Well it was
another exciting weekend on the Major Professional Golfer Tours from around the
world and first I will start with the European Tour and Race to Dubai and this
week it was in Bulgaria for the Volvo World Match Play Championship and it was
played on the Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort, Kavarna, Bulgaria. And
the final was between Graeme McDowell (NIR) verses Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand).
The final was contested over 18 holes. Both players made par fours on the par
four first hole to halve the hole. Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) birdied the par
three, second hole and Graeme McDowell (NIR) could only manage a par three. So
Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) went one up after two holes. They both halved the
par four, third hole in par fours so Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) remained one
up after three holes. Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) made a birdie four on the par
five, fourth hole and Graeme McDowell (NIR) could only manage a par five. So
Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) went two up after four holes.
They halved the
par five, fifth hole and par four, sixth hole so Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand)
remained two up after six holes. Graeme McDowell (NIR) made a birdie two on the
par three, seventh hole and Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) could only manage a par
three so Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) was now only one up after seven holes. They
halved the next four holes from eight to eleven so Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand)
remained one up with seven holes remaining. Graeme McDowell (NIR) made a birdie
four on the par five, 12th hole and Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) could only
manage a par five so the match was now all square with six holes remaining to
be played. They both made solid par fours on the par four, 13th hole so the
match remained all square with five holes to play. Graeme McDowell (NIR) made a
par four on the par four, 14th hole and Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) could only
manage a bogey five so for the first time in the match Graeme McDowell (NIR)
went one up with four holes to play.
+and+Thongchai+Jaidee+(Thailand)+shake+hands+after+Graeme+McDowell+(NIR)+won+the+final+2&1.jpg) |
| Graeme McDowell (NIR) on the left and Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) on the right shake hands after Graeme McDowell (NIR) had just won the Championship Match!! |
Graeme McDowell
(NIR) made a birdie three on the par four, 15th hole and the best Thongchai
Jaidee (Thailand) could manage was a par four so Graeme McDowell (NIR) had now
gone two up with three holes remaining to be played. They both made par fives
on the par five, 16th hole so Graeme McDowell (NIR) was now dormie two up with
two holes remaining to be played. They both made par threes on the par three,
17th hole and that meant that Graeme McDowell (NIR) had won his first ever
Volvo World Match Play Championship title with being two holes up with one hole
remaining to be played margin. He celebrated with his caddie on the 17th green
and later said it was amazing looking at the trophy and seeing all the famous
names on it like Gary Player (RSA), Arnold Palmer (USA), Jack Nicklaus (USA),
Ernie Els (RSA) and Seve Ballesteros (Spain) to name a few.
Graeme McDowell (NIR) won € 499,999.00
for the win and moved to number one position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai
Money list standings with €1,029,186 earned from the four events he has played
to date this year so far. He past Brett Rumford (Australia) who is now in
second position with €863,632 earned from the nine 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 three cuts and achieved three top ten finishes including the win
here. He has also been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime this year and had won
the RBC Heritage on that tour about a month ago as well.
It was Graeme
McDowell’s (NIR) eighth European Tour International Schedule victory in his
240th European Tour event. He moves to the top of The Race to Dubai with
€1,029,185. This is the sixth time during his European Tour career he has passed
€1 million in a single season. He moves up to seventh in the Official World
Golf Ranking from eighth. It was his first European Tour victory since the 2010
Andalucia Valderrama Masters. It is a gap of two years and 200 days. In that
time he has played in 41 European Tour events between victories. This victory
beats his previous best European Tour performances since his Andalucia win in
2010 of second in the 2012 Volvo World Match Play Championship and tied second
in the 2012 US Open Championship. He became the first Irishman to win the Volvo
World Match Play Championship. This is the fourth time an Irish player has
reached the final. They are: Padraig Harrington (Ireland) in 2001, Paul
McGinley (Ireland) in 2005 and Graeme McDowell (NIR) in 2012 and 2013.
This victory
comes in his third appearance in the Volvo World Match Play Championship. This
victory beats his previous best performance of second in 2012. (He lost in the
quarter-final on his first appearance in 2011). He was the top seed for the
2013 Volvo World Match Play Championship. He is the first top seed to win since
Ernie Els (RSA) in 2004. It was the first time that the runner-up has gone
onto win the Championship the following season since Ian Woosnam (Wales), who
was second in 1989 and winner in 1990. The other players to achieve this feat
were: Bob Charles (NZL) (1968/69), Sandy Lyle (Scotland) (1987/88) and Sir Nick
Faldo (England) (1988/89). He was the 47th Northern Irish win in European Tour
history. He was the first Northern Irish win of the 2013 season and first since
Rory McIlroy (NIR) at the 2012 DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
He becomes the 27th different player to win the Volvo World Match Play Championship. All of his eight European Tour victories have come in different countries: They are: Sweden, Italy, South Korea, Scotland, Wales, USA, Spain and now Bulgaria. It was his 11th win as a professional. It was his second win of 2013, following the RBC Heritage on the US PGA Tour. He moves over €15 million in European Tour Official Earnings. And finally he gains a place into the 2014 Volvo Golf Champions and 2014 Volvo World Match Play Championship.
He becomes the 27th different player to win the Volvo World Match Play Championship. All of his eight European Tour victories have come in different countries: They are: Sweden, Italy, South Korea, Scotland, Wales, USA, Spain and now Bulgaria. It was his 11th win as a professional. It was his second win of 2013, following the RBC Heritage on the US PGA Tour. He moves over €15 million in European Tour Official Earnings. And finally he gains a place into the 2014 Volvo Golf Champions and 2014 Volvo World Match Play Championship.
 |
| Graeme McDowell (NIR) poses with the Volvo World Match Play Championship Trophy he won!! |
His best year to
date on the European Tour came in the 2010 season where he earned € 3,896,996
from the 24 events he played in which included three wins and one was his
maiden Major Championship win at the US Open Championship that was played at
Pebble Beach that year. He finished in second position on the final 2010 Race
to Dubai Money list standings. I would look for him to be a major factor in the
three remaining Major Championships in the 2013 season and wish him all the
best.
Thongchai Jaidee
(Thailand) won € 333,333.00 for his runner up finish and moved to seventh
position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 655,430
earned from the nine events he has played to date this year so far. From those
nine events he has played in he has made every cut and achieved five top ten
finishes that includes this one. He has been playing on the European Tour
fulltime since the 2004 season and has easily kept his full playing card for
the next season every season since. He has achieved five wins in that time and here
they are from the first to the most recent: 2004 Carlsberg Malaysian Open, 2005
Carlsberg Malaysian Open, 2009 Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open, 2009 Ballantine's
Championship and the 2012 ISPS Handa Wales Open. His career year to date on the
European Tour so far came in the 2009 season where he earned € 1,161,466
earned from the 27 events he played in and he finished in 19th position on the
final 2009 Race to Dubai Money list standings. He will be turning 44 years old
in November and I feel he still has a good few years left in him. His current
Official World Golf Ranking is 49th position on the list and if he can remain
inside the top 50 players on the list for the rest of the year he will gain
entry to the final three Major Championships and WGC Events. I wish him all the
best for the rest of the 2013 season.
The players that
lost it the Semi – Finals were: Thomas Aiken (RSA) and Branden Grace (RSA) and
they both earned € 168,900 for their efforts. The players that lost out in the
quarter finals were: Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium), Scott Jamieson (Scotland),
Francesco Molinari (Italy) and Chris Wood (England) and they all earned €
99,300 for their efforts. The next eight players tied for ninth position for
being knocked out at the round of 16 stage and they all earned € 51,825 for
their efforts and they were: Felipe Aguilar (Chile), Gonzalo Fdez – Castano
(Spain), Peter Hanson (Sweden), Shane Lowry (Ireland), Carl Pettersson
(Sweden), Brett Rumford (Australia), Richard Sterne (RSA) and Bo Van Pelt
(USA). The players that didn’t make it out of group stage because they finished
last in their pool after round robin stage were Stephen Gallacher (Scotland), Jamie
Donaldson (Wales), Thorbjørn Olesen (Denmark), Ian Poulter (England), Geoff
Ogilvy (Australia), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand), Henrik Stenson (Sweden)
and George Coetzee (RSA). They all earned € 35,775 for their efforts.
Next week the
European Tour and Race to Dubai heads to England for the first time in the 2013
season for the BMW Championship which is the flagship event of the European
Tour and it is played on the Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, England
which is also the headquarters for the European Tour. It carries a huge prize
purse of €4,750,000 for the taking. Luke Donald (England) is the two time
defending Champion and will be keen for a three peat. It starts on Thursday
23rd May. 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 HP Byron Nelson Championship and it was played on the TPC Four Seasons
Resort, Irving, Texas. It was the first leg of two tournaments on the
second Texas Swing leg of the season. And it was the Golfer by the name of Sang
– Moon Bae (South Korea) who scored rounds of 66-4, 66-4, 66-4 and a final
round of 69-1 for a 72 hole total of 267-13 and he won by two strokes for his
maiden USPGA Tour win. He won US $1,206,000.00 for his efforts and moved to
17th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,592,794
earned from the 14 events he has played in to date this year so far. Tiger
Woods (USA) still leads that list with US $5,849,600 earned from the seven
events he has played to date this year so far. Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) also
earned 500 FedEx Cup points for the win and moved to 18th position on the
current 2013 FedEx Cup point’s standings list with 769 points earned from the
14 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 1,571 points behind the
current leader of the 2013 FedEx Cup Points list and that is Tiger Woods (USA)
who has earned 2,340 points from the seven events he has played to date this
year so far. He is 866 points ahead of Brandt Snedeker (USA) who has earned
1,474 points from the ten events he has played to date so far this year. From
the 14 events Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) has played to date this year so far
he has made eleven cuts and withdrawn from one event. He has also achieved two
top ten finishes and that includes the one here.
Sang – Moon Bae
(South Korea) played a very steady final round after a brilliant start. He
scored a final round 69-1 in the very challenging wind conditions and that
included a front nine of 33-2 which included birdies on the par four, third
hole, par three, fifth hole, par four, sixth hole and par five, seventh hole.
But he made a disappointing double bogey six on the par four, ninth hole. He
made the turn at minus 14 and had a two shot lead. Keegan Bradley (USA) went
out in a disappointing 36+1 and made the turn at minus 12 and was two shots
behind the leader. Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) played holes 10-11 in one over
par and fell back to minus 13 and was still leading by two shots. Keegan
Bradley (USA) also played holes 10-11 in one over par and fell back to minus
eleven and was still two strokes off the leader.
 |
| Sang - Moon Bae (South Korea) drives off during the final round |
Sang – Moon Bae
(South Korea) played holes 12-14 in even par and remained at minus 13 with four
holes remaining to be played and still was leading by two shots. Keegan Bradley
(USA) played holes 12-14 in even par as well and remained at minus eleven and
was still two shots behind the leader with four holes to play. Sang – Moon Bae
(South Korea) made a disappointing bogey five on the par four, 15th hole and fell
back to minus 12 and was now tied for the lead. Keegan Bradley (USA) made a
brilliant birdie on the par four, 15th hole and moved to minus 12 and was now
tied for the lead with three holes remaining to be played. Sang – Moon Bae
(South Korea) hit a fine chip shot for his third shot to the par five, 16th
hole and left himself a ten foot putt for his birdie four that rolled straight
in to the centre of the cup and he moved he back to minus 13 and was back in
the lead by one shot with two holes remaining to be played. Keegan Bradley
(USA) also struck a brilliant chip shot for his third shot to the par five,
16th hole and it left him with a four foot putt for his birdie four. He struck
a good putt but it caught the left hand lip of the cup and spun out and he
tapped in for his par five and was still minus 12 and now one stroke off the
lead with two holes to play.
Sang – Moon Bae
(South Korea) played a good shot to the difficult par three, 17th hole that
started to leak a little bit to the right but managed to catch the right front
edge of the green and had avoided going in the water hazard on the right. He
had about twenty feet left for his birdie two and struck a good putt that
stopped a foot to the right of the cup and he easily tapped in for his par
three and remained at minus 13 and took a two stroke lead to the par four, 72nd
hole. Keegan Bradley (USA) struck a conservative tee shot to the par three,
17th hole that rolled through the back of the green and down the severe down
slope leaving an extremely difficult up and down for his par three. He struck
his second shot, chip shot 15 feet past the cup and was unable to hole that putt
for his par and fell to minus eleven and was now two strokes behind the leader
heading to the par four, 72nd hole.
Sang – Moon Bae
(South Korea) now was faced with his most important tee shot of his young
golfing career off the par four, 72nd tee. With a water hazard down the left
hand side of the fairway and trees on the right hand side only a good long
straight drive was going to do and he was up to the challenge driving his ball
straight down the centre of the fairway and half the battle was now over. Now
faced with a mid iron to the green and if he missed it to the left he knew he
would be in the water hazard. He calmed himself and struck a brilliant second
shot that never left the pin and came to rest on the green about 15 feet short
of the pin. His 15 foot putt for birdie rolled about five feet past the hole
and he easily tapped in for his par four to finish the 72 holes at minus 13 and
he won by two strokes for his maiden win on the USPGA Tour. He scored 36+1 for
his back nine. His fellow South Korean Professionals came onto the 72nd green
to celebrate with him. They also did the tradition of pouring water over the
champion. Keegan Bradley (USA) playing in the same group as Sang – Moon Bae
(South Korea) managed to get on the par four, 72nd hole in two shots but was 35
feet to the right of the cup. He now knew he had to whole that birdie putt if
he was to have any chance of forcing a playoff. He struck a good putt but it
missed on the right hand side and he easily tapped in for his par four and
finished up at minus eleven after 72 holes and was two shots behind the winner.
 |
| Sang - Moon Bae (South Korea) poses with the HP Byron Nelson Championship Trophy he won!! |
Sang – Moon Bae
(South Korea) is in his second full season of playing the USPGA Tour Fulltime
after gaining his 2012 USPGA Tour card at the 2011 PGA TOUR Qualifying
Tournament where he finished in tied for eleventh position. He had a very solid
rookie season on the USPGA Tour in the 2012 season where he played in 25 events
and made 17 cuts, withdrew from two events and achieved two top ten finishes
that included losing in a playoff at the Transitions Championship and making
the quarter finals at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play
Championship. He finished in 83rd position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money
list standings with US $ 1,165,952 earned. He easily kept his
full playing card for the 2013 USPGA Tour season. The amazing thing is that he
has never even played in one single Web.com Tour event. Instead he has spent
his early years as a professional learning his trade on the Korean, One Asia,
Asian and Japan Golf Tours and he has so far won eleven events on those tours I
mentioned and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2006 Emerson
Pacific Group Open [Kor], 2007 SK Telecom Open [Asia], 2008 KEB Invitational [Kor], Fortis
International Challenge [with Kim Hyung-tae], Kolon-Hana Bank Korean Open [Asia],
KPGA KEB Invitational [Kor], 2009 GS Caltex Maekyung Open [OneAsia], 2010 SK
Telecom Open [OneAsia], 2011 Vana H Cup KBC Augusta [Jpn], Coca-Cola Tokai
Classic [Jpn], Japan Open [Jpn]. I feel this win will give other young
professionals from South Korea the confidence to know that they too can play on
the USPGA Tour and compete and win. I feel his second win on the USPGA Tour won’t
be too far off either. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.
Coming in solo
second position at 269-11 after 72 holes was Keegan Bradley (USA); he earned US
$723,600.00 for his efforts and moved to eighth position on the current 2013
USPGA Tour Money list with US $2,153,947 earned from the 14 events he has
played to date this year so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup Points for his
efforts and moved to eighth position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list
standings with 974 points earned from the 14 events he has played to date this
year so far. From those 14 events he has played to date this year so far he has
made eleven cuts and achieved six top ten finishes including this one which was
his highest finish of the season as well. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour
since the 2011 season after gaining his 2011 full USPGA Tour card by finishing
in 14th position on the final 2010 Web.com Tour Money list standings with US $264,760
earned from the 28 events he played in. He had an amazing rookie season on the
USPGA Tour in 2011 with earning US $3,758,600 from the 28 events he played in
and that included making 18 cuts and achieving four top ten finishes and that
included two wins and the first one was the HP Byron Nelson Championship which
was this very tournament and the second one was his maiden Major Championship
which was the PGA Championship and he also won an unofficial event which was
the PGA Grand Slam of Golf. He finished in 13th position on the final 2011
USPGA Tour Money list standings which was a fine effort by a rookie. He backed
up his rookie season with another awesome season in 2012 where he earned US $ 3,910,658
from the 25 events he played in and finished in tenth position on the final
2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings. That included making 21 cuts and
achieving five top ten finishes which included his third win which came at the World
Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. He also played his first Ryder Cup
for the USA against Europe. He has just had an amazing last two seasons on the
USPGA Tour and is continuing it into 2013. I sure his fourth win isn’t too far
off and perhaps it will come at the US Open Championship next month? I sure he
will put the disappointment of not winning here behind him quickly. I wish him
all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.
Coming in at
solo third position at 270-10 after 72 holes was Charl Schwartzel (RSA); he
earned US $455,600.00 for his efforts and moved to 33rd position on the current
2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,232,009 earned from the eight
events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 190 FedEx Cup
Points for his efforts and moved to 30th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup
Points list standings with 587 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 all eight cuts and achieved three top ten finishes
including this one. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2011
season after winning the 2011 Master Tournament for his maiden Major
Championship win which gave him full playing rights on the USPGA Tour for the
next few seasons. In that first full season on the USPGA Tour he earned US $2,604,558
from the 15 events he played in and he made all 15 cuts and achieved three top
ten finishes that included his Master Tournament win. He finished in 24th
position on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list standings. In the 2012 USPGA
Tour season he played in 16 events and earned US $ 1,138,844 and finished in
89th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings. He also plays
the European Tour fulltime and has already won seven events on that tour and
here they are from the first to the most recent: 2005 Alfred Dunhill
Championship, 2007 Open de Espana, 2008 Madrid Masters, 2010 Africa Open, 2010 Joburg
Open, 2011 Joburg Open and the 2013 Alfred Dunhill Championship. I feel he will
win on the USPGA Tour in 2013 at some stage. I wish him all the best for the
rest of the 2013 season.
Coming in solo
fourth position at 271-9 after 72 holes was Justin Bolli (USA); he earned US $321,600.00
for his efforts and moved to 81st position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money
list standings with US $528,207 earned from the 12 events he has played to date
this year so far. He also earned 135 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved
to 102nd position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 257
points earned from the 12 events he has played to date this year so far. From
those 12 events he has played to date this year so far he has made five cuts
and achieved two top ten finishes that includes the one here. He scored the
lowest round in the final round which was 65-5. He has been on and off the
USPGA Tour since first gaining his full USPGA Tour Card by finishing in ninth position
on the final 2004 Web.com Tour Money list standings with US $273,387 earned
from the 26 events he played in and that meant he had a full USPGA Tour card
for the 2005 season. His rookie year on the USPGA Tour in 2005 wasn’t very good
with him only earning US $207,400 from the 24 events he played in with only
making nine cuts and achieving no top ten finishes. He ended up finishing in 192nd
position on the final 2005 USPGA Tour Money list standings and that left him
with no USPGA Tour status for the 2006 season. In the 2006 and 2007 season’s he
spent them back on the Web.com Tour. In 2007 he had another very good season on
the Web.com Tour with earning US $293,834 from the 26 events he played in and
he finished in eighth position on the final 2007 Web.com Tour Money list and
gained back his full USPGA Tour card for the 2008 season.
In his second
try at playing the USPGA Tour full time in 2008 he feared slightly better with
earning US $458,022 from the 28 events he played in and he made 16 cuts and
achieved his first top ten finish as well. But he eventually finished in 158th
position on the final 2008 USPGA Tour Money list standings and that again left
him with no USPGA Tour status for the 2009 season. He went back to play the
Web.com Tour in 2009 and had a very good season with earning US $284,537 from
the 23 events he played in and finished in eleventh position on the final 2009
Web.com Tour Money list standings and gained back his full USPGA Tour card for
the 2010 season. In his third try at playing the USPGA Tour full time in 2010
he had a shocking season with only earning US $73,990 from the 23 events he
played in and that included missing 19 cuts and achieving no top ten finishes. He
eventually finished up in 215th position on the final 2010 USPGA Tour Money
list standings and that again left him with no USPGA Tour status for the 2011
season. He played the 2011 and 2012 seasons on the Web.com Tour and in 2012 he
had a very good season where he earned US $300,924 from the 24 events he played
in and finished in ninth position and gained his full 2013 USPGA Tour card and
a chance to play the USPGA Tour for the fourth time is his career. He has
already won more money on the USPGA Tour this season than he did in his other
three previous season and the season is only just over halfway though. I feel
another couple of top ten finishes in the weeks to come will secure his card
for the 2013/14 season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013
season.
Coming in tied
for fifth position at 272-8 after 72 holes was Morgan Hoffmann (USA); he earned
US $244,550.00 for his efforts and moved to 113th position on the current 2013
USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $375,852 earned from the ten events he
has played to date this year so far. He also earned 100 FedEx Cup Points for
his efforts and moved to 137th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points
standings list with 178 points earned from the ten events he has played to date
this year so far. From those ten events he has played to date this year so far
he has made four cuts and this was his first top ten finish of the season so
far. It was also his career best finish on the USPGA Tour in his rookie season.
He gained his full 2013 USPGA Tour card by finishing in 19th position on the
final 2012 Web.com Tour Money list standings with US $207,540 earned from the
13 events he played in and that included making 12 cuts and achieving seven top
ten finishes. He is still very young being only 23 years old and will gain a
lot of confidence out of this result. Let’s hope he can have more top ten
finishes in the weeks to come. Also tied for fifth position was Martin Kaymer
(Germany); he too earned US $244,550.00 for his efforts and moved to 78th
position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $541,530
earned from the ten events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned100
FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 98th position on the current 2013
FedEx Cup Point’s list standings with 270 points earned from the ten events he
has played to date this year so far. From the ten events he has played to date
this year so far he has made seven cuts and this was the second top ten finish
he has achieved this year so far. This is his first season playing on the USPGA
Tour fulltime. He gained his full 2013 USPGA Tour card by winning the 2010
USPGA Championship which was his maiden Major Championship. He also plays the
European Tour fulltime and has achieved ten wins already on the tour and here
they are from the first to the most recent: 2008 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship,
2008 BMW International Open, 2009 Open de France ALSTOM, 2009 The Barclays
Scottish Open, 2010 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, 2010 US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, 2010
KLM Open, 2010 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, 2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf
Championship and the 2011 WGC - HSBC Champions. I wish him all the best for the
rest of the 2013 season.
The final player
tied for fifth position was Scott Piercy (USA); he too earned US $244,550.00
for his efforts and moved to 36th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money
list standings with US $1,131,462 earned from the 13 events he has played to
date this year so far. He also earned100 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and
moved to 40th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points standings list with
536 points earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far.
From the 13 events he has played to date this year so far he has made eight
cuts and achieved three top ten finishes including the one here. He has been
playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2009 season after gaining his 2009
USPGA Tour card by finishing in ninth position on the final 2008 Web.com Tour
Money list with US $320,187 earned from the 19 events he played in. He has
easily kept his card every year since for the next year. He has also achieved
two wins on the USPGA Tour in his career to date so far with the first one
coming at the 2011 Reno-Tahoe Open and the second coming at 2012 RBC
Canadian Open. I feel his third win isn’t too far off and perhaps it will
happen in the 2013 season?
Coming in tied
for eighth position at 273-7 after 72 holes was Charley Hoffman (USA); he
earned US $201,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 44th position on the current
2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,016,336 earned from the 12
events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup
Points for his efforts and moved to 46th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup
Points standings list with 503 points earned from the 12 events he has played
to date this year so far. From the 12 events he has played to date this year so
far he has made nine cuts and achieved four top ten finishes including the one
here. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2006 season
after gaining his full 2006 USPGA Tour card by finishing in 19th position on
the final 2005 Web.com Tour Money list standings with US $212,322 earned from
the 26 events he played in. He has easily kept his card for the next season
every season since. He has earned over US$1million every season so far as well
except in 2008 where he only earned US $945,702. He has won two USPGA Tour
events as well so far in his career with the first one coming in 2007 at the Bob
Hope Chrysler Classic and the second one coming in 2010 at the Deutsche Bank
Championship. I feel he is ready to win for a third time very soon and it could
happen in the 2013 season. Also tied for eight position was John Huh (USA); He
too earned US $201,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 66th position on the
current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $675,303 earned from the
15 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup
Points for his efforts and moved to 76th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup
Points standings list with 338 points earned from the 15 events he has played to
date this year so far. From those 15 events he has played to date this year so
far he has made nine cuts and this was his very first top ten finish he has
achieved this season so far. He first gained his USPGA Tour card at the 2011 PGA
TOUR Qualifying Tournament with a birdie on his final hole on the Nicklaus
Tournament Course at PGA West. He got the last available card and finished in
tied for 27th position which game him full playing status on the USPGA Tour for
the 2012 season. He had a brilliant rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2012
with earning US $2,692,113 from the 28 events he played in and that included
making 22 cuts and achieving four top ten finishes and one of them was his
maiden USPGA Tour win at the Mayakoba Golf Classic where he defeated Robert
Allenby (Australia) on the eighth playoff hole. He finished in 28th position on
the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings and also was the only rookie to
qualify for the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola and just the fifth rookie to
qualify for the TOUR Championship since the inception of the FedEx Cup in 2007.
He was also the youngest player to qualify for the TOUR Championship since
Sergio Garcia did so at age 21 in 2001. He finished in 25th position on the
final 2012 FedEx Cup Points list standings. He was also named the 2012 PGA TOUR
Rookie of the Year over Charlie Beljan (USA), Jonas Blixt (Sweden), Bud Cauley
(USA) and Ted Potter, Jr (USA). He turns 23 years old this Tuesday and his
future on the USPGA Tour looks very bright for the coming years. He like Sang –
Moon Bae (South Korea) has not played in one single Web.com Tour event, instead
he choose to play the Korean PGA Tour and has won one event on that tour in the
2010 which was the Shinhan Donghae Open. In winning it he defeat two of his
hero’s who were K.J. Choi (South Korea) by two strokes and Seung-yul Noh (South
Korea) by three strokes. He is originally from South Korea but his Parents
immigrated to the USA when he was young to give him the best chance at become a
professional golfer and he has since gained US residency. I feel his second win
on the USPGA Tour isn’t too far off and could well happen in the 2013 season. I
wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.
Rounding out the
top ten in tied for tenth position at 274-6 after 72 holes was Graham DeLaet
(Canada); he earned US $174,200.00 for his efforts and moved to 56th position
on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $811,384 earned
from the 14 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 73
FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 54th position on the current 2013
FedEx Cup Points list standings with 459 points earned from the 14 events he
has played to date this year so far. From those 14 events he has played to date
so far this year he has made eleven cuts and achieved three top ten finishes
that includes the one here. He gained his USPGA Tour card for the first time in
his career by finishing in tied for eighth position at the 2009 PGA TOUR
Qualifying Tournament and that meant he had full playing status on the USPGA
Tour for the 2010 season. His rookie season in 2010 on the USPGA Tour was very
good with him earning US $954,011 from the 28 events he played in and that
included making 15 cuts and he also achieved three top ten finishes. He
finished in 100th position on the final 2010 USPGA Tour Money list standings
meaning he easily kept his card for the 2011 season. But in the 2011 USPGA Tour
season he sat out the majority of the campaign due to a back injury and was
forced to play the 2012 USPGA Tour season out of the Major Medical Extension
category. He had 26 events to earn US $657,694 in 2012. In the 2012 USPGA Tour
season he earned US $1,051,951 from the 23 events he played in and easily
earned the US $657,694 he required to keep his full playing status for the 2013
season. He also made 17 cuts and achieved three top ten finishes. He finished
in 95th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings. I feel he
is due for his maiden USPGA Tour win very soon and perhaps it will happen in
the 2013 season?
The final player
to tie for tenth position was Ryo Ishikawa (Japan); he too earned US $174,200.00
for his efforts and moved to 136th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour
Money list standings with US $275,566 earned from the 13 events he has played
to date this year so far. He also earned 73 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts
and moved to 143rd position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings
with 167 points earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so
far. From those 13 events he has played to date this year so far he has made
seven cuts and this was his first top ten finish he has achieved to date this
year so far. He is in his second full season of playing the USPGA Tour
fulltime. He had an average rookie season in 2012 on the USPGA Tour by his high
standards with earning US $727,051 from the 18 events he played in and that
included making ten cuts and achieving two top ten finishes and one of them was
his career best finish to date on the USPGA Tour where he finished in second
position at the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com. He is still
very young being only 21 years of age and turns 22 in September. He is Japan’s
young Golfing Superstar and has Rock Star Status whenever he plays on the Japan
Golf Tour having already won 12 events on that tour and here they are from the
first to the most recent: 2007 Munsingwear Open KSB Cup [Jpn], 2008 Kansai Open,
Mynavi ABC Championship [Jpn], 2009 The Royal Trophy [Jpn, team], Mizuno Open
[Jpn], Sun Chlorella Open [Jpn], Fujisankei Classic [Jpn], Tokai Classic [Jpn],
2010 The Crowns [Jpn], Fujisankei Classic [Jpn], Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo
Masters [Jpn] and the 2012 Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters [Jpn]. He
seems to be taking a little bit longer to getting used to playing on the USPGA
Tour but I’m sure he isn’t too far away from his maiden win, and perhaps it
will come in the 2013 season? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013
season.
Next week the
USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup stay in Texas for the second and final leg of the
second Texas Swing leg of the season which is the Crowne Plaza Invitational at
Colonial and it is played on the Colonial CC, Ft. Worth, Texas. It
has a prize purse of US $6,400,000 for the taking. Zach Johnson (USA) is the
defending Champion and will be going for back to back titles. It starts on
Thursday 23rd May 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 632nd week of his career in total is the Tiger Woods (USA) who is fresh
off his win at the Players Championship one week ago with 13.53 Official Golf
World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 10.23 Official
Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Adam Scott (Australia)
fresh off his maiden Major Championship win at the Masters Tournament over a
month ago with 7.72 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four
is Justin Rose (England) 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 the defending FedEx Cup Champion, Brandt Snedeker (USA) with 6.33 Official
Golf World Ranking Points. Michael Hendry (NZL) fresh off his tie for 55th position at the at the Volvo
China Open two weeks ago is the highest ranked New Zealander Golfer in the
world for the fourteenth straight week of his career. This week he slips two places
and moves to 160th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list
with 1.08 Official Golf World Ranking Points.
Remember when
you are playing match play never give up until you shake hands with your
opponent!!
Source:
pgatour.com, europeantour.com
