th position was the current World Number One Golfer, Rory McILroy (NIR); he will be extremely disappointed with his final round of 74+4 after he scored his first three rounds in the 60’s. But he has just had a dream season on the USPGA Tour with recording 10 top 10 finishes from the 16 events he has played to date so far. And that includes wins at The Honda Classic in early March; 94th PGA Championship in early August; Deutsche Bank Championship in early September and the following week at the BMW Championship. He is leading the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 8,047,952 earned to date this year so far. He finished in second position on the final FedEx Cup points list standings with 2,827 points earned from the 16 events he played in. He won $US 3,000,000.00 in the FedEx Cup Bonus Pool money. Look for him to have a real impact for Team Europe in next week’s Ryder Cup. He has properly already secured the USPGA Tour Money list title for 2012 with already leading it by just less than $US 2million with 4 events remaining. I suggest after the Ryder Cup he will switch his attention the European Tour and the Race to Dubai because he is the Current leader of that money list as well.                                                               

Next week the USPGA Tour and European Tour combine for the 39th playing of Ryder Cup Matches and it is being played on Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Illinois. It is a team’s match play competition between Team Europe and Team USA. There is no prize money on offer instead the honour of winning the Ryder Cup for your team. Team Europe are the defending champions and will be keen to win again and defend their title. It starts on Thursday 27th September with the Opening Ceremony. Then the morning foursome’s commerence on Friday 28th September.  I will report back which team won 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 7th week of a 4th spell of his career and the 14th week of his career in total is the 94th PGA Champion, Rory McILroy (NIR) with 12.68 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Tiger Woods (USA) with 9.69 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Luke Donald (England) with 9.25 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Lee Westwood (England) with 7.23 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list is Justin Rose (England) with 6.51 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he gains 24 places fresh off his tied for second placing at the WMB Golf Classic on the Web.com Tour to be at 197th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.94 Official World Golf Ranking Points on the list.

Remember the more you practise the luckier you get!!!

Source: pgatour.com

Golf Events from the Weekend 16th September 2012

Well it was another exciting weekend of golf on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world. First I will start with the European Tour and Race to Dubai and this week it head to Italy for the BMW Italian Open presented by CartaSi and it was played on the Royal Park I Roveri, Turin, Italy. It was the final event before the Ryder Cup Matches in two weeks time. And it was the Golfer by the name of Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño (Spain) who scored rounds of 68-4, 65-7, 67-5 and a brilliant final round of 64-8 for a 72 hole total of 264-24 to win by 2 strokes. He won € 250,000.00 for his efforts and he moves to 19th position on the current Race to Dubai Money list with €831,591 earned from the 19 events he has played in to date this year so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) still leads that list with €2,813,962 earned from the 11 events he has played to date this year so far.

Gonzalo Fernandez - Castano (Spain) acknowledges the crowd after holing the winning putt

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño (Spain) played a great final round scoring 64-8 which was blemish free and included a front nine of 33-3 with birdies on the Par 4, 1st hole, Par 5, 8th hole and Par 4, 9th hole to make the turn at minus 19. At this point he was tied for the lead with the 54 hole leader, Garth Mulroy (RSA). They both birdied the Par 4, 10th hole and both moved to minus 20 with 8 holes to play. Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño (Spain) then birdied the Par 5, 11th hole to move to minus 21 and took a one stroke lead over Garth Mulroy (RSA) who could only manage par. They both made birdies on the Par 4, 13th and Par 4, 14th holes, but Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño (Spain) still had a 1 stroke lead over Garth Mulroy (RSA) with the final four holes to play. Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño (Spain) was at minus 23 and Garth Mulroy (RSA) was at minus 22. Garth Mulroy (RSA) made a timely birdie on the Par 3, 15th hole and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño (Spain) could only manage a par 3. So both players were now tied on minus 23 with just three holes to play. They both pared the par 4, 16th hole, so they were still all tied up at minus 23 with two holes to play.

They both hit great drives down the Par 4, 17th hole. Garth Mulroy (RSA) hit his second shot first and hit the worst shot he could possibly hit under the circumstance with pulling it way left into the left green side bunker and leaving an impossible up and down for his par 4. Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño (Spain) having seen his second shot hit a conservative second shot into the middle of the green.  Garth Mulroy (RSA) managed to get his ball out of the bunker for his third shot but it rolled through the green. He was able to get up and down for his bogey 5 and fell back to minus 22. Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño (Spain) easily two putted for his par 4 and now had a one stroke lead over Garth Mulroy (RSA) at minus 23 playing the 72nd hole. Garth Mulroy (RSA) could only manage a Par 5, on the 72nd hole and finished 72 holes on minus 22. Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño (Spain) finished in style birding the Par 5, 72nd hole and finishing up at minus 24 for the tournament. He scored an amazing back nine of 31-5.

It was Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño (Spain) sixth win on the European Tour and here they are from his first to the most recent: 2005 The KLM Open; 2006 BMW Asian Open; 2007 Telecom Italia Open; 2008 Quinn Insurance British Masters; 2011 Barclays Singapore Open

 and the 2012 BMW Italian Open presented by CartaSi. He is having a good season after a slow start to the year and he has now had four top 10 finishes including this win. He has now got his sights set on Race to Dubai finale which is the DP World Tour Championship which only the top 60 on the European Tour Race to Dubai Money list get a start in at the conclusion of the SA Open Championship get into. His aim is to finish at least in the top 10 on the final Race to Dubai Money list so he can claim his share of the US$3.75million Bonus Pool at the end of the season for those players that have finished inside the top 10 on the list I just mentioned.

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño (Spain) and his wife poses with the BMW Italian Open presented by CartaSi trophy he won

He is having another very consistent season with 17 cuts made from the 19 events he has played to date this year so far. He would be disappointed with not making the European Ryder Cup Team that play in the USA in two weeks time. I wish Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño (Spain) every continuing success for the rest of the 2012 European Tour season.

Coming in solo second position at 266-22 after 72 holes was Garth Mulroy (RSA); it was his best finish on the European Tour to date in the 2012 season and also his first top 10 of the season. He has only played in 12 events on the European Tour so far this season and has now earned € 327,582 and that places him in 68th position on the current Race to Dubai Money list. He has also played in 17 events on the USPGA Tour without much success with earnings of only $US 233, 014  after gaining his USPGA Tour card by finishing in 21st position on the 2011 Web.com Tour Final Money list. Perhaps now he will finish out the year on the European Tour as he is now in a realistic position of making the Top 60 on the Race to Dubai Money list and playing in the season ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

Coming in tied for third position at 268-20 after 72 holes was Gregory Bourdy (France); he scored a bogey free final round of 65-7. It was his best finish on the European Tour to date this season and his second top 10 finish in as many weeks. He will now be setting his sights on the top 60 on the Race to Dubai Money list that make it into the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in late November. He is currently in 74th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 306,414 earned from the 20 events he has played in to date this year so far. Also tied for third position was the young 19 year old Italian Superstar, Matteo Manassero (Italy); he too scored 65-7 in the final round which included a back nine of 30-6. And it was on the course he learnt to play golf on. It was his 6th top 10 finish of the season so far and his first since the Reale Seguros Open de Espana in early May. He has now earned € 663,330 from the 21 events he has played in to date this year so far and that now places him in 30th position on the current Race to Dubai Money list. His spot in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai is almost guaranteed. 

Coming in tied for fifth position at 270-18 after 72 holes was Gary Boyd (England); he recorded the equal lowest final round that was 63-9 along with the defending champion, Robert Rock (England). It included an amazing Albatross on the Par 5, 8th hole in which he holed his second shot. It was his first top 10 in the 2012 European Tour season after really struggling for most of the year prior to this event. He has only made 10 cuts from the 21 events he has played to date this year so far. He has now earned € 171,802 from the 21 events he has played to date this year and is currently in 110th position on the Race to Dubai Money list. He now is looking in good shape to keep his card for the 2013 European Tour season. Also tied for 5th position was Martin Kaymer (Germany); It was his best finish on the European Tour to date this year so far. He has been struggling by his standards in 2012 with only recording 3 top 10 finishes prior to this event. It was timely that he showed some form in the final European Tour event before the Ryder Cup in USA in two weeks time. Because he made the 2012 European Ryder Cup Team more on his 2011 results. The European Team Captain, Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain) will be happy. And he has now earned € 656,697 from the 18 events he has played to date this year that puts him in 32nd position on the current Race to Dubai Money list. Also tied for 5th position was Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium); it continued on the brilliant season he is having so far with prior to this event he had recorded nine top 10 finishes with a win at the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain in mid May. He has now earned € 1,591,204 from the 22 events he has played to date this year so far and he is in 9th position on the current Race to Dubai Money list. He will now be looking forward to making his debut at the Ryder Cup Matches for Team Europe in the USA in two weeks time. The final player to tie for 5th position was Pablo Larrazabal (Spain); it was his 5th top 10 finish of the year and his second in consecutive weeks. And he has made 21 out of 24 cuts so far this year. He is now in 28th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 677,540 earned from the 24 events he has played in to date this year.

In solo 9th position at 271-17 after 72 holes was Rafa Cabrera – Bello (Spain); it just continues on the awesome season he is having. This was his six top 10 finishes and that includes a win at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in early February. He has now earned € 1,077,028 from the 21 events he has played to date this year and he is in 16th position on the current Race to Dubai Money list. Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 10th position at 272-16 after 72 holes was Jaco Van Zyl (RSA); it was his fourth top 10 of the 2012 season. He has now earned € 291,736 from the 19 events he has played to date this year so far and he is currently in 77th position on the Race to Dubai Money list. Also tied for 10th position was Marc Warren (Scotland); it was his third top 10 of the season and he has earned € 459,580 from the 23 events he has played to date this year and is currently in 46th position on the Race to Dubai Money list and looks like he has already cemented his place in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in late November. The final player who was tied for 10th position was Anders Hansen (Denmark); it was his third top 10 finish of the season and his third consecutive. He has now earned € 506,849 from the 18 events he has played in to date this year and is in 42nd position on the current Race to Dubai Money list and he too appears to have cemented his place in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in late November.

The next event on the European Tour and Race to Dubai is the 39th playing of the Ryder Cup Matches between Team Europe and Team USA. This year they are being played at the Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Illinois, USA. There is no prize money on offer at all just the Honour of winning the Ryder Cup for your Team and Nation for the next two years as the Ryder Cup is a bi – annual event. Team Europe is the defending champions and will be keen to defend the cup and win it again. It starts on Thursday 27th September with the Opening Ceremony. Then the actual matches start on Friday 28th September with the Morning  Foursomes. I will report back who won the Trophy for the next two years once the result comes in.

The second event I am reporting on this week was on the Champions Tour and was the Pacific Links Hawai’i Championship and it was played on the Kapolei Golf Course, Kapolei, Hawaii. And it was the Golfer by the name of Willie Wood (USA) who scored rounds of 68-4, 68-4 and a final round of 66-6 for a 54 hole total of 202-14 and he won by 1 stroke. He won $US 270,000 for the win and he moved to 14th position on the current Champions Tour money list with $US 854,817 earned from the 10 events he has played in to date this year so far. Michael Allen (USA) still leads that list with $US 1,552,503 earned from the 18 events he has played in to date this year so far. Willie Wood (USA) has also earned 684 Charles Schwab Cup Points and is currently in 18th position on the Charles Schwab Cup Points list from the 10 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 1,455 points behind the current leader who is Tom Lehman (USA) who has earned 2,139 points from the 16 events he has played to date this year so far.

Willie Wood (USA) in action during the final round

Willie Wood (USA) played a great final round of 66-6 which included a front nine of 33-3 with birdies on the Par 4, 3rd hole, Par 4, 6th hole and Par 4, 9th hole. Heading into the back nine he was minus 11 and still trailed the 36 hole leader, Bill Glasson (USA) by 4 strokes, who was minus 15 after going out in 34-2. Willie Wood (USA) pared the holes 10 to 13 and was still at minus 11. However, Bill Glasson (USA) played those same holes in one over par and was now only minus 14 with the final 5 holes remaining. They both birdied the Par 5, 14th hole and the margin was still 3 strokes in Bill Glasson’s (USA) favour with 4 holes to play. Willie Wood (USA) pared the 15th and 16th holes and was at minus 12, however Bill Glasson (USA) bogeyed both those holes and now was minus 13 with 2 holes to play and he now only had a one stroke lead over Willie Wood (USA). They both birdied the Par 5, 17th hole. So heading to the Par 4, 54th hole with Bill Glasson (USA) now at minus 14 still holding that one stroke lead over Willie Wood (USA) who was minus 13. Willie Wood (USA) made a brilliant birdie 3 on the Par 4, 18th hole and finished at minus 14 after 54 holes. Bill Glasson (USA) suffered an untimely bogey 5 and after being in control of the tournament for so long and finished on minus 13, he had to settle for second place. Willie Wood (USA) scored 33-3 on the back nine and Bill Glasson (USA) scored 37+2 which was disappointing for him.

Willie Wood (USA) poses with the Pacific Links Hawai’i Championship trophy he won

The 52 year old Willie Wood (USA) has really come into his own on the Champions Tour over the last two months with having his maiden Champions Tour win at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open in mid August, a week later he finished third at the Boeing Classic and this win at the Pacific Links Hawai’i Championship. Before his maiden win on the Champions Tour he was having to Monday qualify each week to get start on the Champions Tour. Now I feel he has established himself on the Champions Tour and you never know with a few more wins in the coming weeks he could take out the Charles Schwab Cup in early November? I wish him all the best for the rest of 2012 on the Champions Tour.  

Coming in solo second position at 203-13 after 72 holes was Bill Glasson (USA); as I mentioned above he will be disappointed with this result because he will feel he should have won after being in such a good position to do so. This finish however was his best ever on the Champions Tour in his third season on it. And it was his 7th top 10 finish of the 2012 season. I win can’t be too far away for him? Coming in solo third position at 204-12 after 72 holes was Peter Senior (Australia); he is having another great season on the Champions Tour with recording 9 top 10 finishes from the 19 events he has played to date this year so far and he has earned $945,336 to date so far this year. In the 3 seasons he has played on the Champions Tour he has gone so close to winning but never got there. He has already had 5 second place finishes. This year he is having another good season. I feel he should achieve his maiden win very soon on the Champions Tour? And when it finally happens it will be well deserved.

Coming in tied for 4th position at 205–11 after 54 holes was Tom Lehman (USA); he is having another fine season on the Champions Tour with recording 10 top 10 finishes from the 16 events he has played in to date this year so far and that includes a win at the Regions Tradition in early May. He has earned $US 1,465,375 from the 16 events he has played to date this year so far and that places him in third position on the current Champions Tour Money list. He is also leading the current Charles Schwab Cup Points list with 2,139 points earned from the 16 events he has played to date this year so far. Also tied for 4th position was David Frost (RSA); he has recorded six top 10 finishes to date this season and that includes a win at the Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf in mid April. He is starting to show the same form he produced on the USPGA Tour for so many years where he achieved 10 wins.

In tied for 6th position at 206-10 after 54 holes was the 1987 Masters Tournament winner, Larry Mize (USA); he scored the equal lowest final round of 65-7. It was his third top 10 of the season from the 18 events he has played to date this year so far. The other player to tie for 6th position was Dick Mast (USA); it was his second top 10 of the season from the 12 events he has played to date in 2012. He is still doing very well at age 61 years with earnings of $US 353,886 from the 12 events he has played in to date so far this year.

Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 8th position at 207-9 after 54 holes was Eduardo Romero (Argentina); it was his second top 10 of the season from the 13 events he has played in. So far this season he has really struggled after playing so well in previous years with winning 5 times on the Champions Tour. Also tied for 8th position was Duffy Waldorf (USA); it was only his second ever start on the Champions Tour after turning 50 on the 20th August. He has had two top 10 finishes in his first two starts and already earned $US 102,933 for his efforts. Look for him to be a real force on the Champions Tour in the years to come. Also tied for 8th position was Gene Sauers (USA); for him as well it was only his second ever start on the Champions Tour after turning 50 on the 22nd of August. It was his first top 10 finish on the Champions Tour and he now has earned $US 66,743. He could be a player to look out for in the next few years on the Champions Tour. Also tied for 8th position was the 1998 Masters Tournament and Open Championship winner, Mark O’Meara (USA); it was his 4th top 10 of the season and his fourth consecutive one in his last four starts from the 8 events he has played to date this year so far. Also tied for 8th position was Andrew Magee (USA); he is in his rookie season on the Champions Tour after turning 50 on the 22nd of May. He has already had two top 10 finishes from the 12 events he has played to date this year so far and has earned $US 190,147. I feel it won’t be long before he gets his maiden win on the Champions Tour. The last player to tie for 8th position was the 1995 US Open Championship Winner, Corey Pavin (USA); he is just having an awesome season with recording seven top 10 finishes from the 17 events he has played in to date this year so far and that includes his maiden Champions Tour win at the Allianz Championship in early February. Look for him to have many more wins on the Champions tour in the coming years.

The Champions Tour now takes a three week break before it resumes in North Carolina for the SAS Championship which is being played at the Prestonwood CC, Cary, North Carolina. It has a prize purse of $US 2,100,00 for the taking and Kenny Perry (USA) is the defending Champion and will be looking for back to back titles. It starts on Friday 4th October. I will report who won the trophy one the results is known.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position for the 6th week of a 4th spell of his career and the 13th week of his career in total is the 94th PGA Champion, Rory McILroy (NIR) who was fresh off his BMW Championship win with 12.93 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Tiger Woods (USA) with 9.54 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Luke Donald (England) with 9.18 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Lee Westwood (England) with 7.44 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list is Adam Scott (Australia) with 6.43 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he slips 1 place to be at 221st position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.82 Official World Golf Ranking Points on the list.

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

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com

Golf Events from the Weekend 9th September 2012

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 and this week it headed to The Netherlands for the KLM Open and it was played on Hilversumsche GC, Hilversum, The Netherlands. And it was the golfer by the name of Peter Hanson (Sweden) who scored rounds of 66-4, 66-4, 67-3 and a final round of 67-3 for a 72 hole total of 266-14 and he won by 2 strokes. He won € 300,000.00 for the win and moved to 8th position on the current Race to Dubai Money list with € 1,682,093 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this year so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) still leads that list with €2,813,962 earned from the 11 events he has played in to date this year.

It was Peter Hanson (Sweden) fifth European Tour International Schedule victory in his 273rd European Tour event. He recorded his highest single-season earnings on the European Tour, beating the €1,500,590 he won in 2011. He could move to inside the top 25 on the Official World Golf Ranking from 34th position. This victory is his first since the 2010 Czech Open. This victory beats his previous best 2012 European Tour performance of tied second in the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy. He has been in the top ten on 17 occasions in his last 45 European Tour events since his victory in the Czech Republic in 2010. He becomes the first Swede to win the KLM Open. This victory comes in his fifth appearance in the KLM Open. This victory bests his previous best performance in the KLM Open of tied 28th in 2004.

Peter Hanson (Sweden) pumps his fist after holing the winning putt!!

It was his second European Tour victory where he has made up a final round deficit. The only other one was the 2010 Iberdrola Open Cala Millor Mallorca. He won with an eagle three on the 72nd hole. He is the first player to eagle the last hole of a European Tour and win since Alvaro Quiros (Spain) did it at the 2011 Dubai World Championship presented by DP World. It was the 92nd Swedish win in European Tour history. It was the first Swedish victory on The European Tour in 2012 and first on The European Tour since Alex Noren (Sweden) at the 2011 Nordea Masters. He extends Sweden’s consecutive run of winning years on The European Tour to 24, dating back to the 1989 season. He gains his tenth professional win worldwide in his career.

He gains a place in the 2012 WGC – HSBC Champions and 2013 Volvo Golf Champions. He gains a two year European Tour exemption until the end of 2014. He moves over €10 million in European Tour Official Career Earnings. He becomes the 19th European Tour victory by a former Challenge Tour player on the 2012 European Tour from 35 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), Thørbjorn Olesen (Denmark) (Sicilian Open), Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) (Ballantine’s Championship and Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity), Ricardo Santos (Portugal) (Madeira Islands Open – Portugal), Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium)  (Volvo World Match Play Championship), Jamie Donaldson (Wales) (Irish Open), Marcel Siem (Germany) (Alstom Open de France), Richie Ramsay (Scotland) (Omega European Masters) and Peter Hanson (Sweden) (KLM Open). And finally becomes the 303rd European Tour victory by a former Challenge Tour player.

Peter Hanson (Sweden) scored a fine final round of 67-3 which included a front nine of 34-1 with his lone birdie coming on the Par 4, 6th hole. He played a better back nine with scoring 33-2 which included a birdie at the Par 5, 12th hole to get to minus 13. He had a poor bogey on the Par 3, 13th hole to fall back to minus 12, and he also bogeyed the Par 4, 14th hole to fall back to minus 11. But he had a fine birdie on the Par 3, 15th hole to move back to minus 12 with three holes to play. He came to the 72nd hole all tied up with Pablo Larrazabal (Spain), they were both tied at minus 12. Peter Hanson (Sweden) hit two fine shots to be on the Par 5 in two shots and he rolled in his putt for eagle from over 30 feet for the win in dramatic style. At one stage on Friday he was going to withdraw from the tournament and go and support his one year old Son, Tim who had been admitted to hospital with breathing problems. But was convinced by his Wife, Sanna to stay on and compete as the Doctors had already confirmed that his Son, Tim was going to be okay. 

Peter Hanson (Sweden) holds the KLM Open Trophy aloft

It was also a timely win as he is going to represent Team Europe in the Ryder Cup Matches at the end of September in America when they play Team USA. It was also his 5th win on the European Tour of his career. Here they are from the first to the most recent: 2005 Jazztel Open de España en Andalucía, 2008 SAS Masters, 2010 Iberdrola Open Cala Millor Mallorca and Czech Open 2010 and the 2012 KLM Open. He has had a great season with having already had six top 10 finishes before this win and that included a third place finish at the first major of the year which was the Masters Tournament in April where he held the 54 hole lead. And he must be one of the most consistent players on the European Tour in 2012 with only missing two cuts to date so far. I wish him all the best in the remaining events on the European Tour in 2012 and he might even be a contender to take out the Race to Dubai Money Title in late November.

Coming in tied for second position at 268-12 after 72 holes was last week’s winner at the Omega European Maters, Richie Ramsay (Scotland), it continues on his amazing form he has displayed in his last three tournaments with having top 10 finishes in all of them. He has now won € 919,594 from the 20 events he has played in to date this year so far and he is currently in 17th position on the Race to Dubai Money list. Also tied for second position was Pablo Larrazabal (Spain), he will be disappointed with his final round of even par 70 but will be pleased that he has now easily kept his European Tour card for the 2013 season with € 627,890 earned from the 23 events he has played to date so far and he is in 31st position on current Race to Dubai Money list. It was also his 4th top 10 of the season. Coming in at solo 4th position at 269-11 after 72 holes was Scott Jamieson (Scotland). It was his best finish on the European Tour to date so far this season. Coming in tied for 5th position at 271-9 after 72 holes was Henrik Stenson (Sweden); he had a great finish to his tournament with having eagles on both the Par 5, 12th and Par 5, 18th holes in his final round.  It was his 4th top 10 so far this season from the small amount of tournaments he has played in which is 10. And it also was his best finish of the season to date so far. Also tied for 5th position was Graeme Storm (England); and with this finish it looks like he has kept his European Tour card for the 2013 season with € 220,444 earned from the 23 events he has played to date this season so far. He is now in 84th position on the current Race to Dubai Money list. The final player to tie for 5th position was Gonzalo Fdez – Castano (Spain); he will be disappointed with his final round 73+3. But he has still had a good year with recording 3 top 10 finishes and only missing 2 cuts.

Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 8th position at 272-8 after 72 holes was Gregory Bourdy (France); it was his first top 10 of the season so far. He has now earned € 221,964 from the 19 events he has played in so far this year and has easily kept his card for the 2013 European Tour season. Also tied for 8th position was Anders Hansen (Denmark); he has had a great couple of weeks on the European Tour with this being his second consecutive top 10 finish in as many weeks. He is on target to make the top 60 on the Race to Dubai Money list that make it into the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai in late November. He has already earned € 479,049 from the 17 events he has played in to date this year so far which puts him currently in 43rd position on the Race to Dubai Money list. Also tied for 8th position was Richard Sterne (RSA); it was his 5th top 10 of the season and he has now earned € 535,663 from the 18th events he has played in to date this season so far. He is in 39th position on the current Race to Dubai Money list. The final player to tie for 8th position was the long hitting, Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium); he is having just a brilliant season with recording now 9 top 10 finishes from the 21 events he has played in to date this year and that includes a win at the Volvo World Match Play Championship in mid May. He has only missed 2 cuts all season so far. His earnings of € 1,541,554 place him in 9th position on the current Race to Dubai Money list. Richard Finch (England) who finished in tied for 12th position at 273-7 after 72 holes achieved the rare feat in golf when he holed his second shot for an Albatross on the Par 5, 72nd hole. 

Michael Campbell (NZL) was the only New Zealander in the field; he scored rounds of 68-2 which was his third consecutive round in the 60’s after his final two rounds of 67 he scored last week in the Omega European Masters. But he played a shocking second round of 76+6 and he ended up with a 36 hole total of 144+4 to miss the cut by 4 strokes. It was the 11 cut he has missed in the 17 events he has played to date so far this season. He has now made € 93,813 from the 17 events he has played to date on the European Tour so far this season and that puts him currently in 146th position on the Race to Dubai Money list standings. The 76+6 he scored in his second round he could really dent his confidence because his six rounds prior were all par or better. His best finish to date on the European Tour this year is still his tie for 11th position at the Alstom Open de France in early July. I hope he can have some good finishes in the coming months on the European Tour. I wish him all the best with the remaining events on the European Tour in 2012.

Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai heads to Italy for the playing of the BMW Italian Open presented by CartaSi and it is being played at the Royal Park I Roveri, Turin, Italy. It has a prize purse of €1,500,000 and it is the final European Tour event before the Ryder Cup. Robert Rock (England) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 13th September 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 Playoffs. It was the third FedEx Cup playoff event and only the top 70 players on the FedEx Cup Playoffs points list after the Deutsche Bank Championship qualified to play in it and it was the BMW Championship. And it was played on the Crooked Stick GC, Carmel, Indiana. Rory McILroy (NIR) scored rounds of 64-8, 68-4, 69-3 and a final round of 67-5 for a 72 hole total of 268-20 and he won by 2 strokes. He won $US 1,440,000.00 for the win and he increased his lead on the current USPGA Tour Money list with $US 7,842,192 earned from the 15 events he has played in so far on this year. Tiger Woods (USA) is in second position with $US 5,885,158 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this year so far. He also gets the Number One seeding on the FedEx Cup Playoffs points list with 2500 points in the points reset. He has now earned 7,229 FedEx Cup points from the 15 events he has played in to date this year so far. He is 3,232 points ahead of Tiger Woods (USA) who gets the number two seeding heading into the final FedEx Cup Playoff event which is the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola. Tiger Woods (USA) has 2,250 points in the points reset. After the third playoff event he has 4,067 points on the current FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list from the 18 events he has played in so far this year.

Rory McILroy (NIR) played a great final round of 67-5 which included a front nine of 33-3 with birdies on the Par 4, 2nd hole, Par 5, 5th hole and Par 5, 9th hole. He was 18 under after nine holes and was tied on that same score by Phil Mickelson (USA) and Lee Westwood (England). Rory McILroy (NIR) birdied the Par 4, 10th hole to get to minus 19 and took a 1 stroke lead over Phil Mickelson (USA) and Lee Westwood (England). He then made four pars in a row from holes 11-14 and was still minus 19 with five holes to play but now had a 2 stroke lead over Phil Mickelson (USA) who had fallen back to minus 17 after he had bogeyed the Par 4, 12th hole. But his lead was still one stroke over Lee Westwood (England). Rory McILroy (NIR) then birdied the Par 5, 15th hole to get to minus 20 and the Par 4, 16th hole to get to minus 21 with just two holes to play. He now had a 2 stroke lead over Phil Mickelson (USA) who also birdied the 15th and 16th holes and now had a 3 stroke lead over Lee Westwood (England). Rory McILroy (NIR) made a solid Par 3, on the Par 3, 17th hole but Phil Mickelson (USA) was not so lucky and suffered an untimely bogey which meant he fell back to minus 18 with one hole to play.    

Rory McILroy (NIR) follows his drive during the final round

So Rory McILroy (NIR) took a 3 stroke lead over Phil Mickelson (USA) and Lee Westwood (England) to the Par 4, 72nd hole. He struck his tee shot long and straight as he had been doing all day and it landed in the centre of the fairway. He played his second shot conservative with his mid iron and aim to the left of the green as all the danger was on the right with the Water Hazard. It landed on the left fringe just short of pin high. He hit a good chip shot for his third shot under the circumstances and it rolled about 10 feet past the pin. He was unable to convert the 10 footer for his par but easily tapped in his 3 footer for bogey and scored 34-2 on the back nine to win by 2 strokes and claim his second FedEx Cup playoffs win in as many weeks. It also was his fourth win on the USPGA Tour for the 2012 Season. The most of any player so far and he was the first player to win two Playoff Events in a row since Camilo Villegas (Columbia) did it in 2008. He was the first player to win back to back USPGA Tour events since 2009 when Tiger Woods (USA) won Buick Open in early August that year and the following week won the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational. He has now had 9 top 10 finishes from the 15 events he has played so far. Here are his wins so far to date this year: The Honda Classic in early March; the 94th PGA Championship in mid August; the Deutsche Bank Championship last week and this week at the BMW Championship.

Rory McILroy (NIR) poses with the BMW Championships Trophies he won

It was his 6th win of his USPGA Tour career and here are his wins from the very first to the most recent: 2010 Wells Fargo Championship, 2011  U.S. Open, 2012 The Honda Classic,  94th PGA Championship, Deutsche Bank Championship, BMW Championship. And he is also leading the current 2012 Race to Dubai Money list as I mentioned earlier. He is now starting to fulfil the early predictions of greatness that was expected from him. He would have to be the odds on favourite to win the FedEx Cup in two weeks time when the climax event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs is played at East Lake GC, Atlanta, Georgia? I wish Rory McILroy (NIR) the best of luck in the rest of the tournaments he plays in the 2012 season.

Coming in tied for 2nd position at 270-18 after 72 holes was Lee Westwood (England); he has now had 7 top 10 finishes from the 14 events he has played on the USPGA Tour to date this year so far. This was also his best finish on the USPGA Tour in 2012. He has now earned 2,726 FedEx Cup points for the 14 events he has played in to date this year so far and he is in 8th position on the current FedEx Cup Playoffs points list with 1000 points in the reset. Maybe winning the FedEx Cup will define his career and fill the void of not winning a Major Championship in his Career to date so far after going so close on many occasions? The other player to tie for second position was Phil Mickelson (USA), he has now had 7 top 10 finishes from the 21 events he has played in on the USPGA Tour so far this year and that includes a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am in early February. He has also earned 3,420 FedEx Cup Points from the 21 events he has played to date this year so far and he is in 4th position on the current FedEx Cup Playoffs points list with 1,800 points in the reset. Maybe this will be the year that he finally wins the FedEx Cup after playing so well in it since it began in 2007?

Coming in tied for 4th position at 271-17 after 72 holes was Tiger Woods (USA); it was his 8th top 10 finish of the season from the 18 events he has played in to date this year so far, and that includes wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard in late March, the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance in early June and the AT&T National in early July. He has now earned 4,067 FedEx points from the 18 events he has played to date this year so far and he is in 2nd position on the current FedEx Cup Playoffs points list with 2,250 points in the reset. It is his first time back at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola which is the FedEx Cup Playoff finale event since he won the FedEx Cup for the second time in 2009. Perhaps he can win it for the third time in his career in 2012 and the $US 10, 000, 000 that goes with it? Also tied for 4th position was Robert Garrigus (USA); it was his 6th top 10 finish from the 23 events he has played to date this year so far on the USPGA Tour and that includes two second place finishes. He has now earned 1,945 FedEx Cup points from the 23 events he has played this year so far and he is in 20th position on the current FedEx Cup Playoffs points list with 310 points in the reset. He did very well to make it to the final 30 players that made it in to Eastlake because he was right on the bubble in 31st position on the FedEx Cup Playoff Points list heading into the BMW Championship and now is a long shot to win the FedEx Cup.

Coming in tied for 6th position at 272-16 after 72 holes was Dustin Johnson (USA); he has now had 8 top 10 finishes to date this season from the 18 events he has played in so far and that includes a win at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in early June. He now has earned 3,097 FedEx Cup points from the 18 events he has played in to date this year so far and is in 7th position on the current FedEx Cup Playoffs points list with 1,200 points in the reset. A win at the Tour Championship in two weeks time could see him win the FedEx Cup for 2012. Also tied for 6th position was Adam Scott (Australia); he has had 5 top 10 finishes from the 15 events he has played to date this year so far. He is in 21st position on the current FedEx Cup Playoffs points list with 1,923 FedEx Cup points and he has 300 points in the reset. Perhaps winning the FedEx Cup can make up for his Open Championship meltdown he suffered in mid July?

Coming in solo 8th position at 273-15 after 72 holes was the 49 year old; Vijay Singh (Fiji) and he will be cursing his final of 73+2, because it meant his 2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs campaign has come to an end. It was his 4th top 10 finish from the 24 events he has played to date this year so far. He finished in 33rd position on the final 2012 FedEx Cup Points list with 1,406 points earned from the 24 events he played in. Coming in solo 9th position at 274-14 after 72 holes was Jim Furyk (USA); he has had 6 top 10 finishes from the 22 events he has played in to date this year so far. He now has earned 1,966 FedEx Cup points from the 22 events he has played in to date this year so far and is in 18th position on the current FedEx Cup Playoffs points list with 340 points in the reset. Perhaps the 2010 FedEx Cup Champion can win it for a second time and make up for the near misses he suffered at the US Open Championship in June and the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational in August?

Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 10th position at 275-13 after 72 holes was Ryan Moore (USA); he has now had 6 top 10 finishes from the 22 events he has played in to date this year so far. He is in 28th position on the current FedEx Cup Playoffs points list with 1,568 points earned from the 22 events he has played in so far and has 230 points in the reset. It was a great week for him as he was in 35th position on the FedEx Cup Playoffs points list prior to the BMW Championship. Look for him to have a good performance in the Tour Championship in two weeks time. Also tied for 10th position was Bo Van Pelt (USA); it was his 9th top 10 finish on the USPGA Tour from the 23 events he has played to date this year so far. He now has earned 1,950 FedEx Cup points from the 23 events he has played to date this year so far and he is in 19th position on the current FedEx Cup Playoffs points list with 320 points in the reset. You never know he could surprise and win the FedEx Cup for 2012 with a win at the Tour Championship?

Scott Piercy (USA) who finished in tied for 37th position on 283-5 after 72 holes was the last player to make it to Eastlake and the Tour Championship in 2weeks time. He finished with 1,499 FedEx Cup points on the current FedEx Cup Playoffs points list after the BMW Championship and has 210 points in the reset and still has a chance to win the 2012 FedEx Cup. Kyle Stanley (USA) was the unlucky player to finish in 31st position on the final FedEx Cup Playoffs points list standings with 1,492 FedEx Cup points earned from the 27 events he played this year and missed out on the Tour Championship at Eastlake by 7 FedEx Cup points!! The defending FedEx Cup Champion, Bill Haas (USA) continued the horror run by defending FedEx Cup Champions with the 5 previous defending Champions also never making it to the final 30 players at the Tour Championship at Eastlake the following year and he will be cursing his final round of 78+6 he suffered at the BMW Championship. His final placing in the FedEx Cup Playoffs points list for 2012 was 32nd position with 1,406 points earned from the 23 events he played in.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup Playoffs take the week off but they are back the following week for the FedEx Cup Playoffs Finale and it is the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola which is being played on the East Lake GC, Atlanta, Georgia. It has a huge prize purse of $US 8,000,000 for the taking and only the Top 30 players on the current FedEx Cup Playoff Points list after the BMW Championship are eligible to compete. Bill Haas (USA) is the defending Champion but as I mentioned before he did not make the top 30 so there will be a new Champion. It starts on Thursday 20th September and I will report back who won the Trophy and also who won the Prized FedEx Cup with the $US 10,000,000 bonus that goes with it two weeks time. 

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position for the 5th week of a 4th spell of his career and the 12th week of his career in total is the 94th PGA Champion, Rory McILroy (NIR) who was fresh off his BMW Championship win with 12.80 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Tiger Woods (USA) with 9.63 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Luke Donald (England) with 9.17 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Lee Westwood (England) with 7.57 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list is Adam Scott (Australia) with 6.37 Official Golf World 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 220th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.81 Official World Golf Ranking Points on the list.

Remember the perfect pace for a putt is for it to finish 6 inches past the cup if it doesn’t go in!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com