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