Golf Events from the Weekend 11th November 2012

Well it was another exciting weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world. First I will start with the European Tour and Race to Dubai and this weekend it was in Singapore for the Barclays Singapore Open and it was played on the Sentosa GC, Singapore. And the golfer by the name of Matteo Manassero (Italy) who scored rounds of 70-1, 68-3, 64-7 and a final round of 69-2 for a 72 hole total of 271-13 after 72 holes but Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) scored rounds of 70-1, 69-2, 65-6 and a final round of 67-4 for a 72 hole total also of 271-13 after 72 holes as well. So these two Golfers headed back to the Par 5, 18th tee for the first playoff hole.

Both Matteo Manassero (Italy) and Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) birdied this same hole in regulation to force extra holes, it was the same result after the first extra hole, although, it was not without drama. Both players found the fairway, with some 50 yards between them, and Matteo Manassero (Italy) drilled an accurate three wood down to the rough just short of the green, while Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) pushed his fairway wood and writhed in disgust as his ball found the top right tier. Matteo Manassero (Italy) proceeded to clip a lovely little chip-and-run up adjacent to secure his four, while Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) raced his thirty footer some ten feet by, but he showed the calm of a true champion, rolling it into the heart of the cup on the way back for a four to take it back to the 18th tee once again.

Matteo Manassero (Italy) acknowledges the crowd after holing a putt in the final round

So they headed back to the Par 5, 18th tee for the second playoff hole. With Matteo Manassero (Italy) having found the fairway once more, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) pushed his tee shot into the right hand fairway bunker and was forced to lay-up, while the Italian fizzed another three wood up just short of the green. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) then pitched a wedge past the flag for his third, spinning it back to about six feet, as Matteo Manassero (Italy) flopped one up some 15 feet short of the flag from the greenside rough, and when he missed for his four, the South African had a putt for the title. But it lipped out, and they head back to the Par 5, 18th tee for a third time in this play-off.

Both players struck their tee shots right in the middle of the fairway once more, each player found the green, with Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) using the slope long of the green to help his ball back onto the left of the putting surface while Matteo Manassero (Italy) did the same, but half the distance to the hole, with an excellent chance of eagle. And the Italian took advantage, rolling his putt for an eagle three right in the heart of the cup from 12 feet after Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) had missed from long range, and Matteo Manassero (Italy) picked up the third win of his career on The European Tour at just 19 years of age. All the Italian players and their caddies that had played in the tournament had stayed and watched the playoff came onto the 18th green and sprayed water over Matteo Manassero (Italy) to celebrate his win with him.

Matteo Manassero (Italy) won € 770,226.11 for the win and moved to 13th position on the current Race to Dubai Money list with € 1,493,688 earned from the 25 events he has played to date this year so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) has already won the Race to Dubai Money list title with two events still remaining to be played. He has current earnings on the 2012 Race to Dubai Money list of €3,696,597 from the 13 events he has played to date so far. It was his third European Tour International Schedule victory in his 70th European Tour event. This win sees him go through €1 million in a single European Tour season for the first time and beats his previous best of €890,402 in 2010. He already holds the record for the youngest two victories on The European Tour. He was 17 years and 188 days at the 2010 CASTELLÓ MASTERS Costa Azahar and 17 years and 363 days and at the 2011 Maybank Malaysian Open. And he was 19 years and 206 days at the 2012 Barclays Singapore Open. This means his three European Tour victories put him, first, second and eighth in the list of youngest official winners in European Tour history.

He becomes the first teenager to win three European Tour events. It was his third consecutive European Tour season with a victory. This victory beats his previous best 2012 European Tour performance of second in the Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol. It was his seventh top ten finish of the season. This is the most he has achieved in a single season. He became the youngest winner of the Barclays Singapore Open, aged 19 years and 206 days. He becomes the first Italian to win the Barclays Singapore Open. This victory comes in just his second appearance in the Barclays Singapore Open. This victory beats his previous best finish in the Barclays Singapore Open of tied 45th in 2010. He is the second player this season to win with an eagle three. Peter Hanson was the first at the KLM Open.

 This victory is the 11th official win by a teenager in European Tour history. (Seve Ballesteros (Spain) won the 1976 Trophée Lancôme but this was not an official event at the time). His victory was the 18th Italian victory in European Tour history. He was the second Italian victory of the 2012 season to win following Francesco Molinari (Italy) at the Reale Seguros Open de España. He moves into joint second place in the list of most prolific Italian winners on The European Tour, level with Francesco Molinari (Italy) and just two behind Costantino Rocca (Italy) with five. It was the second of his three wins he has led or shared the lead going into the final round. The last one was the 2011 Maybank Malaysian Open. It was his second professional win in the Far East, following the 2011 Maybank Malaysian Open. He gains a place in the in the 2013 Volvo Golf Champions, 2013 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and 2013 WGC – HSBC Champions. He extends his European Tour exemption until the end of 2014. He gains his largest European Tour prize of €770,226. He moves over €3 million in European Tour Official Career Earnings. And finally it was his third victory as a professional.

Matteo Manassero (Italy) poses with the Barclays Singapore Open Trophy he won

Matteo Manassero (Italy) played a great final round of 69-2 which included a front nine of 34-2 with birdies on the Par 3, second hole and Par 5, 4th hole. So after nine holes of the final round he was 13 under par and had a two stroke lead over Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) who was minus 11. Rory McILroy (NIR) was the club house leader at minus 10 after posting a final round 65-6 which was the lowest round in the final round. Matteo Manassero (Italy) pared the first five holes on the back nine and was still minus 13 with four holes to play. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) played those same five holes in minus one and moved to minus 12 with four holes to play. He was now only one stroke behind Matteo Manassero (Italy). Matteo Manassero (Italy) made a poor bogey on the Par 4, 15th hole and Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) made a solid par 4. So they both were now tied on minus 12 with three holes to play. Both players made pars on holes 16 – 17 so they were all tied up heading to the Par 5, 18th hole.

Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) playing in the group ahead of Matteo Manassero (Italy) made a solid birdie 4 on the Par 5, 18th hole when he hit his short wedge shot into within three feet of the pin which guaranteed a certain birdie and he posted minus 13 after 72 holes. Matteo Manassero (Italy) playing in the final group now knew he had to birdie the Par 5, 72nd hole to force a playoff. He hit a booming drive right down the centre of the fairway and struck a fine three wood that came to rest about 35 feet short of the hole leaving him that putt for eagle and a chance to win the tournament outright. He struck a fine putt and it came to rest two feet from the cup and he easily tapped in for his birdie four and he finished minus 13 after 72 holes as well. And as I have already mentioned Matteo Manassero (Italy) won the playoff. Matteo Manassero (Italy) scored 35 even par on the back nine.

Matteo Manassero (Italy) has had another good year on the European Tour with recording seven top ten finishes from the 25 events he has played in to date this so far and that includes this win. He now has a chance to finish in the top 10 money earners on the final Race to Dubai Money list standings with only two events remaining. And if he does finish in the top 10 he will get a share of the $US 3,750,000 Bonus pool money at the end of the season. He is looking like he will be a certainty to make the European Ryder Cup Team in 2014 when the 40th Ryder Cup Matches are played in Scotland. He is an amazing talent at the tender age of 19 years old. I would look for him to contend in the Majors next year. I wish him all the best for the remaining events he plays in the 2012 season.

Coming in solo second position at 271-13 after 72 holes was Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) who I mentioned earlier. He must feel as though he let a great chance to win slip through his fingers. But on the other hand he has had a great year on the European Tour in 2012 with recording eight top 10 finishes from the 15 events he has played to date this year so far and that includes two wins with the first coming at the Africa Open in early January and the second coming at the Maybank Malaysian Open in mid April. He has current earnings on the Race to Dubai Money list of € 2,546,870 earned from the 15 events he has played to date so far. He too is in for a chance to win a lot of the $US 3,750,000 Bonus pool money at the end of the season for finishing inside the top 10 money earners on the final Race to Dubai Money list. He also finished in 15th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list with $3,460,995 earned from the 15 events he played in. I wish him all the best with the remaining events in the 2012 season.

Coming in solo third position at 274-10 after 72 holes was the World Number One Golfer, Rory McILroy (NIR); and as I mentioned earlier he scored the lowest final round of 65-6. He has just had an awesome season on the European Tour and has already won the Race to Dubai Money list with two events remaining to be played still. He has current earnings on the Race to Dubai Money list of € 3,696,597 from the 13 events he has played in to date so far this year and that includes nine top 10 finishes with his only win coming at the 94th USPGA Championship back in mid August. He also has won the USPGA Tour Money list for 2012 with $US 8,047,952 earned from the 16 events he played this year which included four wins. He becomes the second player in consecutive seasons from Europe to win both the Race to Dubai and USPGA Tour Money list titles in the same season. In my opinion Rory McILroy (NIR) is one of the most exciting young players in the world to watch and has such a great personality and positive attitude to go with it. I wish him all the best in the remaining events he plays in the 2012 season and look forward to seeing him win more Major Championships in the years to come.

Coming in solo fourth position at 275-9 after 72 holes was Thomas Bjorn (Denmark); he has had another good season on the European Tour with recording seven top 10 finishes from the 22 events he has played in to date this year so far. His current earnings on the Race to Dubai Money list are € 992,086 earned from the 22 events he has played to date this year so far and he is currently in 23rd position on the Race to Dubai Money list with two events remaining in the season. Coming in tied for fifth position at 276-8 after 72 holes was Adam Scott (Australia); he has had a very good season on the European Tour from the limited number of events he has played in with recording four top ten finishes from the 10 events he has played in so far this year, but because he has played so little events he isn’t eligible to have a Race to Dubai Money list ranking. He has also had a good season on the USPGA Tour with earning $US 2,899,557 from the 16 events he played in the 2012 USPGA Tour season and his final position on the 2012 USPGA Tour Money list was 25th. Let’s hope he can finally win that maiden Major Championship in 2013? Also tied for fifth position was Francesco Molinari (Italy); he has had another very good season on the European Tour in 2012 we making every single cut from the 24 events he has played in to date this year so far and that includes nine top ten finishes including a win at the Reale Seguros Open de Espana in early May. His real highlight of the 2012 season in my opinion would be being in the victorious European Ryder Cup Team that defeated Team USA in dramatic fashion back in late September.

Coming in tied for seventh position at 277-7 after 72 holes was Chapchai Nirat (Thailand); he has only played in five events on the European Tour and four of those events have been co – sanctioned with the Asian Tour. This was his first top ten of the season from those five events he has played in. He has current earnings of € 159,348 from the five events he has played in and is currently in 130th position on the Race to Dubai Money list rankings list. But he is having a fine season on the Asian Tour in 2012 with earning $US 256,412.78 from the 14 events he has played to date this year so far and he is currently in ninth position on the Asian Tour Order of Merit. Also tied for seventh position was Anders Hansen (Denmark); he has had a good season on the European Tour in 2012 with recording four top 10 finishes from 22 events he has played in and he is currently in 37th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 690,542 earned from the 22 events he has played in to date this year and easily qualifies for the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai which is the finale to the Race to Dubai in two weeks time. The last player to tie for seventh position was Chris Wood (England); he has had a solid season on the European Tour in 2012 with recording three top ten finishes from the 27 events he has played in and he is currently in 43rd position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 590,366 earned from the 27 events he has played to date this year so far and is now a certainty to make the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai which is the finale to the Race to Dubai in two weeks time.

Rounding out the top 10 in tied for tenth position at 278-6 after 72 holes was Y. E. Yang (South Korea); he has only played in ten events of the European Tour in 2012 and has recorded one top ten finish. He has current earnings of € 340,656 from the ten events he has played in to date so far but because he isn’t a member of the European Tour he doesn’t have a Race to Dubai Money list ranking. Also tied for tenth position was Paul Casey (England); he has had an average season by his standards on the European Tour with recording three top ten finishes with them all coming in his last three starts. He has current earnings of € 349,794 from the 16 events he has played to date this year so far and that places him currently in 74th position on the Race to Dubai Money list. He now has one event left to make it in to the top 60 on the Race to Dubai Money list that qualify for the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai the following week. I feel he will at the least have to finish in the top 10 this week to do it. Also tied for tenth position was Adilson Da Silva (Brazil); he is having an okay season on the European Tour from the limited events he has played in. It was his first top ten finish of the season from the seven events he has played in. He has current earnings of € 119,919 earned from the seven events he has played to date this year so far and he is currently in 142nd position on the Race to Dubai Money list with only one event remaining in the regular season to get inside the top 115 Money earners on the Final Race to Dubai Money list that gain full playing status for the following season. The final player to tie for tenth position was Jaco Van Zyl (RSA); he has had a good season on the European Tour with recording five top ten finishes from the 23 events he has played in to date so far this year. He has current earnings on the Race to Dubai Money list of € 412,737 from the 23 events he has played in to date this year so far and that places him currently in 64th position on the Race to Dubai Money list. A good finish this week will guarantee him a start in the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai which is the finale to the Race to Dubai in two weeks time.

Michael Campbell (NZL) was the only New Zealander in the Tournament. He scored rounds of 70-1 and 74+3 for a 36 hole total of 144+2 for 36 holes and unfortunately he missed the 36 hole cut by a single stroke. It was his first cut missed since the KLM Open in early September. He had played very well in his last three tournaments with recording his only top ten of his season to date which was a solo third at the Portugal Masters in mid October. He has current earnings of € 296,735 from the 21 events he has played to date this year so far and he is currently in 83rd position on the Race to Dubai Money list rankings. He will need a very good finish this week if he is going to get a place in the top 60 money earners that earn the chance to play in the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai which is the finale to the Race to Dubai in two weeks time. May be if he doesn’t make it in to the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai he will come back to New Zealand to play in his own National Open which in the BMW NZ Open being played the same week? I wish him all the best with his golf for the rest of the 2012 season.

Next week on the European Tour and Race to Dubai there are two tournaments. The first is in Hong Kong and is co – sanctioned with the Asian Tour and is the UBS Hong Kong Open and is played on the Hong Kong GC, Fanling, Hong Kong. It has a large prize purse of $US 2,000,000 for the taking. Rory McILroy (NIR) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title he won last year having already wrapped up the Race to Dubai Money list title with two events remaining. It starts on Thursday 15th November and I will report back who won the trophy next week. The second is in South Africa and is co – sanctioned with the Sun Shine Tour and is the SA Open Championship and is played on the Serengeti Golf & Wildlife Estate, Ekurhuleni, South Africa. It has a good prize purse of € 1,000,000 for the taking. Hennie Otto (RSA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 15th November 2012. I will report back who won the trophy next week.

The final event I am reporting on this week was on the USPGA Tour and was the fourth and final event of the Fall Series and it was the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic and it was played on the Magnolia GC, Lake Buena Vista, Florida and the Palm GC, Lake Buena Vista, Florida. And it was the golfer by the name of Charlie Beljan (USA) who scored rounds of 68-4, 64-8, 71-1 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72 hole total of 272-16 to win his maiden USPGA Tour event by two strokes. He won $US 846,000.00 for the win and moved to 63rd position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list with earnings of $US 1,373,528 from the 22 events he had played in 2012. Rory McILroy (NIR) won the USPGA Tour Money list in 2012 with earnings of $8,047,952 from the 16 events he played in.

Charlie Beljan (USA) tees off during the final round

Charlie Beljan’s (USA) win at this tournament was just amazing because in Fridays second round he managed to fight his way through the second round of the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic despite severe shortness of breath, heart palpitations and an elevated heart rate. He was forced to either sit or lie down in the grass in between shots on the inward nine at Disney World on Friday. He managed to post an 8-under 64, good enough for a three-shot, 36-hole lead as he headed straight to the hospital by ambulance. The situation was determined to have been caused by extremely high levels of anxiety and stress. Though nothing was physically wrong with him, doctors still advised him not to continue playing. He did return to competition Saturday and Sunday without incident to post rounds of 71-1 and 69-3, good enough for a two-stroke win over Robert Garrigus (USA) and Matt Every (USA). On Friday afternoon, he described the scene as "certain I was going to die." On Sunday afternoon, he said "This is a dream come true." Television replayed many of the surreal images of him lying down in the rough during Friday's round, about which he was asked after the win. "Thank goodness they didn't have the Golf Channel in the hospital," he said. "I don't think I could have handled seeing myself like that."

Charlie Beljan (USA) played a steady final round with scoring a 69-3 that included a front nine of 33-3 that included birdies on the Par 4, second hole, Par 5, fourth hole, Par 4, seventh hole, Par 5, eighth hole, Par 4, ninth hole and he made bogeys on the Par 4, first hole and Par 4, fifth hole. He made the turn at minus 16 and had a five stroke lead over Matt Every (USA) and Brian Gay (USA) who were both at minus eleven after their nine holes of their final rounds. Robert Garrigus (USA) and Boo Weekley (USA) were a further shot back on minus 10. Charlie Beljan (USA) birdied the Par 5, tenth hole and Par 3, twelfth hole to move to minus 18 and now had a five stroke lead over Matt Every (USA) who had birdied holes 10 – 11 to move to minus 13. Robert Garrigus (USA) was another stroke back on minus 12 along with Brian Gay (USA) and Boo Weekley (USA). Charlie Beljan (USA) made a poor double bogey at the Par 4, thirteenth hole and fell back to minus 16 and was now only leading by three strokes over Matt Every (USA) and Robert Garrigus (USA) who had birdied the Par 4, thirteenth hole to move to minus 13. Brian Gay (USA) also birdied the Par 4, thirteenth hole and was now minus 13 as well. Boo Weekley (USA) had bogeyed the Par 4, thirteenth hole and had fallen back to minus 11.

Charlie Beljan (USA) poses with the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic Trophy with Mickey Mouse on his right

Charlie Beljan (USA) made a birdie on the Par 5, fourteenth hole to move to minus 17 and now had a three stroke lead over Robert Garrigus (USA) who also birdied the 14th hole to move to minus 14. Matt Every (USA) and Brian Gay (USA) only made par 5’s on that hole and were now four strokes back on minus 13. Boo Weekley (USA) made a birdie 4 to be five strokes back on minus 12 and that is where he finished up after 72 holes. Charlie Beljan (USA) pared holes 15-17 and came to the 72nd hole at minus 17 with a three stroke lead over Matt Every (USA) and Robert Garrigus (USA) who were both in the Club House at minus 14. Brian Gay (USA) was also in the Club House a shot further back on minus 13. Charlie Beljan (USA) hit his tee shot on the Par 4, 72nd hole well to the right and found the fairway bunker. He pulled his fairway bunker shot and landed in the left hand green side bunker. He hit a good green side bunker shot under the circumstances leaving about 25 feet for his par. He rolled his par putt up to within a foot from the cup and easily tapped in for his bogey five and finished at minus 16 for the 72 holes. He had won his maiden USPGA Tour event by two strokes. His wife came running on to the 18th green and gave him a big kiss to celebrate with him and he held his 7 month old son in the air as well to celebrate saying to him “These are happy times!!” His Mum and Dad and extended family were also there to congratulate him. 

Another photo of Charlie Beljan (USA) posing with the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic Trophy he won

It is amazing to think that this time last year Charlie Beljan (USA) was going through the second stage of USPGA Tour School and had never even played in one single event on the USPGA Tour and only two Web.com Tour events. But last year he finished in tied for thirteenth position at the 2011 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament which meant he had full playing status on the USPGA Tour for the 2012 Season. The first half of his USPGA Tour Rookie Season he really struggled with only making three cuts from his first eleven events. But in his 13th start this year he recorded his first top 10 finish on the USPGA Tour which was a tie for third position at the Greenbrier Classic in early July and he earned a cheque for $US 353,800.00 which gave him a lot of confidence that he could keep his card for the 2013 season. But again he found himself in another mini slump with missing the cut in five of the six events he played next. In his second to last event of the season he earned his second top ten of the season where he finished tied for 10th position at The McGladrey Classic. He came into this final event on the 2012 USPGA Tour Season at 137th position on the money list and as they say in the classics “The rest is History!!”. He now has Full playing Status on the USPGA Tour till the end of the 2014 season and he gets to play in the opening event of the 2013 season which is Hyundai Tournament of Champions with only the winners from the 2012 USPGA Tour season eligible to play in it. Having the second longest in Driving Distance on the USPGA Tour in the 2012 season with an average of 311.6 yards it gives him a huge advantage if he has a week he is hitting it straight. And the fact that he can strike his three iron 265 yards in a huge weapon as well. Because he uses that to drive off the very narrow tight holes and almost always hits the fairway every time. I wish him all the best on the USPGA Tour for the 2013 season.

Coming in tied for second position at 274-14 after 72 holes was Matt Every (USA); he has just had a career season on the USPGA Tour after graduating from the Web.com Tour in 2011. He recorded six top ten finishes from the 25 events he played in and he earned $US 1,972,166 which placed him in 40th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list. I look for him to have his maiden win on the USPGA Tour in 2013. Also tied for second position was another one of the longer drivers on the USPGA Tour, Robert Garrigus (USA); he has had another awesome season on the USPGA Tour with recording eight top 10 finishes from the 26 events he played in and he earned $US 3,206,530 which saw him finish in 20th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list. With this money list ranking he gains a start in the 2013 Masters Tournament which is the first Major Next year. I feel his second win on the USPGA Tour will come in 2013.

Coming in solo for fourth position at 275-13 after 72 holes was Brian Gay (USA); he has had a solid season on the USPGA Tour in 2012 with recording three top ten finishes from the 28 events he played in. He had earnings of $US 960,658 from the 28 events he played in and finished in 103rd position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings. Coming in tied for fifth position at 276-12 after 72 holes was Boo Weekley (USA); it was his third top ten of the season. But this finish this week ensured he kept his full playing status for the 2013 USPGA Tour season. His final position on the 2012 USPGA Tour Money list was 108th with $US 848,347 earned from the 25 events he played in. Also tied for fifth position was Scott Stallings (USA); he has had a fine season on the USPGA Tour with recording three top ten finishes that included a win at the True South Classic in late July which was his second on the USPGA Tour in his career so far. He finished with earnings of $US 1,293,739 from the 27 events he played in which placed him in 66th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list. Also tied for fifth position was Charlie Wi (South Korea); he has had one of his best ever seasons on the USPGA Tour with recording four top ten finishes from the 25 events he played in. He finished in 43rd position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list with $US 1,845,397 earned from the 25 events he played in. He must be due to win his maiden event on the USPGA Tour in the 2013 season? The last player to tie for fifth position was Josh Teater (USA); he had a solid season from the large number of events he played in which was 30. He recorded four top ten finishes and his final earnings for 2012 were $US 1,011,430 from the 30 events he played in which placed him in 98th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list.

Rounding out the top ten in tied for ninth position on 277-11 after 72 holes was Jerry Kelly (USA); He has had an average season by his standards in 2012 on the USPGA Tour with recording only one top ten finish that came in this event and he will be gutted because he ended up finishing in 126th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list with $US 645,701 earned from the 26 events he played in. Because he finished one place outside getting a full exemption on the USPGA Tour for the 2013 season he will now have to head back to the 2012 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament in late November and finish inside the 25 and ties to gain his USPGA Tour card back for the 2013 season. I am sure he is capable of achieving this. Also tied for ninth position was Joey Snyder III (USA); he has only played in eight events on the USPGA Tour in 2012 because of a reoccurring neck and shoulder issues and this was the first cut he had made all season. He finished up in 206th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list with $US 112,800 earned from the eight events he played in. He will now be heading to the second stage of USPGA Tour School which starts next week in hope that he will make it through to the final stage in late November and earn back his USPGA Tour card for the 2013 season. Also tied for ninth position was Russell Knox (Scotland); he is in his rookie season on the USPGA Tour after graduating from the Web.com Tour in 2011. He recorded two top ten finishes from the 23 events he played in and he had final earnings of $US 512,584 earned from the 23 events he played in and finished in 143rd position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list. That means he gains a partial exemption to some events in the 2013 season and is straight into the final stage of 2012 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament.

Also tied for ninth position was Mark Anderson (USA); he gained his card at the 2011 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament and was playing in his rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2012. It was his first top ten finish of the season and he ended up earning $US 441,019 from the 25 events he played in and he finished in 155th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list. He will now be heading to the second stage of USPGA Tour School which starts next week in hope that he will make it through to the final stage in late November and earn back his USPGA Tour card for the 2013 season. Also tied for ninth position was Tom Gillis (USA); he had another solid season on the USPGA Tour with recording three top ten finishes from the 23 events he played in. He finished in 72nd position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list with $US 1,238,058 earned from the 23 events he played in. The final player to tie for ninth position was Tim Herron (USA); he was the second feel good story this week after Charlie Beljan (USA). It was his second top ten finish of the season and he finished in 124th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list with $US 660,279 earned from the 27 events he played in. It meant he gained his full USPGA Tour card for the 2013 USPGA Tour season. Best of luck to Tim for the 2013 season.

The player who finished 125th position on the final 2012 USPGA Money list was Kevin Chappell (USA) and gained the last fully exempt card for the 2013 USPGA Tour Season with earnings of $US 647,510 from the 29 events he played in. There was an amazing 99 players that earned over US$ 1million in the 2012 season.

Danny Lee (NZL) was the only New Zealand Golfer in the field and scored rounds of 74+2 and 72 even par for a 36 hole total of 146+2 after 36 holes to miss the cut by three shots and also missed his chance of finishing inside the final 125 money earners that keep their full exempt status for the 2013 season. He also missed his chance of finishing inside the final 150 money earners that gain semi exempt status for the 2013 season. He didn’t achieve a top ten finish all season with his best finish coming at the Frys.com Open in mid October where he tied for 16th position. He only made half the cuts in the 26 events he entered. He earned $US 359,112 from the 26 events he played in and that placed him in 166th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list Standings. He will now be heading back to the second stage of USPGA Tour School next week and hope he can get through to the final stage in late November and gain his full playing card for the 2013 USPGA Tour season or at least at worst gain a Web.com Tour card. I feel he personally could have done a lot better in his rookie year on the USPGA Tour in 2012 after having such a fine season in 2011 on the Web.com Tour with gaining his 2012 USPGA Tour card. But again he has gained a lot of experience with playing the courses on the USPGA Tour in 2012 and if he can get his card for the 2013 USPGA Tour season at the USPGA Tour School final stage like I mentioned he could well have a good season in 2013 with all the experience he gained in 2012 in his rookie year. I wish Danny Lee (NZL) all the best whatever tour his plays in the 2013 season.    

The Official 2012 USPGA Tour has concluded now and recommences in the first week of January 2013 for the first event of the 2013 USPGA Tour Season and FedEx Cup and it is the Hyundai Tournament of Champions with only the winners of Official USPGA Tour Events in the 2012 USPGA Tour season are eligible to play in it. It is being played on the Kapalua Resort (Plantation), Kapalua, Hawaii. It carries a huge prize purse of $US 5,600,000 for the taking. Steve Stricker (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Friday 4th January and I will report back who won the trophy next year.    

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position for the 14th week of a 4th spell of his career and the 21st week of his career in total is the 94th PGA Champion, Rory McILroy (NIR) with 13.01 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Tiger Woods (USA) with 9.12 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Luke Donald (England) with 8.77 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Lee Westwood (England) with 6.72 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list is Adam Scott (Australia) with 6.23 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he slips 16 places to be at 239th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.82 Official World Golf Ranking Points on the list.

Remember when playing in wet weather stick a tee on the bottom of the grip on your golf clubs this will avoid them getting wet when you put them back in your golf bag!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com