Golf Events from the Weekend 5th May 2013

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 the Race to Dubai and this week it headed to South Korea for the second and final leg of the Asian Swing and it was the Volvo China Open and it was played on the Binhai Lake GC, Tianjin, China. And the Golfer by the name of Brett Rumford (Australia) who scored rounds of 68-4, 67-5, 69-3 and a final round of 68-4 for a 72 hole total of 272-16 and he won by four strokes. He won € 407,906.46 for the win and moved to the top of the Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 811,807 earned from the eight events he has played to date this year so far. From those eight events he has played in so far this year he has made five cuts and has achieved two top ten finishes and they have both been wins having also won last week at the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea. 

Brett Rumford (Australia) in action during the final round

It was Brett Rumford’s (Australia) fifth European Tour International Schedule victory in his 298th European Tour event. It was his second consecutive European Tour victory, following the Ballantine’s Championship, seven days ago. He becomes the first multiple winner of the 2013 European Tour season. This is the first time he has achieved this feat in his European Tour career. He moves to the top of The Race to Dubai with €811,806 from 18th. He has now won €775,406 in his past two tournaments, the Ballantine’s Championship and Volvo China Open. Prior to the Ballantine’s Championship was 138th in The Race to Dubai. Just two events later is now Number One.

He moves into the top 80 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time, from 122nd position. He has moved from 253rd in the Official World Golf Ranking to inside the top 80 in the space of two tournaments, a jump of over 170 places. He had to wait five years and 231 days for his fourth European Tour victory, the Ballantine’s Championship, then just one event for his fifth, the Volvo China Open. He played in 121 European Tour events between his third and fourth European Tour victories. And then just one event between fourth and fifth victory.  He became the first player to win consecutive European Tour events since Branden Grace (RSA) (2012 Joburg Open and 2012 Volvo Golf Champions). He would be the first Australian to win official back-to-back European Tour events since Jack Newton (Australia) (1972 Dutch Open and 1972 Benson and Hedges Festival). Graham Marsh (Australia) did win the 1977 World Match Play Championship and 1977 Trophée Lancôme but these tournaments were not considered official). He would become only the third Australian to win consecutive official European Tour events, following Graham Marsh (Australia) (1972 Swiss Open, 1972 German Open) and Jack Newton (Australia) (1972 Dutch Open and 1972 Benson and Hedges Festival).

Brett Rumford (Australia) kisses the Volvo China Open Trophy he won

This Victory comes in his seventh appearance in the Volvo China Open. This Victory beats his previous best performance in the Volvo China Open of tied 11th in 2007. He becomes the 111th Australian victory in European Tour history. It was the third Australian victory in the 2013 season. They are: Adam Scott (Australia) (Masters Tournament) and Brett Rumford (Australia) (Ballantine’s Championship and Volvo China Open). He becomes the 31st different player in European Tour history to record back-to-back official European Tour victories. He becomes only the second player following Vijay Singh (Fiji) (2001 Carlsberg Malaysian Open and 2001 Caltex Singapore Masters), to win consecutive European Tour events in the Far East. He became the 11th player to win on the 2013 European Tour when leading or sharing the lead after 54 holes. It was the third of his five European Tour victories when he has led or shared the lead going into the final round. They were: 2003 Aa St Omer Open, 2007 Omega European Masters and 2013 Volvo China Open. He became the third Australian to win the Volvo China Open, following David Glesson (Australia) (2002) and Scott Strange (Australia) (2009). He was the first Australian to record multiple European Tour victories in the same season since Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) at the 2006 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship and 2006 US Open Championship.

He gains his largest European Tour prize of €407,906. He gains his sixth win as a professional. He gains a place in the 2013 Volvo World Match Play Championship. He becomes the 19th different winner from the 19 editions of the Volvo China Open. He becomes the ninth European Tour victory by former Challenge Tour players on the 2013 European Tour. They are: Scott Jamieson (Scotland) (Nelson Mandela Championship presented by ISPS Handa), Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) (Volvo Golf Champions), Jamie Donaldson (Wales) (Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship), Stephen Gallacher (Scotland) (Omega Dubai Desert Classic), Richard Sterne (RSA) (Joburg Open), Marcel Siem (Germany) (Trophée Hassan II), Raphaël Jacquelin (France) (Open de España) and Brett Rumford (Australia) (Ballantine’s Championship and Volvo China Open). And finally he becomes the 316th European Tour victory by a former Challenge Tour player.

Brett Rumford (Australia) played a great final round of 68-4 that included a front nine of 33-3 with birdies on the par five, second hole; par four, fifth hole and par five, sixth hole and made the turn at minus 15 and had a three stroke lead. Mikko Ilonen (Finland) played a solid front nine of 35-1 with his lone birdie coming on the par five, second hole and he made the turn at minus twelve and was three strokes behind the leader. Brett Rumford (Australia) played holes 10-11 in even par and was still minus 15 with seven holes remaining to be played but now only had a one stroke lead. Mikko Ilonen (Finland) played holes 10-11 in two under par with birding both of them and he moved to minus 14 and now was only one stroke behind the leader.

Brett Rumford (Australia) played holes 12-14 in three under par with making three straight birdies in a row and he moved to minus 18 with four holes to play and now had a five stroke lead. Mikko Ilonen (Finland) played holes 12-14 in two over par and fell back to minus 12 with four holes remaining to be played and was now six strokes off the lead. Brett Rumford (Australia) played holes 15-17 in two over par and fell back to minus 16 with just the par five, 18th hole to play and now only had a four stroke lead. Mikko Ilonen (Finland) played holes 15-17 in even par and remained at minus 12 and was three strokes behind the leader heading to the par five, 72nd hole.

Brett Rumford (Australia) struck a good drive off the par five, 18th hole but lost his second shot well to the right and it landed in the fairway bunker. He struck a good fairway bunker shot with his short wedge and it landed pin high but rolled down the slope to the left of the pin. He choose his lob wedge and chipped it up to within a foot of the cup and easily tapped in for his par five to score 35-1 on the back nine and he finished the 72 holes at minus 16 to win by four strokes. He hugged his caddie to celebrate the win. Mikko Ilonen (Finland) made a solid par five at the par five, 18th hole and finished at minus 12 after 72 holes and was four strokes behind the winner. 

Another photo of Brett Rumford (Australia) posing with the Volvo China Open Trophy he won

It has been an amazing couple of weeks for Brett Rumford (Australia) on the European Tour with winning both events on the two week Asian Swing. He has now won more money than he ever has before in a single season on the European Tour with € 811,807 earned from the eight events he has played to date this year so far. He is now destined to have his career best season on the European Tour so far and with his Official World Golf Ranking climbing to 76th position. He is going a lot closer to getting a start in the final three Major Championships of the year, but he will more than likely get a start in all three if he can remain at the top of the 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings or even inside the top ten prior to those three Major Championships. I wish for him to keep up his good form for the rest of the 2013 season.

Coming in solo second position at 276-12 after 72 holes was Mikko Ilonen (Finland); he won € 271,937.64 for his efforts and moved to 12th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list Standings with € 468,050 earned from the eight events he has played to date this year so far. From those eight events he has played this year so far he has made five cuts and achieved three top ten finishes that includes this one. He has already won twice on the European Tour and both wins came in the 2007 season where he won the Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open and then the Scandinavian Masters which is his National Open. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he won his third event on the European Tour in the 2013 season. His career year to date on the European Tour came in the 2007 season where he earned € 833,515 from the 24 events he played in and finished in 34th position on the then 2007 European Order of Merit standings. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Coming in solo third position at 277-11 after 72 holes was Victor Dubuisson (France); he won € 153,209.82 for his efforts and move to 30th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 322,193 earned from the eight events he has played to date this year so far. From the eight events he has played so far this year he has made five cuts and achieved four top ten finishes including this one. He first qualified for the European Tour by gaining his 2011 European Tour card at the 2010 Qualifying School Final Stage. He had a successful rookie season in 2011 by finishing 106th position on the final 2011 Race to Dubai Money list standings easily keeping his card for the 2012 season. He had an even better season in 2012 with earning € 573,249 from the 20 events he played in and he finished up in 52nd position on the final 2012 Race to Dubai Money list standings and played in his very first DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. I feel his maiden win on the European Tour isn’t too far away and perhaps it will happen in the 2013 season.

Coming in solo fourth position at 278-10 after 72 holes was Robert – Jan Derksen (Netherlands); he earned € 122,372.06 for his efforts and moved to 59th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 185,281 earned from the nine events he has played to date this year so far. From those nine events he has played in so far this year he has made eight cuts but this was his first top ten finish he has achieved to date this season. He has been playing the European Tour fulltime since the 2002 season and has easily kept his card each season for the following season. He has achieved two wins on the European Tour and the first one came in 2003 at the Dubai Desert Classic and the second came at the 2005 Madeira Island Open Caixa Geral de Depositos. His career year on the European Tour came in 2007 where he earned € 809,313 from the 29 events he played in and finished in 36th position on the then final 2007 European Tour Order of Merit standings list. Let’s hope he can have some more top ten finishes in the weeks to come.

Coming in tied for fifth position at 279-9 after 72 holes was Ricardo Santos (Portugal); he earned € 94,715.97 for his efforts and moved to 24th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 378,766 earned from the ten events he has played to date so far this year. From those ten events he has played to date so far this year he has made seven cuts and achieved five top ten finishes that includes this one. He is in his second full season playing on the European Tour fulltime after earning his card by finishing in fourth position on the final Challenge Tour Rankings for the 2011 season. He had a fine rookie season on the European Tour in the 2012 season with earning € 264,174 from the 28th events he played in and finished in 90th position on the final 2012 Race to Dubai Money list standings. He also achieved his maiden win on the European Tour at the 2012 Madeira Islands Open – Portugal. I suggest his second win isn’t too far away; maybe it will come in the 2013 season? Also tied for fifth position was Pablo Larrazabal (Spain); he too earned € 94,715.97 for his efforts and moved to 28th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 330,358 earned from the twelve events he has played to date this year so far. From the twelve events he has played to date this year so far he has made eight cuts and achieved four top ten finishes including this one. He has been playing on the European Tour fulltime since the 2008 season after gaining his card by finishing in tied for sixth position at the 2007 European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage. He has easily kept his card every year since. His career year to date on the European Tour came in the 2011 season where he earned € 1,183,040 from the 33 events he played in and finished in 17th position on the final 2011 Race to Dubai Money list standings. He has won two events to date in his European Tour Career with the first one being in his rookie season at the 2008 Open de France ALSTOM and the second coming at the 2011 BMW International Open. I am sure his third win isn’t too far away; perhaps it will happen in the 2013 season?

Coming in solo seventh position at 280-8 after 72 holes was Andreas Harto (Denmark); he earned € 73,423 for his efforts and moved to 75th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with €141,719 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this year so far. From those eleven 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 to date. He gained his 2013 European Tour card back by finishing in third position on the final 2012 Challenge Tour Rankings with € 121,999 earned from the twenty events he played in. Let’s hope he can continue on the good form and have some more top ten finishes in the tournaments coming up?

Rounding out the top ten in tied for eight position at 281-7 after 72 holes was Felipe Aguilar (Chile); he earned € 52,497.61 for his efforts and moved to 21st position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 402,040 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 six cuts and this was his fifth top ten finish of the season to date and it proves to me whenever he makes the cut he goes on to have a very good result. He has been playing on the European Tour fulltime since the 2008 season where he gained his card by finishing in third position on the 2007 Challenge Tour Rankings. He has easily kept his card every year since with his career year to date on the European Tour being in 2008 where he won his maiden event on the European Tour at the Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open and finished in 41st position on the then 2008 Final European Tour Order of Merit with € 676,182 earned from the 24 events he played in. I suggest his second win on the European Tour isn’t too far away. Also tied for eighth position was Paul Casey (England); he too earned € 52,497.61 for his efforts and moved to 68th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 151,464 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 six cuts and this was his first top ten finish of the season. He has been playing the European Tour fulltime since the 2001 season and has kept his card easily every season since. He has recorded eleven wins to date in his European Tour career and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2001 Gleneagles Scottish PGA Championship, 2003 ANZ Championship, 2003 Benson and Hedges International Open, 2005 TCL Classic, 2006 Volvo China Open, 2006 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, 2006 HSBC World Match Play Championship, 2007 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, 2009 The Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, 2009 BMW PGA Championship and the 2011 Volvo Golf Champions. His career year to date so far on the European Tour came in 2006 where he earned € 2,454,084 from the 25 events he played in and finished in second position on the then 2006 Final European Order of Merit Money list standings. I am sure his twelfth win isn’t too far off.

Also tied for eighth position was Thomas Bjorn (Denmark); he too earned € 52,497.61 for his efforts and moved to 63rd position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 162,626 earned from the eight events he has played to date this year so far. From those eight events he has played to date this year so far he has made six cuts and this was his second top ten finish of the season. He has been playing the European Tour Fulltime since the 1996 season. And he has easily kept his card for the following season every year since. He has won 13 events so far to date in his European Tour Career and here they are from the first to the most recent: 1996 Loch Lomond World Invitational, 1998 Heineken Classic, 1998 Peugeot Open de Espana, 1999 The Sarazen World Open, 2000 BMW International Open, 2001 Dubai Desert Classic, 2002 BMW International Open, 2005 The Daily Telegraph Dunlop Masters, 2006 Nissan Irish Open, 2010 Estoril Open de Portugal, 2011 Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy, 2011 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles and the 2011 Omega European Masters. His career year to date on the European Tour came in the 2000 where he earned € 1,929,657 from the 27 events he played in and finished fifth in the then 2000 final European Tour Order of Merit List Standings. I suggest his 14th win on the European Tour isn’t too far off. The final player to tie for eight position was Joost Luiten (The Netherlands); he too earned € 52,497.61 for his efforts and moved to 57th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 187,819 earned from the nine events he has played to date this year so far. From those nine events he has played to date this year so far he has made seven cuts and this was his second top ten finish of the season to date. He has been playing the European Tour fulltime for the last three years. His maiden win on the European Tour came at the 2011 Iskandar Johor Open and his career year to date on the European Tour came in the 2011 where he earned € 976,540 from the 27 events he played in and he finished in 24th position on the final 2011 Race to Dubai Money list standings. I am sure his second win on the European Tour isn’t too far away.

Michael Hendry (NZL) was the only New Zealander in the field to make the cut. He scored rounds of 74+2, 67-5, 75+3 and a final round of 75+3 for a 72 hole total of 291+3 and he tied for 55th position. He won € 7,893.00 for his efforts and has now won € 45,356 from the two events he has played to date this year so far on the European Tour but because he isn’t a current member of the European Tour he doesn’t get a current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list ranking. He was only playing in this event because it was co – sanctioned with the One Asia Tour. So far on that tour this year he has played in three events and made all three cuts. He is currently in 15th position on the One Asia Tour 2013 Order of Merit standings with US $ 18,346.08 earned from the three events he has played in so far. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

The New Zealand Golfers in the field that missed the cut were Mark Brown (NZL) who scored rounds of 75+3 and 70-2 for a 36 hole total of 145+1 to miss the 36 hole halfway cut by one stroke. This was the very first event he has played on the European Tour in the 2013 season and because he isn’t a current member of the European Tour has doesn’t have a current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list ranking. The other New Zealand Golfer to miss the 36 hole cut was Gareth Paddison (NZL) who scored rounds of 75+3 and 75+3 for a 36 hole total of 150+6 and to miss the 36 hole cut by six strokes. This too was his very first event he has played on the European Tour in 2013 and because he isn’t a current member of the European Tour has doesn’t have a current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list ranking.

Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai has the week off but it resumes the following week for the Volvo World Match Play Championship and it is played on the Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort, Kavarna, Bulgaria. It carries a huge prize purse of €3,000,000. Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) is the defending Champion and will be keen for back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 19th 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 Wells Fargo Championship and it was played on the Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina. And it was the Golfer by the name of Derek Ernst (USA) who scored rounds of 67-5, 71-1, 72 even par and a final round of 70-2 for a 72 hole total of 280-8 but he has tied on that score by David Lynn (England) who scored rounds of 71-1, 68-4, 71-1 and a final round of 70-2 for a 72 hole total also of 280-8. So those two players headed back to the par four, 18th tee for the first playoff hole. Derek Ernst (USA) teed off first and struck a fine tee shot that landed right in the centre of the fairway. David Lynn (England) struck a poor tee shot that landed in the hazard to the left of the fairway. Derek Ernst (USA) played his second shot first and chose his three iron and struck it brilliantly. It never left the pin and came to rest about 12 feet underneath the hole ensuring a certain par. David Lynn (England) now knew he would have to go for the green from his serve ball above the feet lie in the hazard. He chose a fairway wood and struck a brilliant shot under the circumstances and it landed pin high to the right in the green side bunker. He was still away for his third shot and hit it slight thin from the green side bunker and it caught the rough on the other side of the green. David Lynn (England) was still away for his fourth shot and knew his only hope now to extend the playoff to a second hole was to hole his fourth shot for his par four. He struck a good chip shot but it rolled five feet past the hole. Derek Ernst (USA) now knew he could two putt from 15 feet and he would win his maiden USPGA Tour event. He calmed his nerve and struck a brilliant putt that almost when in and came to rest inches from the cup and he easily tapped in for his par four and he was the 2013 Wells Fargo Champion. He hugged his caddie to celebrate. The amazing thing is he was the fourth alternate for this tournament and only got the call from the USPGA Tour Officials on Tuesday two days before the first round that he had a definite start in the tournament. He was planning to play in a Web.com Tour event if he couldn’t get a start here. 

Derek Ernst (USA) salutes the crowd after holing the winning putt

He won US $1,206,000.00 for the win and moved to 25th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 1,234,255 earned from the eight events he has played to date so far this year. Tiger Woods (USA) still leads that list with US $ 4,139,600 earned from the six events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 500 FedEx Cup points for the win and moved to 32nd position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 528 points earned from the eight events he has played to date this year so far. He is 1,212 points behind the current leader of the 2013 FedEx Cup Points list and that is Tiger Woods (USA) who has earned 1,740 points from the six events he has played to date this year so far. Tiger Woods (USA) leads Brandt Snedeker (USA) by 343 points. Brandt Snedeker (USA) is in second place with 1,397 points earned from the nine events he has played to date this year so far. From the eight events Derek Ernst (USA) has played to date this year so far he has made three cuts and this was his first top ten finish of the season so far and also his first career top ten finish of his short USPGA Tour career in his rookie season. 

This properly will be the biggest win that came out of the blue this year on the USPGA Tour. Derek Ernst (USA) only qualified for the USPGA Tour for the first time last year by finishing in tied for 17th position at the 2012 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament in his very first attempt at it after having to go through all four stages. He mentioned when interviewed straight after his win that after he played his first tournament on the USPGA Tour which was the 2013 Sony Open in Hawaii which he finished in tied for 59th position, that at the next tournament and in the tournaments after that he started to try and be someone that he wasn’t after being a bit unsettled seeing players of the likes of Tiger Woods (USA), Rory McILroy (NIR) and Phil Mickelson (USA) practicing on the same practise area that he was on. This caused him to miss his next five cuts. After having missed these five straight cuts he decided to go back to the mindset that got him onto the USPGA Tour in the first place and that was just to play the game one shot at a time. The week prior to this win he had a tied for 47th position at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Now he is exempt on the USPGA Tour till the end of the 2015 season, he has an invitation to play in the 2014 Masters Tournament and he also gets to play in the 2014 Hyundai Tournament of Champions in early January. And he now gets to play in next week’s Players Championship. He turns 23 years old in just over a week and his USPGA Tour Career now looks very bright. Let’s hope he can build on this brilliant result with many more top ten finishes in the rest of the 2013 USPGA Tour season. 

Derek Ernst (USA) poses with the Wells Fargo Championship Trophy he won

Coming in solo second position at 280-8 after 72 holes and losing on the first playoff hole as I mention above was David Lynn (England); he earned US $723,600.00 for his efforts and moved to 24th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,265,128 earned from the 14 events he has played in to date this year so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 25th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 610 points earned from the 14 events he has played to date this year so far. From those 14 events he has played in so far this year he has made nine cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that includes this one. This finish equals his best result on the USPGA Tour to date in his career so far. He gained his 2013 USPGA Tour card by finishing in solo second position at the 2012 USPGA Championship last August. And the US $865,000.00 he won for coming second in the 2012 USPGA Championship gained him his 2013 USPGA Tour card. Prior to this season he had played on the European Tour fulltime since the 2000 season with easily keeping his card every season and gaining his maiden win on that tour at the 2004 KLM Open. At the age of 40 he has now set up a good future for himself on the USPGA Tour for the years to come. Perhaps his maiden win could come in the 2013 Season? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Coming in solo third position at 281-7 after 72 holes was Phil Mickelson (USA); he earned US $455,600.00 for his efforts and moved to fifth position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,220,280 earned from the ten events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 190 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to sixth position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,003 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 nine cuts and achieved three top ten finishes that includes his win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February. He will be disappointed he was unable to win this title after having the 54 hole lead heading into the final round and he still had a one stroke lead with three holes to play. But he had a poor finish making bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes and he was unable to birdie the par four, 72nd hole to get into the playoff. I guess he will see it as an opportunity that slipped through his fingers? But it was still a good week for him and he can gain a lot of confidence from it heading into next week’s Players Championship which he won back in 2007.  He has been playing on the USPGA Tour Fulltime since the 1992 season and has easily kept his card every season since and has current career earnings on USPGA Tour of US $69,864,978. And that includes having 41 USPGA Tour wins to date so far in his career which includes four Major Championship titles as well and here they are from the first to the most recent: 1991 Northern Telecom Open.  1993 Buick Invitational of California, The International. 1994 Mercedes Championships.  1995 Northern Telecom Open. 1996 Nortel Open, Phoenix Open, GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic, NEC World Series of Golf.  1997 Bay Hill Invitational, Sprint International.  1998 Mercedes Championships,  AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.  2000 Buick Invitational, BellSouth Classic, MasterCard Colonial, THE TOUR Championship.  2001 Buick Invitational, Canon Greater Hartford Open.  2002 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, Canon Greater Hartford Open.  2004 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, Masters Tournament.  2005 FBR Open, AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, BellSouth Classic, PGA Championship.  2006 BellSouth Classic, Masters Tournament.  2007 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, THE PLAYERS Championship, Deutsche Bank Championship.  2008 Northern Trust Open, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.  2009 Northern Trust Open, World Golf Championships-CA Championship, THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.  2010 Masters Tournament.  2011 Shell Houston Open.  2012 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.  2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he won his fifth Major Championship this year. He has always been a favourite with the crowds and always Acknowledges all the praise he gets from them. He is known as the modern day Arnold Palmer (USA) in that respect and he also has the same go for broke attitude that Arnold Palmer (USA) had when he was in his prime. He also is very respectful to his opponents and this was shown last year in the Ryder Cup Matches which Team USA should have won easily. He was playing Justin Rose (England) on the final day singles matches. He had just narrowly missed chipping in for birdie on the Par three, 17th hole. Justin Rose (England) putted for birdie from just off the green and holed it for the win. He gave Justin Rose (England) great praise where other players wouldn’t have said anything. I wish Phil Mickelson (USA) all the best with the rest of his 2013 season.

Coming in tied for fourth position at 282-6 after 72 holes was Lee Westwood (England); he earned US $294,800.00 for his efforts and moved to 33rd position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,042,867 earned from the nine events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 123 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 38th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 493 points earned from the ninth events he has played to date this year so far. From those nine events he has played to date this year so far he has made every cut and achieved four top ten finishes that includes this one. He has been playing the USPGA Tour Fulltime for the last two years and on and off since the 1997 season and has achieved two wins that were the 1998 Freeport-McDermott Classic and the 2010 St. Jude Classic presented by Smith & Nephew. But because he mainly played in all the Major Championships and WGC – Championships that were co – sanctioned with the USPGA Tour when he was only playing the European Tour Fulltime. But his main tour has been the European Tour where he has played fulltime for the past twenty years since 1994 and he has easily kept his card every season and has won twenty two events to date so far. The only thing he is lacking in his career now is a Major Championship win; perhaps it will happen in the 2013 season?

Also tied for fourth position was Robert Karlsson (Sweden); he too earned US $294,800.00 for his efforts and moved to 109th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $326,911 earned from the seven events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 123 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 140th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 145 points earned from the seven events he has played to date this year so far. From those seven events he has played to date this year so far he has made three cuts and this was his first top ten finish of the season to date so far. He is in his third full season playing the USPGA Tour fulltime and last year failed to earn enough money to keep his full playing status for the 2013 season so he head back to the 2012 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament and finished in tied for 14th position and regained his card for the 2013 season. He has played the European Tour fulltime for the past twenty odd years and has easily kept his card every season and achieved eleven wins to date on that tour so far in his career. Let’s hope he can have some more top ten finishes in the weeks to come and can retain his USPGA Tour card for the 2013/14 season?

Coming in tied for sixth position at 283-5 after 72 holes was Kyle Stanley (USA); he earned US $216,912.50 for his efforts and moved to 46th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $839,453 earned from the 12 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 89 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 59th position in the current 2013 FedEx Cup points list standings with 375 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 seven cuts and this was his second top ten finish of the season to date in as many weeks. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2011 season after gaining his card at the 2010 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for ninth position. He achieved his maiden win on the USPGA Tour in the 2012 season where he won the Waste Management Phoenix Open and that was after losing the Farmers Insurance Open the week before in a playoff after making a triple bogey eight on the 72nd hole in regulation play. Maybe his second win will come in the 2013 season? Also tied for sixth position was Bo Van Pelt (USA); he too earned US $216,912.50 for his efforts and moved to 66th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $609,281 earned from the eleven events he has played to date  this year so far. He also earned 89 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 77th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 308 points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this year so far. From the eleven events he has played to date this year so far he has made eight cuts and this was his first top ten finish of the season so far. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2004 season easily keeping his card every season since. And he achieved his maiden win on the USPGA Tour at the 2009 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. I feel his second win could easily come in the 2013 season.

Also tied for sixth position was Kevin Streelman (USA); he too earned US $216,912.50 for his efforts and moved to tenth position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,863,656 earned from the 12 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 89 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to fifth position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,004 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 nine cuts and achieved four top ten finishes that includes his maiden USPGA Tour win at the Tampa Bay Championship presented by EverBank in mid March. He is just having his best season to date so far this year on the USPGA Tour of his career. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2008 season after gaining his card at the 2007 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for 14th position. I feel his second USPGA Tour win isn’t too far away. The final player to tie for sixth position was Ryan Moore (USA); he too earned US $216,912.50 for his efforts and moved to 55th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list with US $751,983 earned from the ten events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 89 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 58th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup points list standings with 376 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 his second top ten finish he has achieved this season. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2006 season easily keeping his card every season since and he has achieved two wins so far in his career with the first coming at the 2009 Wyndham Championship and the second coming at the 2012 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He gained his full USPGA Tour card by earning enough money from sponsor’s exemptions in the 2005 season after he played in the 2005 Masters Tournament and US Open Championship because he won the 2004 US Amateur Championship. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he won his third event on the USPGA Tour very soon.

Rounding out the top ten in tied for tenth position at 284-4 after 72 holes was Ross Fisher (England); he earned US $148,516.67 for his efforts and moved to 121st position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $298,992 earned from the 12 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 64 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 115th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 200 points earned from the 12 events he has played to date this year so far. From those 12 events he has played in he has made six cuts and this was his first top ten finish of the season so far. He is in his rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2013 after getting his card at the 2012 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament by finishing in tied for second position. He had previously played on the European Tour fulltime since the 2006 season with easily keeping his full playing status each year and he also has achieved four wins to date so far on the tour as well. Before this finish here his results hadn’t been that good with missing his last three cuts. Let’s hope he can have some more top ten finishes in the weeks to come? Also tied for tenth position was Charles Howell III (USA); he too earned US $148,516.67 for his efforts and moved to 16th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,542,323 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 64 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to eleventh position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 808 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 ten cuts and achieved five top ten finishes. He has played some great golf this year so far and must be due for his third USPGA Tour win very soon. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2001 season with easily keeping his card every season and has currently earned US $25,290,904 from the 377 USPGA Tour starts he has had to date so far in his career. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Also tied for tenth position was Vaughn Taylor (USA); he too earned US $148,516.67 for his efforts and moved to 115th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $319,617 earned from the seven events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 64 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 123rd position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 186 points earned from the seven events he has played to date this year so far. From those seven 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 to date so far. He had a poor season on the USPGA Tour in 2012 with only earning US $ 547,129 from the 26 events he played in and finished in 139th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings. And that meant he lost his full playing status for the 2013 season so he went back to the 2012 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament, but he failed to secure his full playing status there because he finished in 43rd position. He did get a full Web.com Tour card and has some status on the USPGA Tour for the 2013 season. He has won twice on the USPGA Tour and both wins came at the Reno-Tahoe Open in 2004/05. Let’s hope he can have some top ten finishes in the tournaments to come and regain his USPGA Tour card for the 2013/14 season. Also tied for tenth position was Rory McILroy (NIR); he too earned US $148,516.67 for his efforts and moved to 29th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,102,060 earned from the seven events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 64 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 31st position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 533 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 six cuts and withdrawn from the other event. He has also achieved three top ten finishes this year to date so far. He is now starting to produce some good results after having six months to get used to his new Nike Golf Clubs. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime for the last two seasons that includes this one. Last year in 2012 was his career year on the USPGA Tour as he won US $8,047,952 from the 16 events he played in and that included ten top ten finishes that included four wins as well. He won the USPGA Tour Money list title for the 2012 season. So far to date in his career he has won six events on the USPGA Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2010 Quail Hollow Championship, 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 The Honda Classic, PGA Championship, Deutsche Bank Championship, BMW Championship. I’m sure his seventh win on the USPGA Tour will happen sometime in the 2013 season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Also tied for tenth position was Brian Harman (USA); he too earned US $148,516.67 for his efforts and moved to 84th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $444,663 earned from the 15 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 64 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 81st position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 299 points earned from the 15 events he has played to date this year so far. From the 15 events he has played to date this year so far he has made nine cuts and this was his first top ten finish of the season so far. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime for the last two seasons and that includes this one after gaining his full USPGA Tour card by finishing in tied for eighth position at the 2011 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. He is yet to achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win; maybe it will happen in the 2013 season. The final player to tie for tenth position was Nick Watney (USA); he too earned US $148,516.67 for his efforts and moved to 34th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,035,449 earned from the 12 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 64 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 28th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 542 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 eleven cuts and this was his second top ten finish he has achieved this season so far. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2005 season with easily keeping his card each year and he has achieved five wins to date on the USPGA Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2007 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, 2009 Buick Invitational, 2011 World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship, AT&T National and the 2012 The Barclays. I feel win number six isn’t too far away and could easily happen in the 2013 season.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to Florida for the Players Championship and it is played on the famous TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. It carries the richest USPGA Tour prize purse of US $9,500,000. Matt Kuchar (USA) is the defending Champion and will be trying for back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 12th 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 629th week of his career in total is the Tiger Woods (USA) who is fresh off his tied for fourth position at the Masters Tournament three weeks ago with 11.79 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 10.41 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 three week ago with 7.81 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Justin Rose (England) with 6.67 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list this week is Luke Donald (England) with 6.46 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Michael Hendry (NZL) fresh off  his tie for 55th position at the at the Volvo China Open is the highest ranked New Zealander Golfer in the world for the Twelve straight week of his career. This week he slips four places and moves to 157th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 1.10 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember now the fairways are much wetter it is important to make solid contact with the ball!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com