Golf Events from the Weekend 25th August 2013

It was another awesome weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to Jersey City, New Jersey for the first playoff event in the 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Series and only the top 125 players on the final 2013 regular season FedEx Cup points list were eligible to play in it and it was The Barclays and it was played on Liberty National GC, Jersey City, NJ. And the golfer by the name of Adam Scott (Australia) scored rounds of 69-2, 66-5, 72+1 and a excellent final round of 66-5 for a 72 hole total of 273-11 and he won by one shot for his tenth win of his USPGA Tour career so far and his second win this season having won the Masters Tournament in April. Adam Scott (Australia) earned 2500 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for the win and moved to second position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs points list standings with 3847 points earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. Adam Scott (Australia) is 162 points behind the current leader on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Points standings who is Tiger Woods (USA) who has 4009 points earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. Adam Scott (Australia) also earned US $1,440,000 for the win and moved to fifth position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $4,646,513 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. Tiger Woods (USA) still leads that list with US $8,215,119 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. From the 13 events Adam Scott (Australia) has played to date this year so far he has made all 13 cuts and achieved six top ten finishes that includes the win here and also his maiden Major Championship win at the Masters Tournament in April.

Adam Scott (Australia) played a flawless final round of 66-5 that included a front nine of 33-3 and that included birdies on the par four, fifth hole, par five, sixth hole and par four, seventh hole and he made the turn at minus nine and was two shots behind the leaders. Graham DeLaet (Canada) scored 34-2 on his front nine and made the turn at minus six and was five shots behind the leaders. Justin Rose (England) scored 34-2 on his front nine and made the turn at minus nine and was two shots behind the leaders. Tiger Woods (USA) went out in 33-3 and made the turn at minus eleven and was tied for the lead. Gary Woodland (USA) went out in 37+1 and made the turn at minus eleven and was tied for the lead.

Adam Scott (Australia) played holes 10 – 14 in one under par and moved to minus ten and was now one shot behind the leader. Graham DeLaet (Canada) played holes 10 – 14 in three under par and moved to minus nine and was now only two shots behind the leader. Justin Rose (England) played holes 10 – 14 in two under par and moved to minus eleven and now had the lead outright by one shot. Tiger Woods (USA) played holes 10 – 14 in two over par and fell back to minus nine and was now two shots off the leader. Gary Woodland (USA) played holes 10 – 14 in one over par and had fallen back to minus ten and now was one shot off the leader.

Adam Scott (Australia) in action during the final round

Adam Scott (Australia) played holes 15 -17 in one under par and moved to minus eleven with just the par four, 72nd hole to play and was now in a share of the lead. Graham DeLaet (Canada) played holes 15 – 17 in one under par and moved to minus ten and was now only one shot off the leaders. Justin Rose (England) played holes 15 – 17 in even par and remained at minus eleven and was now tied for the lead at minus eleven with just one hole remaining. Tiger Woods (USA) played holes 15 – 17 in one under par and moved to minus ten and was now only one shot off the leaders. Gary Woodland (USA) played holes 15 – 17 in even par and remained at minus ten and one shot behind the leaders.

Adam Scott (Australia) who teed off about an hour ahead of the final group made a solid par up the par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes on minus eleven and had a wait in the club house to see if that score would hold up for a playoff or maybe be good enough to win out right. Adam Scott (Australia) scored a solid back nine of 33-2 which was very good in the tricky wind conditions. Graham DeLaet (Canada) who also was playing well ahead of the final groups made a solid par up the par four, 72nd hole and he finished the 72 holes on minus ten and was one shot behind the winner. He also scored the equal lowest final round of 65-6. Justin Rose (England) who was playing a couple of groups ahead of the final group hit two solid shots into the par four, 72nd hole and had about 20 feet up the hill for his birdie three to possibly win the tournament. He struck the putt very firmly and it rolled past the hole by six feet. He now had to make the return par putt to force a playoff but he missed on the right hand side and he had to settle for a bogey five. He finished the 72 holes on minus ten and was one shot behind the winner. Tiger Woods (USA) who had played most of the back nine with severe back pain was playing in the group ahead of the leaders. His second shot was very attacking and just rolled through the back of the green on the fringe but left him with a putt up the slope for his attempt to tie the lead and force a playoff. He struck a very good birdie putt from the fringe and it rolled and came to rest a couple of inches short of the cup. It disappointed him and he had to settle for his par four on the 72nd hole and he finished the 72 holes on minus ten one shot behind the winner. But it showed to me what a huge competitor he is with the intense pain he was in and he was still inches away from forcing a playoff. Gary Woodland (USA) hit a solid drive up the par four, 72nd hole and he struck his short iron second shot into 15 feet pin high right of the flag stick. Playing in the final group he now was the last player that had any chance of forcing a playoff. He struck a good putt for his birdie but it broke too far to the left and he had to settle for his par four and he finished the 72 holes at minus ten and was one shot behind the winner.  

Adam Scott (Australia) poses with The Barclays Trophy he won!!

Adam Scott (Australia) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2003 season and has kept his card for the next season every season since. In that time he has career earnings of US $32,952,967 earned from the 210 events he has played to date so far in his career. He has also won ten times on the USPGA Tour to date in his career so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2003 Deutsche Bank Championship, 2004 THE PLAYERS Championship, Booz Allen Classic, 2006 THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, 2007 Shell Houston Open, 2008 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, 2010 Valero Texas Open, 2011 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, 2013 Masters Tournament (Maiden Major Championship) and The Barclays. He had the best record of any player in the four Major Championships in 2013 with winning the Masters Tournament in April; tying for 45th position at the 113th US Open Championship in June; tying for third at the 142nd Open Championship in July and tying for fifth at the 95th PGA Championship in August. I feel with the form he is in at the moment he could very well be a contender for the FedEx Cup and he now is a genuine contender with lying in second position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs standing points list heading into the second playoff event at the Deutsche Bank Championship next week. He proved this week that he has one of the solid and most consistent Golf Swings on the USPGA Tour that can stand up to the intense pressures that the FedEx Cup Playoff Events throw at the players. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff season.

Coming in tied for second position at 274-10 after 72 holes was Graham DeLaet (Canada); he earned US $528,000.00 for his efforts and moved to twenty fifth position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,105,300 earned from the twenty three events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 950 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to seventh position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs points standings list with 1,806 points earned from the twenty three events he has played to date so far this year. From the twenty three events he has played to date this year so far he has made 18 cuts and achieved six top ten finishes which includes the one here. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour full time since the 2010 season after gaining his card at the 2009 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for eighth position. In his rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2010 he had a very good season and earned just under one million US dollars and easily kept his card for the 2011 season. In his second full season on the USPGA Tour in 2011 season he sat out the majority of the campaign due to a back injury and played the 2012 season out of the Major Medical Extension category, where he had 26 events to earn $657,694 in 2012 season. In the 2012 season which was his third full season on the USPGA Tour he earned just over a million US Dollars and easily made the US $657,694 he required to keep his card for the 2013 season. He has already won more money this year than he had his previous three seasons at the same stage. I feel his maiden win on the USPGA Tour isn’t too far away and maybe it will happen in the 2013 season, and perhaps now he is a real contender to win the FedEx Cup? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season. 

Also tied for second position was Justin Rose (England); he too earned US $528,000.00 for his efforts and moved to sixth position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,691,881 earned from the 14 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 950 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to fifth position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs points standings list with 2,397 points earned from the 14 events he has played to date this year so far. From the 14 events he has played to date this year so far he has made 12 cuts and achieved six top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his win at the 113th US Open Championship back in June. Justin Rose (England) has been playing the USPGA Tour Fulltime since the 2004 season with easily keeping his card for the next year every year since. In that time he has career earnings to date of US $24,823,498 from the 227 events he has played in his USPGA Tour career so far. He has already has five wins on the USPGA Tour which are the 2010 the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance, AT&T National, 2011 BMW Championship, 2012 World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship and the 113th US Open Championship (Maiden Major Championship). I feel now he has won his maiden Major Championship he will have taken a lot of pressure off himself and I wouldn’t be surprised if he won his second in the next few years. It could of so easily been his sixth win this year if only he had two putt the par four, 72nd hole but I feel now he is in great position to make a run at the FedEx Cup and get one of the top five seeds heading in to the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta which is the final FedEx Cup Playoff event. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Also tied for second position was Tiger Woods (USA); he too earned US $528,000.00 for his efforts and remained at the top of the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $8,215,119 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 950 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and remained at the top of the current 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 4009 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 all 13 cuts and achieved eight top ten finishes which includes the one here and also the five wins he has achieved this season which are the: Farmers Insurance Open in late January, the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship in early March, the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard in late March, THE PLAYERS Championship in early May and the World Golf Championship – Bridgestone Invitational in early August. Here are the 79 events Tiger Woods (USA) has won in his career to date which includes 14 Major Championships and now is just three wins behind the all time USPGA Tour winner who is the legendary Sam Snead (USA) who has the record for the most wins on the USPGA Tour of all time with 82. Here is a list of all the tournaments on the USPGA Tour that Tiger Woods has won since he turned Professional in 1996: 1996 Las Vegas Invitational, Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic. 1997 Mercedes Championships, Masters Tournament, GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic, Motorola Western Open.1998  BellSouth Classic.1999 Buick Invitational, Memorial Tournament, Motorola Western Open, PGA Championship, World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational, National Car Rental Golf Classic/Disney, THE TOUR Championship, World Golf Championships-American Express Championship. 2000 Mercedes Championships, AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Bay Hill Invitational, Memorial Tournament, U.S. Open Championship, British Open Championship, PGA Championship, World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational, Bell Canadian Open. 2001 Bay Hill Invitational, THE PLAYERS Championship, Masters Tournament, Memorial Tournament, World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational. 2002 Bay Hill Invitational presented by Cooper Tires,  Masters Tournament, U.S. Open Championship, Buick Open, World Golf Championships-American Express Championship. 2003 Buick Invitational, World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, Bay Hill Invitational presented by Cooper Tires,  100th Western Open presented by Golf Digest, World Golf Championships-American Express Championship. 2004 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. 2005 Buick Invitational, Ford Championship at Doral, Masters Tournament, British Open Championship, World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational, World Golf Championships-American Express Championship. 2006  Buick Invitational,  Ford Championship at Doral, British Open Championship, Buick Open, PGA Championship,  World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, Deutsche Bank Championship, World Golf Championships-American Express Championship. 2007 Buick Invitational, World Golf Championships-CA Championship, Wachovia Championship, World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, PGA Championship, BMW Championship, THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. 2008 Buick Invitational, World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard,  U.S. Open Championship. 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, the Memorial Tournament, AT&T National, Buick Open, World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, BMW Championship. 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance and the AT&T National. 2013 Farmers Insurance Open, World Golf Championship - Cadillac Championship, the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, the Players Championship and the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

Tiger Woods (USA) hasn’t won a Major Championship since the 2008 US Open Championship which is over five years ago now and I sure some of his harshest critics won’t believe his comeback is complete until he achieves that. He now has career earnings of US $109,165,819 earned from the 306 events he has played to date so far in his career which is just unbelievable. He is still relatively young in Golfing terms with only being 37 years old and turns 38 later this year in December. I feel he still has a better than average chance of equalling or beating Jack Nicklaus (USA) record of 18 Major Championship wins, but I feel he must at least win a Major Championship in the next two years to give him hope of getting there. I myself just love watching him play golf shots and love it even more when he is in this type of form. Let’s hope his back is okay for the second playoff event which is the Deutsche Bank Championship and at least he has an extra day to rest it this week with it starting on Friday instead of Thursday. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

The final player to tie for second position was Gary Woodland (USA); he too earned US $528,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 44th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,637,012 earned from the twenty three events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 950 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tenth position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list with 1,633 points earned from the twenty three events he has played to date this year so far. From the twenty three events he has played to date this year so far he has made 19 cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his second USPGA Tour win at the Reno-Tahoe Open in early August. He will be disappointed with his final round of 73+2 after having the 54 hole lead but at the same time pleased that he is inside the top ten on the current FedEx Cup Playoffs Points standings heading into the second FedEx Cup playoff event. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour since the 2009 season after he qualified by finishing in tied for eleventh position at the 2008 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. He had a poor rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2009 with only making US $121,031 from the 18 events he played in and he finished in 204th position on the final 2009 USPGA Tour Money list standings and he lost all his status for the 2010 season. He spent the 2010 season playing in only a few USPGA Tour and Web.com Tour events and at the end of 2010 went back to the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for eleventh position and he regained his USPGA Tour card back for the 2011 season. In his second go at playing the USPGA Tour fulltime he had an amazing season with earning US $3,448,591 from the 25 events he played in and achieved his maiden win at the Transitions Championship and achieved another five top ten finishes. He finished in 17th position on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list standings. 2012 on the USPGA Tour he had an average season with earning US $592,879 from the twenty two events he played in and finished in 134th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings but because of his win in the 2011 season he was fully exempt for the 2013 season. With now two USPGA Tour wins behind him I’m sure his third win isn’t too far off? He is one of the longest hitters on the USPGA Tour with averaging well over 300 yards every drive. I wish him all the best for the remaining FedEx Cup Playoff events in the 2013 season.

Coming in tied for sixth position at 275-9 after 72 holes was Phil Mickelson (USA); he earned US $268,000.00 for his efforts and moved to second position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $5,224,727 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 458 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and he moved to third position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 2,624 points earned from the 18 events he has played to date this year so far. From the 18 events he has played to date this year so far he has made 15 cuts and achieved seven top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his two wins which were the Waste Management Phoenix Open in early February and the 142nd Open Championship in mid July. He also scored the equal lowest final round of 65-6. Phil Mickelson (USA) has had an amazing USPGA Tour career which started in 1992 when he first started playing the USPGA Tour fulltime and has easily kept his card every season since and has current career earnings on USPGA Tour of US $72,869,425 from the 483 events he has played so far in his career. And that includes having 42 USPGA Tour wins to date so far in his career which includes five 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 (First Major Championship).  2005 FBR Open, AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, BellSouth Classic, PGA Championship (Third Major Championship).  2006 BellSouth Classic, Masters Tournament (Second Major Championship).  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 (Fourth Major Championship). 2011 Shell Houston Open.  2012 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. 2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open and the 142nd Open Championship (Fifth Major Championship). I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he won his sixth Major Championship in the next few years after this Open Championship win in July, and perhaps he will win the FedEx Cup this year as well? 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) in 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 FedEx Cup Playoffs season.

Also tied for sixth position was D. A. Points (USA); he too earned US $268,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 18th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,507,287 earned from the 25 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 458 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and he moved to 15 position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 1,496 points earned from the 25 events he has played to date this year so far. From those 25 events he has played to date this year so far he has made 13 cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his win at the Shell Houston Open in late March. D. A. Points (USA) first qualified for the USPGA Tour in 2005 after finishing in second position on the final 2004 Web.com Tour Money list with US $ 332,815 earned from the 24 events he played in. His maiden season on the USPGA Tour in 2005 wasn’t so good. He played in 33 events and only made 15 cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He earned US $400,540 which placed him in 161st position on the final 2005 USPGA Tour Money list standings and he was forced to go back to the 2005 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he gained back his 2006 USPGA Tour card by finishing in tied for third position. His 2006 USPGA Tour season was much the same as the previous year in 2005. He played in 28 events and made 12 cuts but he did achieve one top ten finish. He earned US $405,984 which placed him in 162nd position on the final 2006 USPGA Tour Money list standings and again he was forced to go back to the 2006 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for 119th position and got some status on the Web.com Tour for the 2007 season. 

In 2007 season he played in 29 events on the Web.com Tour and made 16 cuts with achieving four top ten finishes. He earned US $156,799 and finished in 39th position on the final 2007 Web.com Tour money list standings. He went back to the 2007 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for 122nd position which gained him some status on the Web.com Tour for the 2008 season. In 2008 he had a much better season on the Web.com Tour with playing in 25 events and he made 16 cuts and achieved five top ten finishes including his maiden win on the Web.com Tour which came at the Miccosukee Championship. He earned US $266,696 and finished in 16th position on the final 2008 Web.com Tour Money list and gained his 2009 USPGA Tour card. In 2009 which was his third full season on the USPGA Tour he played in 29 events and made 19 cuts and achieved four top ten finishes with his best being a solo third position at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. He earned US $1,320,021 and he finished in 66th position on the final 2009 USPGA Tour Money list standings and easily kept his full playing status for the 2010 USPGA Tour season.

In 2010 he played in 29 events on the USPGA Tour and made 15 cuts and achieved three top ten finishes with his best being a tied for fourth position at the Greenbrier Classic. He earned US $975,433 and he finished in 93rd position on the final 2010 USPGA Tour Money list standings easily keeping his full playing status for the 2011 USPGA Tour season. In 2011 he had his career year to date on the USPGA Tour with playing in 26 events and he made 18 cuts and achieved three top ten finishes including his maiden USPGA Tour win that came at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He earned US $2,034,156 and he finished in 37th position on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list standings easily keeping his card for the 2012 season. He also finished in 27th position on the final 2011 FedEx Cup points list standings with 1,055 points earned. In 2012 he backed up his best ever USPGA Season to date the year prior by playing in 29 events and making 15 cuts and also achieving three top ten finishes that included a tied for second position at the Wells Fargo Championship where he lost in a playoff with Rory McILroy (NIR) to Rickie Fowler (USA). He earned US $1,533,361 and finished in 56th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings easily keeping his card for the 2013 USPGA Tour season. He also finished in 50th position on the final 2012 FedEx Cup points list standings with 714 points earned

I hope D. A. Points (USA) really gains some confidence from this finish in the first playoff event of the 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Series and goes on to have a brilliant 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Series and perhaps even finish in the top five on the final FedEx Cup Points Standings list? I wish all the best for the rest of the 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Series.

The final player to tie for sixth position was Jim Furyk (USA); he too earned US $268,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 20th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,433,929 earned from the 19 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 458 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and he moved to 14th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 1,515 points earned from the 19 events he has played to date this year so far. From the 19 events he has played to date this year so far he has made 16 cuts and achieved six top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his last four starts have been top ten finishes. Jim Furyk (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 1994 season and in that time he has amassed career earnings of US $55,153,388 earned from the 501 events he has played to date so far in his career. Last year was a year of missed chances for him with his narrow misses at winning the US Open Championship and couple of other tournaments. But he hasn’t won on the USPGA Tour since the 2010 THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola and he also won the FedEx Cup that year as well. But he has won 16 tournaments in his USPGA Tour career to date and that includes his maiden Major Championship which came at the 2003 US Open Championship. I feel his 17th win will come very soon and maybe during the FedEx Cup Playoff series? I wish him all the best for rest of the 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs Series.

Rounding out the top ten in tied for ninth position at 276-8 after 72 holes was Jason Kokrak (USA); he won US $208,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 68th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,227,221 earned from the twenty three events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 363 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 50th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 883 points earned from the twenty three events he has played to date this year so far. From those twenty three events he has played to date this year so far he has made 13 cuts and withdrawn from one event and he has also achieved four top ten finishes that includes the one here. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2012 season after gaining his full USPGA Tour card by finishing in fourth position on the final 2011 Web.com Tour Money list standings with US $ 338,092 earned from the 16 events he played in. In his rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2012 he played in 27 events and made 13 cuts and achieved two top ten finishes. He finished in 119th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $750,221 earned and he easily kept his full playing status for the 2013 season. I feel his maiden win on the USPGA Tour isn’t too far away and maybe it will happen in one of the next three FedEx Cup Playoff events? He needed this top ten finish this week because prior to this first playoff event he was in 95th position on the FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings. He will need to at least make the cut at the second playoff event next week at the Deutsche Bank Championship to guarantee a start in the third playoff event at the BMW Championship where only the top 70 players on the FedEx Cup Playoffs Points standings list after the Deutsche Bank Championship get a start. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs series.

Also tied for ninth position was Matt Every (USA); he too earned US $208,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 71st position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,138,947 earned from the twenty six events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 363 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 46th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list with 907 points earned from the twenty six events he has played to date this year so far. From those twenty six events he has played to date this year so far he has made 15 cuts and achieved four top ten finishes that includes the one here. 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 final three 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Events?

Also tied for ninth position was Nick Watney (USA); he too earned US $208,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 59th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,401,439 earned from the twenty three events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 363 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 35th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list with 1,025 points earned from the twenty three events he has played to date so far this year. From the twenty three events he has played to date so far this year he has made 16 cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one here. He has been playing on 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 final three events in the 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs Series.

The final player to tie for ninth position was Rickie Fowler (USA); he too earned US $208,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 34th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,783,942 earned from the twenty events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 363 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 23rd position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 1,184 points earned from the twenty events he has played to date this year so far. From the twenty events he has played to date this year so far he has made 17 cuts and achieved five top ten finishes which includes the one here. Since gaining his 2010 USPGA Tour card at the 2009 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament by finishing in tied for 15th position he has really made a name for himself on the USPGA Tour. In the three full seasons he has had to date on the USPGA Tour he has won at least two million US dollars in each of those seasons and last year he achieved his maiden USPGA Tour win at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship. I would expect him to win his second event on the USPGA Tour sometime in the 2013 season. Maybe he could even win one of the final three FedEx Cup Playoffs Events? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Series.

There was a tournament within a tournament this week because it was the first event in the 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Series and the last golfer to qualify for the second playoff event which is the Deutsche Bank Championship next week was Camilo Villegas (Columbia) who finished in the vital 100th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Series points list after The Barclays with 527 FedEx Cup Playoff  points earned from the twenty two events he has played so far this year and he advances to the Deutsche Bank Championship next week which is the second FedEx Cup playoff event. He will be very pleased that he was the last player to advance after he scored 76+5 in his final round and missed a five foot par putt that he thought was his last chance to make it to next week. He was one point ahead of the unlucky golfer who was Aaron Baddeley (Australia) who was who finished in 101st position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list with 526 FedEx Cup Playoff points earned from the twenty four events he played in this year and his 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Series is now over for him and he will be disappointed because he bogeyed his last three holes. But he is just like the rest of the players below him on the list who also missed out on the second FedEx Cup Playoff event.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to Boston for the second playoff event in the 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Series and only the top 100 players on the FedEx Cup Playoff Points list after The Barclays are eligible to play in it and it is Deutsche Bank Championship.  It carries a huge prize purse of US $8,000,000 for the taking. Rory McILroy (NIR) is the defending Champion and will be keen for back to back titles. There is also a tournament within a tournament with only the top 70 players on the FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings at the conclusion of this second playoff event advancing to the third playoff event in two weeks time because the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup Playoffs are having a week off before they play the they play the third playoff event at the BMW Championship. It starts on Friday 30th August because the final round is always played on Labour Day Monday in the USA 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 646th week of his career in total is Tiger Woods (USA) who is fresh off his tied for second position at The Barclays this past week with 14.38 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Adam Scott (Australia) who won his maiden Major Championship at the Masters Tournament over four months ago and also winning The Barclays this past week with 9.44 Official Golf World Ranking Points coming in at Number Three is Phil Mickelson (USA) who is fresh off his Open Championship win over a month ago with 8.62 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Rory McILroy (NIR)  who is fresh off his tied for eighth position at the 95th PGA Championship two weeks ago with 8.18 Official Golf World Ranking Points; and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list this week is Justin Rose (England) who is fresh off his maiden Major Championship win at the 113th US Open Championship over two months ago and also tying for second position at The Barclays this past week with 7.88 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Michael Hendry (NZL) fresh off  his tie for 6th position at the Gate Way To The Open Mizuno Open 2013 on the Japan Golf Tour over a month ago is the highest ranked New Zealander Golfer in the world for the twenty ninth straight week of his career. This week he slips three places and falls to 192nd position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.95 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember when playing golf in the winter you will have more control over the ball because there is less run!!

Source: pgatour.com