Golf Events from the Weekend 26th May 2013

Well it was another awesome weekend of Golf on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world. First I will start with the European Tour and Race to Dubai and this week it was in England for the first time in the 2013 season for the BMW Championship which is the flagship event of the European Tour and it was played on the Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, England which is also the headquarters for the European Tour. And it was the Golfer by the name of Matteo Manassero (Italy) who scored rounds of 69-3, 71-1, 69-3 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72 hole total of 278-10 after 72 holes. But he was tied on that score by Simon Khan (England) who scored rounds of 69-3, 72 even par, 71-1 and a final round of 66-6 which was the lowest score in the final round for a 72 hole total of 278-10 also. Marc Warren (Scotland) scored rounds of 69-3, 70-2, 70-2 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72 hole total of 278-10 as well. So those three players headed back to the Par five, 18th tee for the first playoff hole.

So to the first playoff hole which was the Par five, 18th hole. Matteo Manassero (Italy) and Simon Khan (England) both made birdie fours on the par five, 18th hole and headed back to the par five, 18th tee for the second playoff hole. Marc Warren (Scotland) wasn’t so fortunate because his drive found the trees on the right of the 18th fairway and he was forced to take an unplayable lie and go back to the tee for his third shot. He went for the green with his fourth shot off a difficult downhill lie in the left rough with his fairway wood and didn’t quite strike it well enough to carry the water hazard in front of the green. He dropped his ball in the fairway behind the hazard and played his sixth shot on to the green. But then picked his ball up and shock hands with his opponents because he had been eliminated at the first extra hole.

Matteo Manassero (Italy) tees off during the playoff

So to the second playoff hole which was again the par five, 18th hole and both Matteo Manassero (Italy) and Simon Khan (England) put their tee shots in play. They both laid up short of the green leaving a short full wedge shot to the green. They both hit solid third shots into the green leaving makeable birdie putts. Simon Khan (England) putted first and just missed his birdie putt and easily tapped in for his par five. That meant that Matteo Manassero (Italy) now had his birdie putt from about 15 feet to win the BMW PGA Championship. He struck a good putt but it just missed on the left hand side of the cup and he easily tapped in for his par five. That meant those two players were heading back to the par five, 18th tee for the third playoff hole.

So to the third playoff hole which was again the par five, 18th hole. This time both players hit brilliant drives right down the centre of the fairway. Matteo Manassero (Italy) played first and chose a fairway wood to go for the green in two shots. He lost it to the right, pin high in the green side bunker. Simon Khan (England) then hit his second shot with his rescue wood and stuck it very well but it landed pin high and rolled into the back bunker. They both hit good bunker shots for their third shots and both players were left with just under five feet for their birdie fours. Matteo Manassero (Italy) putted for his birdie four first and confidently holed it. That put the pressure right back on Simon Khan (England) to hole his birdie putt to keep the playoff alive. He was up to the challenge and easily holed it for his birdie four. That meant those two players were heading back to the par five, 18th tee for the fourth playoff hole.

So to the fourth playoff hole which was again the par five, 18th hole. This time both players again hit brilliant drives right down the centre of the fairway. This time Simon Khan (England) played first and again he chose his rescue wood to go for the green in two shots. He struck it well but it failed to carry the water hazard in front of the green. Matteo Manassero (Italy) played next with his fairway rescue wood and struck it brilliantly and it carried the water hazard and hit the green to finish pin high right leaving him a twenty foot putt for his eagle three. Simon Khan (England) dropped his ball behind the water hazard incurring a one stroke penalty. He was now playing his fourth shot and he hit it on the green pin high to the right leaving about 15 feet for his par putt. Matteo Manassero (Italy) putted for his eagle three from twenty feet and rolled it to within a foot of the cup and easily tapped in for his birdie four to win the BMW PGA Championship. That meant there was no need for Simon Khan (England) to even putt for his par five. Matteo Manassero (Italy) hugged his caddie to celebrate!!

Matteo Manassero (Italy) won € 791,660.00 for the win and moved to the top of the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with €1,055,491 earned from the ten events he has played to date this year so far. Graeme McDowell (NIR) is still in second position on that list with €1,029,186 earned from the five events he has played to date this year so far. From the ten events Matteo Manassero (Italy) has played to date this year so far he has made nine cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that includes the win here.

It was Matteo Manassero (Italy) fourth European Tour International Schedule victory in his 82nd European Tour event. He moves to €1,055,491 in The Race to Dubai. The second consecutive European Tour season he has passed €1 million in a single European Tour season. He moves into the top 30 of the Official World Golf Ranking from 57th. At aged 20 years and 37 days becomes the youngest winner in the history of the Championship, beating the previous record of Bernard Gallacher (Scotland) in 1969, who was aged 20 years and 97 days. It was his first European Tour victory since the 2012 Singapore Open. It was his fourth consecutive European Tour season with a victory, dating back to the 2010 season. This matches the current European Tour record for most consecutive winning years of four, alongside Ian Poulter (England) and Louis Oosthuizen (RSA).

This victory comes in his fourth BMW PGA Championship appearance. This victory beats his previous best performance in the BMW PGA Championship of tied seventh in 2011. This is the second of his four European Tour victories where he has made up a final round deficit. The other event was his first win at the 2010 CASTELLÓ MASTERS Costa Azahar. In the last 11 Championships, dating back to 2003, the winner has made up a final round deficit on six occasions. The winners were: Ignacio Garrido (Spain) (2003), Scott Drummond (Scotland) (2004), Anders Hansen (Denmark) (2007), Miguel Angel Jiménez (Spain) (2008), Simon Khan (England) (2010) and Matteo Manassero (Italy) (2013). He becomes only the second Italian to win the Championship, following Costantino Rocca (Italy) in 1996. He becomes the 45th different player to win the Championship, dating back to 1955.

This victory is the first Italian triumph since Matteo Manassero (Italy) won the 2012 Singapore Open. It was the fourth consecutive European Tour season that Italy have won on The European Tour, dating back to 2010. It was the 19th Italian victory in European Tour history. He becomes the first player to win the Championship in their 20s since José María Olazábal (Spain) in 1994. It was the 19th victory in the Championship by a player in their 20s.He becomes the youngest winner on The European Tour in 2013. He moves into second place in the list of most prolific Italian winners on The European Tour, just one behind Costantino Rocca (Italy) with five. He maintains his 100% record in European Tour play-offs, played two, won two.

He gains a European Tour exemption until the end of 2018. He gains his largest European Tour prize of €791,660. He moves over €4 million in European Tour Official Career Earnings from just 82 European Tour events. He gains an exemption in the 2013 US Open Championship. He gains a three year European Tour exemption into The Open Championship. He gains an exemption into the 2013 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational, 2013 WGC – HSBC Champions and 2014 Volvo Golf Champions. And finally it was his fourth victory as a professional.

Matteo Manassero (Italy) poses with the BMW PGA Championship Trophy he won

Matteo Manassero (Italy) has been playing on the European Tour fulltime since the 2010 season which was his rookie season on the European Tour where he turned professional at the BMW Italian Open which was his National Open. In the 2010 season he earned € 890,402 from the 19 events he played in and won his maiden event on the European Tour which came at the CASTELLÓ MASTERS Costa Azahar. He finished in 31st position on the final 2010 Race to Dubai Money list. His second season on the European Tour in 2011 was just as good with him earning € 859,461 from the 22 events he played in and that included his second win on the European Tour which came at the Maybank Malaysian Open. He again finished in 31st position on the final 2011 Race to Dubai Money list standings. His third season on the European Tour in 2012 was even better than the previous two with him earning € 1,595,093 from the 27 events he played in and that included his third win that came at the Barclays Singapore Open. He finished in 13th position on the final 2012 Race to Dubai Money list standings which was a fine effort for a then 19 year old. He just turned 20 last month and it is amazing everything he has achieved in the game so far at such a young age. I feel he could be a major factor in the last three Major Championships of the year. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Coming in tied for second position at 278-10 after 72 holes and losing in the playoff on the fourth playoff hole as I mentioned above was Simon Khan (England); he earned € 412,560.00 for his efforts and moved to 20th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 484,503 earned from the six events he has played in to date this year so far. In those six events he has played to date this year so far he has made four cuts and achieved two top ten finishes including this one. He has been playing on the European Tour Fulltime since the 2002 season with having some very good seasons and some average seasons. He has won two European Tour events so far in his European Tour career and the first one came in the 2004 season at the Celtic Manor Wales Open and the second came in the 2010 season at the BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP which was this very event. His career year on the European Tour came in the 2010 season where he earned € 972,686 from the 28 events he played in and finished in 25th position on the final 2010 Race to Dubai Money list standings. I feel this will give him a lot of confidence and he could very easily win again in the 2013 season. Also tied for second position and losing on the first playoff hole was Marc Warren (Scotland); he too earned € 412,560.00 for his efforts and moved to 16th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 538,109 earned from the 12 events he has played in to date this year so far. From those 12 events he has played in he has made eight cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that includes this one. He has been playing the European Tour Fulltime since the 2006 season and has easily kept his card every year since for the next season. He has achieved two wins on the European Tour to date so far in his career and the first one came in the 2006 season at the EnterCard Scandinavian Masters in his rookie season on the European Tour and the second one came in the 2007 where he won the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. His career year to date on the European Tour came in the 2007 season where he earned € 735,957 from the 30 events he played in and finished in 42nd position on the then final 2007 European Tour Order of Merit. I feel his third win on the European Tour could well come in the 2013 season.

Coming in tied for fourth position at 279-9 after 72 holes was Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain); he earned € 219,450.00 for his efforts and moved to 62nd position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 219,450.00 earned from the two events he has played to date this year so far. In the two events he has played to date this year so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish which came at this event. He has only played in two events this year so far because he has spent the first half of the year recovering from a broken right leg he suffered in a skiing fall at a Christmas Holiday in 2012. He has been playing the European Tour Fulltime since the 1989 season and has easily kept his card for the following season every season since. He has finished fourth on the final European Tour Order of Merit four times in his career and the most recent time he has done that was in the 2008 season where he earned € 2,066,596 from the 26 events he played in. He has also won 19 events to date on the European Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 1992 Piaget Belgian Open, 1994 Heineken Dutch Open, 1998 Turespana Masters Open Baleares, 1998 Trophee Lancome, 1999 Turespana Masters - Open Andalucia, 1999 VOLVO MASTERS, 2003 Turespaña Mallorca Classic, 2004 Johnnie Walker Classic, 2004 Algarve Open de Portugal Caixa Geral de Depositos, 2004 BMW Asian Open, 2004 BMW International Open, 2005 Omega Hong Kong Open, 2005 The Celtic Manor Wales Open, 2008 UBS Hong Kong Open, 2008 BMW PGA Championship, 2010 Omega Dubai Desert Classic, 2010 Alstom Open de France, 2010 Omega European Masters and the 2012 UBS Hong Kong Open. His European Tour career is now in its twilight years as he is now 49 years of age and turns 50 in early January next year. He may be considering giving the Champions Tour in the USA a try next year? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Also tied for fourth position was Alejandro Canizares (Spain); he too earned € 219,450.00 for his efforts and moved to 49th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 266,191 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 very first top ten finish he has achieved so far this year. He has been playing the European Tour fulltime since the 2006 season with easily keeping his card every year since except one season which was in 2009 that he had to go back to the final European Tour Qualifying School and he finished in tied for fourth position easily regaining his full playing card for the 2010 season. His career year to date on the European Tour came in the 2010 season where he earned € 806,510 from the 28 events he played in and finished in 38th position on the final 2010 Race to Dubai Money list standings. He has won one event on the European Tour to date so far in his career and that came at the 2006 The Imperial Collection Russian Open and that was in his rookie year in only his third start as an Affiliate Member. I’m sure his second win isn’t too far off and maybe it will happen in the 2013 season?

Coming in tied for sixth position at 280-8 after 72 holes was Ernie Els (RSA); he earned € 142,500.00 for his efforts and moved to 32nd position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 394,985 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 every single cut and this was his very first top ten finish he has achieved so far this season. He has been playing the European Tour Fulltime since the 1993 season and has easily kept his card every year since for the next season with playing the USPGA Tour fulltime as well. His career year’s to date on the European Tour came in the both the 2003 and 2004 seasons with him earning € 2,975,374 from the 16 events he played in and he finished in number one position on the then final 2003 European Tour Order of Merit list standings. He had an even better year in the 2004 season with earning € 4,061,905 from the 15 events he played in and again topped the then 2004 European Tour Order of Merit list standings. He has won 27 events on the European Tour to date in his career so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 1994 Dubai Desert Classic, 1994 U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP (Maiden Major Championship), 1995 Lexington S.A. PGA, 1997 Johnnie Walker Classic, 1997 U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP (Second Major Championship), 1998 South African Open, 1999 Alfred Dunhill S.A. PGA, 2000 Standard Life Loch Lomond, 2002 Heineken Classic, 2002 Dubai Desert Classic, 2002, 131st OPEN GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP (Third Major Championship), 2003 Heineken Classic, 2003 Johnnie Walker Classic, 2003 The Barclays Scottish Open, 2003 Omega European Masters, 2004 Heineken Classic, 2004 WGC - American Express Championship, 2004 HSBC World Match Play Championship, 2005 Dubai Desert Classic, 2005 Qatar Masters, 2005 BMW Asian Open, 2006 dunhill championship, 2007 South African Airways Open, 2007 HSBC World Match Play Championship, 2010 WGC - CA Championship, 2011 South African Open Championship and the 2012, THE 141st OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP (Fourth Major Championship). He turns 44 years old in mid October this year and I am sure he will achieve win number 28 in the 2013 season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Also tied for sixth position was James Kingston (RSA); he too earned € 142,500.00 for his efforts and moved to 69th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 200,122 earned from the six events he has played to date this year so far. From those six events he has played to date this year so far he has made five cuts and this was his first top ten finish he has achieved this season to date as well. He has played on the European Tour fulltime since the 2002 season and has easily kept his card for the next season every season since except for a couple of seasons. And one of them was last season where he failed to keep his full playing status for the 2013 season and is only playing in some tournaments in the 2013 season. His career year to date on the European Tour came in the 2008 season where he earned € 973,594 from the 22 events he played in and finish in 17th position on the then final 2008 European Tour Order of Merit Standings list. He has won two European Tour events to date in his career so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: The 2008 South African Airways Open and the 2009 Mercedes-Benz Championship. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season. The final player to tie for sixth position was Eddie Pepperell (England); he too earned € 142,500.00 for his efforts and moved to 60th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 225,847 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 two top ten finishes including this one. He is in his rookie season on the European Tour in 2013 after gaining his full playing status by finishing in 13th position on the final 2013 Challenge Tour Rankings with € 72,378 earned from the 16 events he played in. He is still very young with only being 22 years old and I feel this finish will give him a huge boost of confidence for the tournaments coming up in the coming weeks. And now his full playing status for the 2014 season is secure he will be able to play with a lot of freedom.

Rounding out the top ten in tied for ninth position at 281-7 after 72 holes was Francesco Molinari (Italy); he earned € 96,266.67 for his efforts and moved to 36th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 358,668 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 achieved three top ten finishes including the one here. He has been playing on the European Tour Fulltime since the 2005 season with easily keeping his card for the next season every season since. His career year on the European Tour came in the 2010 season where he earned € 2,799,692 from the 27 events he played in and finished in fifth position on the 2010 Final Race to Dubai Money list standings. He has won three events so far in his career on the European Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: The 2006 Telecom Italia Open, the 2010 WGC - HSBC Champions and the 2012 Reale Seguros Open de España. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had his fourth win in the 2013 season. Also tied for ninth position was Richie Ramsay (Scotland); he too earned € 96,266.67 for his efforts and moved to 54th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 245,198 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 seven cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that includes the one here. He has been playing the European Tour fulltime since the 2009 season and has easily kept his card for the next season every season. His career year to date on the European Tour came in the 2012 season where he earned € 1,009,417 from the 25 events he played in and he finished in 26th position on the final 2012 Race to Dubai Money list standings. He has won two events on the European Tour so far in his career and they are the 2010 South African Open Championship and the 2012 Omega European Masters. His third win may well come in the 2013 season?

The final played to tie for ninth position was Lee Westwood (England); he too earned € 96,266.67 for his efforts and moved to 25th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings with € 440,196 earned from the five events he has played to date this year so far. From those five events he has played to date this year so far he has made all five cuts and achieved three top ten finishes including this one. He has been playing the European Tour fulltime since the 1994 season and has amazing success with winning 22 events in that time so far and here are those wins from his first to the most recent: 1996 Volvo Scandinavian Masters, 1997 Volvo Masters, 1998 Deutsche Bank - SAP Open-TPC of Europe, 1998 National Car Rental English Open, 1998 The Standard Life Loch Lomond, 1998 Belgacom Open, 1999 TNT Dutch Open, 1999 Smurfit European Open, 1999 Canon European Masters, 2000 Deutsche Bank-SAP Open TPC of Europe, 2000 Compaq European Grand Prix, 2000 Smurfit European Open, 2000 Volvo Scandinavian Masters, 2000 Belgacom Open, 2003 BMW International Open, 2003 dunhill links championship, 2007 Valle Romano Open de Andalucia, 2007 The Quinn Direct British Masters, 2009 Portugal Masters, 2009 Dubai World Championship presented by: DP World, 2011 Ballantine's Championship and the 2012 Nordea Masters. He is career year to date on the European Tour came in the 2009 season where he earned € 4,237,762 from the 26 events he played in and he won the 2009 Final Race to Dubai Money list standings. I sure win number 23 will come in the 2013 season and maybe it will be his maiden Major Championship?

Michael Campbell (NZL) was the only New Zealand Golfer in the field. He scored rounds of 77+5 and 78+6 for a 36 hole 155+11 and missed the 36 hole halfway cut by nine strokes. So far this year from the seven events he has played in he has made two cuts and they both were top twenty finishes to start the season. He has missed his last five consecutive cuts since then. So far this season on the European Tour he has earned € 49,444 from the seven events he has played in to date this year so far and is currently in 144th position on the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings. Let’s hope he can at least make some cuts in the next few events he plays in?

Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai heads to Sweden for the Nordea Masters and it is played at the Bro Hof Slott GC, Stockholm, Sweden. It carries a prize purse of €1,500,000 for the taking. Lee Westwood (England) is the defending Champion and will be keen for back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 30th May 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 it was the second and final leg of the second Texas Swing leg of the season and was the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and it was played on the Colonial CC, Ft. Worth, Texas. And it was the golfer by the name of Boo Weekley (USA) who scored rounds of 67-3, 67-3, 66-4 and a final round of 66-4 for a 72 hole total of 266-14 and he won by one stroke for his third win on the USPGA tour in his career and his first win in just over five years. He won US $1,152,000.00 for the win and moved to sixth position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 2,269,568 earned from the 15 events he has played 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. Boo Weekley (USA) also got 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and moved to sixth position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,114 points earned from the 15 events he has played to date this year so far, he is 1,226 points behind the current leader of the FedEx Cup points list who is Tiger Woods (USA) who has earned 2,340 points from the seven events he has played to date this year so far. He has a 866 points lead over Brandt Snedeker (USA) who is in second position with 1,474 points earned from the ten events he has played to date this year so far. In the 15 events Boo Weekley (USA) has played to date this year so far he has made 13 cuts and has achieved four top ten finishes which includes the win here.

Boo Weekley (USA) in action during the final round

Boo Weekley (USA) played a fine final round of 66-4 which included a front nine of 33-2 that included birdies on the par five, first hole, par four, third hole, par three, eighth hole and par four, ninth hole. But he made poor bogeys on the Par four, fifth hole and par four, seventh hole. He made the turn at minus 12 and was one shot off the lead. Matt Kuchar (USA) went out in 35 even par and made the turn at minus eleven and was two shots behind the leader. Zach Johnson (USA) went out in 32-3 and made the turn at minus eleven and was two shots behind the leader. Scott Stallings (USA) had gone out in an amazing 29-6 and made the turn at minus 13 and was leading by one stroke.

Boo Weekley (USA) played holes 10-14 in two under par and he moved to minus 14 and still was in the lead by two shots. Matt Kuchar (USA) played holes 10-14 in one under par and he moved to minus 12 and was still two shots behind the leader. Zach Johnson (USA) played holes 10-14 in even par and remained at minus eleven but now was three strokes behind the leader. Scott Stallings (USA) played holes 10-14 in even par and remained at minus 13 but now was one stroke behind the leader. Boo Weekley (USA) played holes 15-17 in even par and remained minus 14 heading to the 72nd hole and now had a two shot lead. Matt Kuchar (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in even par and was still minus 12 with just the par four, 72nd hole to play and still was two strokes behind the leader. Zach Jonhson (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one under par and moved to minus 12 and was now two strokes back of the leader with just the par four, 72nd hole to play. Scott Stallings (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in two over par and had slipped back to minus eleven and was now three strokes off the lead with just the par four, 72nd hole to play and any chance he had of winning had vanished.

Boo Weekley (USA) chose driver off the short par four, 72nd hole and struck it brilliantly as he had been doing all day and it landed right in the centre of the fairway leaving a short wedge shot to the green. He now knew that if he could put his wedge shot on the green and two putt he would win the tournament. He struck a fine short wedge shot that landed on the green 15 feet behind the flag stick. His 15 foot putt for birdie did everything but not go in the hole by just catching the left hand side of the cup and spinning out. He easily tapped the one foot putt in for his par four and he had won the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He scored 33-2 on the back nine and finished the 72 holes at minus 14 to win by one stroke. The huge gallery around the 72nd green screamed out “BOO” which is of course his first name as they always do when he wins or is in contention. He celebrated the win with his caddie by giving him a huge high five!! Matt Kuchar (USA) made a fine birdie on the par four, 72nd hole from the left hand trees and finished the 72 holes at minus 13 and was one shot behind the winner. Zach Johnson (USA) made a par four at the 72nd hole and remained at minus 12 and finished the 72 holes at minus 12 which was two shots behind the winner. Scott Stallings (USA) made a solid par four on the 72nd hole and remained at minus eleven after 72 holes and finished three shots behind the winner.

Boo Weekley (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2007 season after gaining his full USPGA Tour card for the 2007 season by finishing in seventh position on the final 2006 Web.com Tour Money list standings with US $ 312,843 earned from the 24 events he played in. He had an amazing season in 2007 on the USPGA Tour with getting his maiden win at the Verizon Heritage. He earned US $2,613,211 from the 29 events he played in and finished in 23rd position on the final 2007 USPGA Money list standings list. He backed up his 2007 season with another fine season in 2008 with defending his Verizon Heritage title for his second USPGA Tour win and he earned US $2,398,751 from the 24 events he played in and finished in 25th position on the final 2008 USPGA Tour Money list standings. In 2009 he didn’t do as well as his previous two seasons with only achieving one top ten finish. He earned US $1,107,448 from the 22 events he played in and finished in 85th position on the final 2009 USPGA Tour Money list standings but easily kept his card for the 2010 season.

Boo Weekley (USA) poses with the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial Trophy and Plaid Jacket he won!!

In 2010 he did slightly worse than the previous year with earning US $872,729 from the 27 events he played in and that included achieving three top ten finishes. He finished in 111th position on the final 2010 USPGA Tour Money list standings and again easily kept his card for the 2011 season. In his 2011 season he played some very poor golf and only earned US $279,531 from the 23 events he played in and didn’t achieve any top ten finishes. He finished in 180th position on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list standings and that left him with no status on the USPGA Tour for the 2012. He went to the 2011 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament to try and regain his card but only finished in 58th position which gave him a full Web.com Tour card for the 2012 season. In 2012 he ended up playing in 25 events on the USPGA Tour and he earned US $848,347 which included three top ten finishes and he finished in 108th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings and easily kept his card for the 2013 season. He is known for being one of the best ball strikers on the USPGA Tour and he proved it this week with this win. He now gets to play in the 2014 Hyundai Tournament of Champions and Masters Tournament. He is getting a reputation as the Plaid Jacket king because all his three wins to date so far on the USPGA Tour have giving out a Plaid Jacket to the winner. He is a great personality on the USPGA Tour and I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Coming in solo second position at 267-13 after 72 holes was Matt Kuchar (USA); he earned US $691,200.00 for his efforts and moved to third position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,217,082 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to third position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup points list standings with 1,422 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 every cut and achieved five top ten finishes that includes the one this week here and he also won the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship back in late February. He will be disappointed he wasn’t able to convert his 54 hole lead into a victory but he will be still pleased with his second place finish at the same time. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2007 season in his second go at it after losing his card back in the 2005 season. He has played some brilliant Golf since 2007 and that includes winning four tournaments and here are all his five wins on the USPGA Tour from his first to the most recent: 2002 The Honda Classic, 2009 Turning Stone Resort Championship, 2010 The Barclays, 2012 THE PLAYERS Championship and the 2013 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Coming in solo third position at 268-12 after 72 holes was the defending Champion, Zach Johnson (USA); he won US $435,200.00 for his efforts and moved to 53rd position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $885,897 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 190 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 55th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 477 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 this was his first top ten finish he has achieved this season so far. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2004 season after gaining his card by finishing at the top of the 2003 final Web.com Tour Money list with US $ 494,882 earned from the 20 events he played in. In his rookie season on the USPGA Tour he won his maiden USPGA Tour event which was the BellSouth Classic. He has easily kept his card every year since and has won at least US$ 1million in all of those seasons. He has won nine events on the USPGA Tour so far in his career and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2004 BellSouth Classic, 2007 Masters Tournament (Maiden Major Championship, AT&T Classic, 2008 Valero Texas Open, 2009 Sony Open in Hawaii, Valero Texas Open, 2010 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, 2012 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and the John Deere Classic. I feel his second Major Championship win isn’t too far away and perhaps it will happen in the 2013 season?

Coming in tied for fourth position at 269-11 after 72 holes was Scott Stallings (USA); he earned US $264,533.34 for his efforts and moved to 69th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $700,101 earned from the 15 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 115 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 75th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 371 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 six cuts and achieved two top ten finishes including the one here. He is in his third full season of playing on the USPGA Tour Fulltime after gaining his 2011 USPGA Tour card at the 2010 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for 11th position. He had a very good season in his rookie season in 2011 on the USPGA Tour where he earned US $1,957,162 from the 28 events he played in and made 13 cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which included his maiden win at the Greenbrier Classic. He finished in 41st position on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list standings which meant he easily kept his card for the 2012 season. He had another good season on the USPGA Tour in the 2012 season with earning US $1,293,739 from the 27 events he played in and he made 12 cuts and achieved one top ten finish which was a win at the True South Classic for his second USPGA Tour victory. He finished in 66th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings. He has always seemed to be a hot and cold player throughout his career and when he is hot it is usually has a top ten finish or even a win. In the two tournaments this year he has had top ten finishes in he could easily have won them if it wasn’t for a stupid error at the wrong time. I feel his third win on the USPGA Tour isn’t too far away.  

Also tied for fourth position was John Rollins (USA); he too earned US $264,533.34 for his efforts and moved to 55th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $881,391 earned from the 15 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 115 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 45th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 535 points earned from the 15 events he has played in to date so far this year. From the 15 events he has played to date this year so far he has made eleven cuts and this is his first top ten he has achieved this season to date so far. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2002 season and has easily kept his card for the next season every season since. In that time he has achieved three wins on the USPGA Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2002 Bell Canadian Open, 2006 B.C. Open presented by Turning Stone Resort and the 2009 Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. I feel his fourth win on the USPGA Tour is just around the corner. The final player to tie for fourth position was Matt Every (USA); he too earned US $264,533.34 for his efforts and moved to 75th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $653,967 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 115 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 80th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 351 points earned from the 17 events he has played to date this year so far. From the 17 events he has played to date this year so far he has made ten cuts and this was his second top ten finish he has achieved to date this season so far. He has been playing the USPGA Tour on and off since the 2010 season and last year he had his best season so far with earning US $1,972,166 from the 25 events he played in and that included making 15 cuts and achieving six top ten finishes. He finished up in 40th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings. I feel his maiden USPGA Tour win isn’t too far off and could well happen in the 2013 season.

Round out the top ten in tied for seventh position at 270-10 after 72 holes was Josh Teater (USA); he earned US $192,800.00 for his efforts and moved to 38th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,222,283 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 29th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 626 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 12 cuts and achieved three top ten finishes and that includes the one here. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2010 season after gaining his card by finishing in seventh position on the final 2009 Web.com Tour Money list standings with US $ 326,438 earned from the 26 events he played in. He has easily kept his USPGA Tour card every year since and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he won his maiden USPGA Tour event in the 2013 season. Also tied for seventh position was Jordan Spieth (USA); he too earned US $192,800.00 for his efforts but because he isn’t a current member of the USPGA Tour he doesn’t get a 2013 USPGA Tour Money list ranking or FedEx Cup Points ranking. But in the eleven events he has played to date this year so far on the USPGA Tour he has earned US $905,873 and made eight cuts and achieved four top ten finishes including the one here. He already has secure his full playing status for the 2013/14 season on the USPGA Tour and has unlimited sponsor’s exemptions for the rest of the year. Being only 19 years of age he is a real up and coming talent on the USPGA Tour and I wish him well for the rest of the 2013 season.

Also tied for seventh position was Tim Clark (RSA); he too earned US $192,800.00 for his efforts and moved to 33rd position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,261,809 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 30th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 623 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 eight cuts and achieved three top ten finishes including this one. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2002 season and has easily kept his card every year since. In that time he has had a very successful career with earning US $20,643,334 from the 255 events he has played to date in his USPGA Tour career so far. He has only achieved one win though and that came at the 2010 THE PLAYERS Championship. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season. The final player to tie for seventh position was Chris Stroud (USA); he too earned US $192,800.00 for his efforts and moved to 70th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $686,431 earned from the 16 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 71st position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 375 points earned from the 16 events he has played to date this year so far. From those 16 events he has played to date this year so far he has made ten cuts and withdrawn from one event. He has also achieved two top ten finishes and that includes the one here. He has been playing on and off the USPGA Tour since the 2007 season after gaining his card at the 2006 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for 16th position. And has managed to keep his full playing status for the next year every year since except for the 2007 and 2008 seasons where he had to go back to the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he gained his card back both times for the following season. He is yet to achieve his maiden win on the USPGA Tour; perhaps it will happen in the 2013 season?

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to Ohio for the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance which Jack Nicklaus (USA) hosts and it is played on the Muirfield Village GC, Dublin, Ohio. It carries a prize purse of US $6,200,000. Tiger Woods (USA) is the defending Champion and will be looking for back to back titles and for his sixth Memorial Tournament win. It starts on Thursday 30th May and I will report back next week who won the trophy.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position for the 633rd week of his career in total is the Tiger Woods (USA) who is fresh off his win at the Players Championship two weeks ago with 13.40 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 10.03 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 7.62 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Justin Rose (England) with 6.40 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 6.35 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Michael Hendry (NZL) fresh off  his tie for 55th position at the at the Volvo China Open three weeks ago is the highest ranked New Zealander Golfer in the world for the fifteenth straight week of his career. This week he slips three places and moves to 163rd position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 1.07 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember now we are playing in winter conditions it is very important to make solid contact with the ball!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com