Golf Events from the Weekend 17th March 2013

Well it was another awesome weekend on the Major Golf Tours from around the world. First I will start with the European Tour and Race to Dubai. This week it headed to India for the Avantha Masters and it was played on the Jaypee Greens GC, Greater Noida, Delhi/NCR, India. And it was the golfer by the name of Thomas Aiken (RSA) who scored rounds of 67-5, 69-3, 62-10 and a final round of 67-5 for a 72 hole total of 265-23 and he won by three strokes for his second win of his European Tour career to date. He won € 300,000.00 for the win and moved to 14th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 377,350 earned from the eight events he has played to date this year so far. Richard Sterne (RSA) still leads that list with €607,803 earned from the six events he has played to date this year so far.

Thomas Aiken (RSA) celebrates after holing the winning putt

It was Thomas Aiken (RSA) second European Tour International Schedule victory, after winning the 2011 Open de España, in his 155th event. He moves back into the top 90 in the Official World Golf Ranking from 129th. It was the sixth South African winner of the 12 events so far of the 2013 season after Charl Schwartzel (RSA) (Alfred Dunhill Championship), Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) (Volvo Golf Champions), Richard Sterne (RSA) (Joburg Open), Darren Fichardt (RSA) (Africa Open) and Dawie Van der Walt (RSA) (Tshwane Open). He became the second successive South African to win the Avantha Masters title after Jbe Kruger (RSA) in 2012. Since 1972,  44% of the third round leaders have gone on to win. It was the second time Thomas Aiken (RSA) has won after holding the 54 hole lead following after the 2011 Open de España. He also held the 54 hold lead in the 2009 Alfred Dunhill Championship (finished tied fourth), 2010 Africa Open (finished second) and 2011 Omega Dubai Desert Classic (tied seventh).

The new venue of Jaypee Greens Golf Resort and Spa produced the lowest winning score in the five editions of the Avantha Masters. He records the lowest final 36 holes of the season of -15 (62, 67). Bjorn Åkesson (Sweden) shot 131 (-13) for the last 36 holes in the Tshwane Open. It was the 116th South African victory in European Tour history. South Africa are fifth in the all time list of victories behind England (278), Spain (166), Scotland (132) and United States (128).

Thomas Aiken (RSA) played a nice final round of 67-5 which included a front nine of 34-2 which included birdies on the Par five, second hole and Par four, fifth hole. He made the turn at minus 20 and had a two stroke lead. Gaganjeet Bhullar (India) went out in 32-4 and was minus 16 four strokes off the lead. Wenchong Liang (China) went out in 33-3 and that included a hole in one on the Par three, seven hole. He was minus 18 at the turn two strokes off the lead. Thomas Aiken (RSA) played holes 10-12 in one under par and moved to minus 21 with six holes to play and had a four stroke lead. Gaganjeet Bhullar (India) played those same holes in one under par and moved to minus 17 four strokes off the lead with six holes to play. Wenchong Liang (China) played those same holes in one over par and fell back to minus 17 with six holes to play and was four strokes back.

Thomas Aiken (RSA) played holes 13-17 in one under par and moved to minus 22 with just the 72nd hole to play and now had just a two stroke lead. Gaganjeet Bhullar (India) played those same holes in three under par and moved to minus twenty with just the 72nd hole to play and now only two strokes off the lead. Wenchong Liang (China) played those same holes in two under par and moved to minus 19 with just the 72nd hole to play and was now three strokes off the lead. Gaganjeet Bhullar (India) who was playing a few groups ahead of Thomas Aiken (RSA) made a solid par four up the Par four, 72nd hole and finished up minus 20 after 72 holes and was three strokes behind the winner. Wenchong Liang (China) made a poor bogey up the Par four, 72nd hole and fell back to minus 18 to finish up five strokes behind the winner. Thomas Aiken (RSA) finished his final round off in style by birding the par four, 72nd hole and scoring 33-3 on the back nine. He finished up on minus 23 and won by three strokes. He celebrated with his caddie on the 72nd green and then his wife came on and gave him a hug to celebrate as well.

Thomas Aiken (RSA) on the right and his wife on the left pose with the Avantha Masters Trophy he won

Thomas Aiken (RSA) played just awesome golf all week with making two eagles, twenty one birdies and just two bogies that came consecutively in the second round on holes 16-17. In the eight events he has played on the European Tour to date this year he has made five cuts and this was his second top ten finish of the season. Since the Race to Dubai began in 2009 he has made the final event which is the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai every year and to do that he had to finish inside the top 60 money earners the week prior to the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. That shows to me has been playing consistent golf the last four years on the European Tour. 2011 was his best year to date on the European Tour and Race to Dubai where he earned € 1,055,894 from the 29 events he played in and he achieved his maiden European Tour title at the Open de España. Perhaps this year he can top his 2011 season on the European Tour. This win should give him a lot of confidence for the rest of the 2013 season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.  

Coming in solo second position at 268-20 after 72 holes was Gaganjeet Bhullar (India); he earned € 200,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 32nd position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 200,000.00 earned from the two events he has played to date this year so far. At the moment he is also at the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit. He plays the Asian Tour fulltime but this year he has got a full European Tour card. He scored the lowest score in the final round which was 64-8. So far this year in the two events he has played in on the European Tour he has made one cut which came in this event and this was his first top ten finish of the season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season in the both tours he is playing on.

Coming in solo third position at 270-18 after 72 holes was Wenchong Liang (China); he earned € 112,680.00 for his weeks work and moved to 49th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 124,600 earned from the two events he has played to date this year so far. In 2007 he became just the second Chinese Golfer to win on the European Tour when he won the Singapore Masters at Laguna National Golf Club. His victory was then the seventh by an Affiliate Member in European Tour history, and immediately elevated him to full European Tour status. He then kicked on from there to win the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit in 2007, the first time it had been won by a Chinese golfer, which in turn qualified him for The 2008 Open Championship, another first for a Chinese golfer. 2009 was his best year on the European Tour where he earned € 622,348 from the 17 events he played in and finished in 54th position on the final 2009 Race to Dubai Money list standings and he made his first ever DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Coming in solo fourth position at 271-17 after 72 holes was Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand); he earned € 90,000 for his efforts and moved to 65th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 90,000 earned from the one event he has played in this season so far. This was his first top ten of the season as well. He plays most of his golf on the Asian Tour but when the Asian Tour and European Tour events are co – sanctioned he always plays in them. He is still very young being only 23 years of age and he has a very bright future in the game of golf. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Coming in solo fifth position at 272-16 after 72 holes was Seuk – hyun Baek (South Korea); he earned € 76,320.00 for his efforts and moved to 71st position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 76,320 earned from the one event he has played to date this year so far and this was also his first top ten finish of the season so far. This was also his best ever finish on the European Tour to date in his career. He too is another very young Golfer with only being 22 years of age. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Coming in tied for sixth position at 273-15 after 72 holes was David Horsey (England); he earned € 54,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 60th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 97,271 earned from the eight events he has played to date this year so far. So far this season in the eight events he has played in on the European Tour he has made seven cuts and this was his first top ten finish of the season. He has already achieved two wins on the European Tour with the first coming at the BMW International Open in 2010 and the second coming at the Trophée Hassan II in 2011. And he made the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai in 2010 and 2011. He will be looking to secure his third win on the European Tour some time during the 2013 season. Also tied for sixth position was Scott Hend (Australia); he too earned € 54,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 88th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 54,000 earned from the one event he has played to date this year so far. It was also his first top ten finish of the season. He plays most of his golf these days on the Asian Tour and is current lying in sixth position on the 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit list standings. He is one of the longest hitters in the game averaging well over 300 metres every drive. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season. The final player to tie for sixth position was David Drysdale (Scotland); he too earned € 54,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 52nd position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 115,973 earned from the nine events he has played to date this year so far. In the nine events he has played to date this year on the European Tour he has made six cuts and this was his first top ten finish of the season. He made the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai in 2009 and 2012 and will be keen to make it again this year. Also he will be keen to achieve his maiden European Tour win of his career.

Rounding out the top ten in tied for ninth position at 274-14 after 72 holes was Himmat Rai (India); he earned € 35,100.00 for his efforts and moved to 118th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 35,100 earned from the one event he has played to date this year so far. It was also his first top ten of the season. He plays most of his golf on the Asian Tour and is currently in ninth position on the current 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit list standings. Also tied for ninth position was Victor Dubuisson (France); he too earned € 35,100.00 for his efforts and moved to 76th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 68,173 earned from the four events he has played to date this year so far. So far this year from the four events he has played in he has made two cuts and this was his second top ten finish of the season. He is another very young Golfer at the tender age of 22 years old. And last year he finished 52nd in the final 2012 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 573,249 earned from the twenty events he played in. Last year he also made his first DP World Tour Championship, Dubai appearance. I would not be surprised if he won his maiden event on the European Tour this year.

Also tied for ninth position was Julien Quesne (France); he too earned € 35,100.00 for his efforts and moved to 46th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 137,462 earned from the six events he has played to date this year so far. In the six events he has played to date this year so far he has made three cuts and all of those cuts made have been top ten finishes. Last year was his best year to date on the European Tour with earning € 420,722 from the 25 events he played in and he finished in 63rd position on the final 2012 Race to Dubai Money list standings which meant he just missed out on playing in his very first DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. But he did win his maiden European Tour event at the Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol. The final player to tie for ninth position was Tommy Fleetwood (England); he too earned € 35,100.00 for his efforts and moved to 54th position on the current Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 112,841 earned from the seven events he has played to date this year so far. In the seven events he has played to date this year so far he has made six cuts and two of them have been top ten finishes including the one here. He is another very young golfer being only 22 years of age. In his maiden season on the European Tour in 2012 he played in 31 events and earned € 203,699 which placed him in 109th position on the final 2012 Race to Dubai Money list standings. I am sure he will be keen to win his maiden event on the European Tour in 2013. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai heads to Malaysia for the Maybank Malaysian Open and it is played on the Kuala Lumpur G&CC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It carries a prize purse of US $2,750,000 for the taking. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) is the defending Champion and will be keen for back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 21st March and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

The second event I am reporting on this week was on the USPGA Tour and part of the FedEx Cup and was the Tampa Bay Championship presented by EverBank and it was played on the Innisbrook Resort - Copperhead, Palm Harbor, Florida. And it was the Golfer by the name of Kevin Streelman (USA), who scored rounds of 73 + 2, 69-2, 65-6 and a final round of 67-4 for a 72 hole total of 274-10 and he won by two strokes for his maiden USPGA Tour win. He earned US $990,000.00 for the win and moved to eleventh position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,248,343 earned from the eight events he has played in so far this year. Brandt Snedeker (USA) still leads that list with US $ 2,859,920 earned from the five events he has played to date this year so far. Kevin Streelman (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and moved to sixth position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 705 points earned from the eight events he has played to date this year so far. He is 577 points behind the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points leader who is Brandt Snedeker (USA) with 1,282 points earned from the five events he has played to date this year so far. Brandt Snedeker (USA) leads by 177 points over Tiger Woods (USA) who has 1,105 points earned from the four events he has played to date this year so far.

Kevin Streelman (USA) in action during the final round

With his victory at the Tampa Bay Championship presented by EverBank, Kevin Streelman (USA) earns his first career PGA TOUR victory at the age of 34 years, 4 months and 13 days in his 153rd career start on the PGA TOUR. He extends his exempt status through 2015. He becomes the fifth first-time winner in 2013. His previous best finishes were tied for third at the 2009 Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun, the 2010 Puerto Rico Open & the 2010 The Barclays. He becomes the third player to make the Tampa Bay Championship presented by EverBank his first career PGA TOUR win, joining Carl Pettersson (2005) and Gary Woodland (2011) with that distinction. He becomes the fifth player to win in his 30s in 2013. And finally in 2013 he has played in eight events to date so far and he has made six cuts and this was his second top ten finish of the season.

Kevin Streelman (USA) played a great final round of 67-4. Heading in to the early stages of the back nine there was a three way tie for the lead between Kevin Streelman (USA), Justin Leonard (USA) and Boo Weekley (USA) who had finished two hours before the leaders and had scored a brilliant final round of 63-8 and posted minus eight to give the leaders a target to beat. Justin Leonard (USA) fell off the pace on the back nine and eventually finished up at minus six, four strokes behind the winner. Kevin Streelman (USA) made his break on the back nine at the Par three, 13th hole where he hit a brilliant fading five iron into within eight feet of the pin and sank the putt for a birdie two to move to minus nine with five holes to play. He pared the next two holes so he came to the last three holes that are known as the Snake Pit!!

He chose driver on the difficult Par three, 16th hole instead of taking three wood. Hit stripped it right down the centre of the fairway showing the confidence he had in his swing. He hit a conservative second shot that landed in the heart of the green and he easily two putted for his Par four. He came to the difficult par three, 17th hole and hit a brilliant long iron shot in to 15 feet short of the pin. He now had that putt to move to minus ten and take a two stroke lead to the difficult par four, 72nd hole. He calmly rolled that putt right into the centre of the cup for his second birdie two on the back nine. He was now minus ten with just the Par four, 72nd hole to play. He stripped his drive right down the centre of the fairway and that left him with only a short iron to the green. He hit his short iron second shot pin high to the right on the green. He now knew he could three putt and still win. He hit a brilliant first putt that rolled to within inches of the cup. He tapped in for his par four and he had won his maiden USPGA Tour event of his career. He celebrated with his caddie then his wife Courtney came running on to the 18th green to give him a hug to celebrate with him as well.

It was a well deserved win by Kevin Streelman (USA) who first qualified for the USPGA Tour by finishing in tied for 14th position at the 2007 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament which gave him his full USPGA Tour card for the 2008 season. In his rookie season on the USPGA Tour he played in 32 events and made 24 cuts and that included four top ten finishes with his best result being a tied for fourth position at the Barclays and he finished the year in 78th position on the final 2008 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 1,352,705 earned from the 32 events he played in. In 2009 he performed well again with playing in 29 events and making 19 cuts and achieving two top ten finishes with his best result being a tied for third place at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun. He finished the year at 91st position on the final 2009 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 1,007,444 earned from 29 events he played in. In 2010 he had a very good season on the USPGA Tour with playing in 28 events and making 17 cuts and he achieved five top ten finishes with his best results being tied for third position at both the Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular and the Barclays. He finished in 62nd position on the final 2010 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 1,472,349 earned from the 28 events he played in.

In 2011 he had another very solid season on the USPGA Tour with playing in 26 events and making 19 cuts and recording four top ten finishes with his best being a tied for sixth placing at both the Travelers Championship and the McGladrey Classic. He finished in 72nd position on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 1,300,006 earned from the 26 events he played in. In 2012 he had his poorest year on the USPGA Tour since he qualified in 2008. He played in 26 events and made 18 cuts and achieved three top ten finishes with his best result being a tied for eighth placing at the John Deere Classic. He finished in 107th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 893,736 earned from the 26 events he played in.

Kevin Streelman (USA) poses with the Tampa Bay Championship Trophy he won

He mentioned when he was interviewed by the NBC Sports/ Golf Channel reporter start after he holed the winning putt that he had played with Gods peace right throughout the final round. He also said that it was only six years ago that he and his then Girl Friend and now wife Courtney were driving around America playing in Mini Tour events hoping that one day he would achieve his lifelong dream of playing on the USPGA Tour and winning an Event. Now he has achieved this goal he will be reassessing his goals and setting them much higher. I wouldn’t be surprised if he won his second event on the USPGA Tour this year. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Coming in solo second position at 276-8 after 72 holes was Boo Weekley (USA); he earned US $990,000.00 for his weeks work and moved to 26th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $799,456 earned from the seven events he has played to date so far this year. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 19th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup points standings list with 435 points earned from the seven events he has played in to date this year so far. In the seven events he has played in this year so far he has made six cuts and this was his second consecutive top ten finish of the season to date. He scored the lowest final round of 63-8 which will give him a lot of confidence. Since qualifying for the USPGA Tour in 2007 for the second time after finishing in seventh position the final 2006 Web.com Tour Money list standings with US $312,843 earned from the 24 events he played in. He has keep his card every year since including winning two USPGA Tour events which were the 2007/08 Verizon Heritage. I am sure he will be keen to win his third event on the USPGA Tour this year.

Coming in solo third position at 277-7 after 72 holes was Cameron Tringale (USA); he won US $374,000.00 for his weeks work and moved to 39th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $588,761 earned from the eight events he has played in so far this year. He also earned 190 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 26th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup points standings with 381 points earned from the eight events he has played to date this year so far. From the eight events he has played to date this year so far he has made six cuts and this was his first top ten finish of the season and his best ever USPGA Tour finish of his career to date. He gained his 2010 USPGA Tour card by finishing in tied for 19th position at the 2009 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. In his rookie year on the USPGA Tour he struggled by only making five cuts from the 22 events he played in and had earnings of US $302,618 which meant he was heading back to the 2010 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament to try and gain his 2011 USPGA Tour card. He gained it back easy by finishing in fourth position. In 2011 he had a much better season on the USPGA Tour with earning US $1,327,807 from the 32 events he played in and that included four top ten finishes. In 2012 he back up his 2011 performance with earning US $1,225,737 from the 26 events he played in and he again had four top ten finishes. I wouldn’t be surprised if he won his maiden USPGA Tour event this year.

Coming in tied for fourth position at 278-6 after 72 holes was the defending Champion, Luke Donald (England); he won US $227,333.34 for his efforts and moved to 47th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $482,833 earned from the four events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 115 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 53rd position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup point’s standings list with 241 points earned from the four events he has played to date this year so far. So far this year Luke Donald (England) has made the cut in the four events he has played in and this was his first top ten finish of the season. With five wins already on the USPGA Tour and six wins on the European Tour he has proven he knows how to win. The only thing he is missing now is a maiden Major Championship win. Perhaps it will happen at the Master Tournament in April? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season. Also tied for fourth position was Greg Chalmers (Australia); he too earned US $227,333.34 for his efforts and moved to 50th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour money list standings with US $448,380 earned from the six events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 115 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 50th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup points list standings with 254 points earned from the six events he has played to date this year so far. From the six events he has played in this year so far he has made five cuts and achieved two top ten finishes including this one here. In the 316 events he has played in his career on the USPGA Tour so far he is yet to achieve his maiden victory. At one point in the final round I thought it was going to happen this week, but he faded on the back nine. I still think he is very capable at winning on the USPGA Tour and maybe it will happen in the next few years?

The final player to tie for fourth position was Justin Leonard (USA); he too earned US $227,333.34 for his efforts and moved to 64th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour money list standings with US $354,991 earned from the eight events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 115 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 49th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup point’s standings list with 255 points earned from the eight events he has played to date this year so far. In the eight events he has played to date this year so far he has made seven cuts and this was his first top ten finish of the season. After winning over US $ 32,000,000 in his career to date so far and achieving twelve wins on the USPGA Tour which includes the 1997 Open Championship which is his only Major Championship. But in recent years he has slipped in his form and his last win came just short of five years ago in the 2008 Stanford St. Jude Championship. And last year he lost his full playing status on the USPGA Tour by finishing in 140th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings. But he is still a great player and the fact he has played in eight events already this year shows he is keen to gain his full playing status back quickly. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.  

Coming in tied for seventh position at 279-5 after 72 holes was Harris English (USA); he earned US $148,892.86 for his efforts and moved to 65th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $346,715 earned from the eight events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 75 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 79th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup point’s standings list with 181 points earned from the eight events he has played to date this year so far. In the eight events he has played to date this year so far he has made six cuts and has achieved two top ten finishes including this one. He is in his second year on the USPGA Tour after having a fine rookie season in 2012 after qualifying by finishing in tied for 13th position at the 2011 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. Last year he earned US $1,186,003 from the 27 events he played in and made 22 cuts which included three top ten finishes. I would look for him to keep on improving in 2013 season and I feel his maiden USPGA Tour win isn’t too far away. Also tied for seventh position was Sergio Garcia (Spain); he too earned US $148,892.86 for his efforts and moved to 27th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list with US $789,993 earned from the four events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 75 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 33rd position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup points list standings with 319 points earned from the four events he has played to date this year so far. From the four events he has played to date this year so far he has made all four cuts and achieved two top ten finishes in his last four starts. He has already won eight times on the USPGA Tour and eleven times on the European Tour. The only thing he is lacking in his career now is a Major Championship, maybe it will happen next month at the Masters Tournament? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Also tied for seventh position was Pat Perez (USA); he too earned US $148,892.86 for his efforts and moved to 57th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $386,121 earned from the seven events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 75 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 56th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup point’s standings list with 229 points earned from the seven events he has played to date this year so far. From the seven events he has played to date this year so far he has made five cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that includes this one. Since qualifying for the USPGA Tour in 2002 after winning the 2001 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament he has kept his card every year since and had his maiden USPGA Tour win in 2009 at the 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he won his second USPGA Tour event in 2013. Also tied for seventh position was Jordan Spieth (USA); he too earned US $148,892.86 for his efforts but because he isn’t a current member of the USPGA Tour he doesn’t get a 2013 USPGA Money list or FedEx Cup points list ranking. From the four events he has played in on the USPGA Tour in 2013 he has made the cut in three of them and the last two he has achieved top ten finishes. For those four events he has earned US $521,893. He has now earned enough money to get unlimited sponsor’s exemption for the rest of the 2013 season. I sure he will be a player to watch out for in the years to come on the USPGA Tour.

Also tied for seventh position was Shawn Stefani (USA); he too earned US $148,892.86 for his efforts and moved to 108th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list rankings with US $184,091 earned from the seven events he has played to date on the USPGA Tour this year. He also earned 75 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 118th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup points standings list with 101 points earned from the seven events he has played to date this year so far. From the seven events he has played to date this year so far he has made four cuts and this was his first top ten finish ever in his USPGA Tour career. He is in his rookie year on the USPGA Tour after qualifying by finishing in six position on the final 2012 Web.com Tour Money list standings with US $ 307,371 earned from 24 events he played in. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

 Also tied for seventh position was Jim Furyk (USA); he too earned US $148,892.86 for his efforts and moved to 49th position on the current USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $477,198 earned from the five events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 75 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 52nd position on the current FedEx Cup points standings list with 250 points earned from the five events he has played to date this year so far. From the five events he has played to date this year so far he has made every cut and this was his first top ten finish of the season. He is coming off a season that could be described as full of near misses in 2012 where he could have won the Transitions Championship, U.S. Open and World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational but he just came up short in each of them. Then he missed a vital putt on the 18th green in his singles match at the Ryder Cup that would have more than likely won Team USA the Ryder Cup if he had holed it. But it is hard to fault a season where he won US $3,623,805? He has after all won 16 events on the USPGA Tour in his career to date and that includes his maiden Major Championship at the 2003 US Open Championship. I wouldn’t be surprised if win number 17 comes in the 2013 season and I wish all the best with the rest of the 2013 season. The final player to tie for seventh position was Ben Kohles (USA); he too earned US $148,892.86 for his efforts and moved to 98th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list with US $212,591 earned from the seven events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 75 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 92nd position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup points standings list with 146 points earned from the seven events he has played to date this year so far. From the seven events he has played to date this year so far he has made five cuts with this being his first top ten finish in his rookie year on the USPGA Tour and his career best finish to date as well. He qualified for the 2013 USPGA Tour by finishing in eighth position on the final 2012 Web.com Tour money list standings with US $303,977 earned from the ten events he played in and that included winning his first two starts he had on that tour which were the 2012 Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational and Cox Classic Presented by Lexus of Omaha. I hope he can continue on that form he displayed on the Web.com Tour for the rest of the 2013 season on the USPGA Tour and this first top ten finish of his career should give him the confidence to do so. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup remains in Florida for the fourth and final event of the Florida Swing and it is the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard and it is played on the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida. It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,200,000 for the taking. Tiger Woods (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to win this tournament for the eighth time in his career having already won it seven times previously and also he will be trying to win it consecutively for the fifth time. It starts on Thursday 21st March and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position for the 32nd week of a 4th spell of his career and the 39th week of his career in total is the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai Winner and 2012 Race to Dubai Money list winner, Rory McILroy (NIR) and fresh off his first top ten of the 2013 USPGA Tour season two weeks ago with 11.50 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Tiger Woods (USA) fresh off his second win on the USPGA Tour in 2013 at the WGC – Cadillac Championship two weeks ago with 10.35 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Luke Donald (England) with 7.16 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Brandt Snedeker (USA) fresh off  his win at the AT&T National Pebble Beach Pro – Am over a month ago with 6.47 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list this week is Justin Rose (England) with 6.44 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Michael Hendry (NZL) fresh off  his tie for 58th finish at the WGC – Cadillac Championship two weeks ago and winning the NZ PGA Championship for the second straight year the week prior is the highest ranked New Zealander Golfer in the world for the fifth week of his career. This week he slips three places and moves to 146th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 1.16 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember when playing in adverse weather conditions it is still possible to have a good score!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com