Golf Events from the Weekend 4th August 2013

Well it was another brilliant weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world. This week the USPGA and FedEx Cup along with the European Tour and Race to Dubai headed to Ohio for the third World Golf Championship of the year and it was co – sanctioned with all the other Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and was the World Golf Championship – Bridgestone Invitational and it was played on the Firestone CC (South), Akron, Ohio. And it was the Golfer by the name of Tiger Woods (USA) who scored rounds of 66-4, an amazing 61-9 in the second round that could very easily been a 59, a solid 68-2 in the third round and a steady final round of 70 even par for a 72 hole total of 265-15 and he won by seven shots for his 79th USPGA Tour win of his career and it also was the eighth time in his career he has won the World Golf Championship – Bridgestone Invitational. Tiger Woods (USA) won US $1,500,000 for the win and remained at the top of the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $7,659,119 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this year so far. Phil Mickelson (USA) is in second position with US $ 4,941,977 earned from the 16 events he has played to date this year so far. Tiger Woods (USA) also earned 550 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and remained at the top of the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 3,031 points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this year so far. He is 786 points ahead of Matt Kuchar (USA) who is in second position with 2,245 points earned from the 18 events he has played to date this year so far. From the eleven events Tiger Woods (USA) has played to date this year so far he has made all eleven cuts and has achieved seven top ten finishes which includes the win here and he has also won 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 and THE PLAYERS Championship in early May.

Tiger Woods (USA) in action during the final round

Tiger Woods (USA) played a fine final round under the circumstances of 70 even par and it included a front nine of 35 even par which consisted of nine consecutive pars. He made the turn at minus 15 and was leading by seven shots. Keegan Bradley (USA) played a brilliant front nine of 32-3 and made the turn at minus eight and was seven shots behind the leader. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) played a good front nine of 36+1 and made the turn at minus seven and was eight shots behind the leader.

Tiger Woods (USA) birdied the par four, tenth hole and moved to minus 16 and was now leading by eight shots. Keegan Bradley (USA) made a solid par on the par four, tenth hole and remained at minus eight and was now eight shots behind the leader. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) made a solid par on the par four, tenth hole and remained at minus seven and was now nine shots behind the leader. Tiger Woods (USA) played holes 11 - 15 in one over par and fell back to minus 15 and was still leading by eight shots. Keegan Bradley (USA) played holes 11 – 15 in one over par and fell back to minus seven and was still eight shots behind the leader. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) played holes 11 – 15 in even par and remained at minus seven and was now only eight shots behind the leader.

Tiger Woods (USA) played holes 16 – 17 in even par and remained at minus 15 with just the par four, 72nd hole to play and now was only leading by seven shots. Keegan Bradley (USA) played holes 16 -17 in one under par and moved to minus eight and was now only seven shots behind the leader. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) played holes 16 -17 in one under par and moved to minus eight and was now only seven shots behind the leader. Tiger Woods (USA) hit his tee shot into the right rough on the par four, 72nd hole. He played an awesome second shot which he hit high with a seven iron and landed just past the pin and came to rest twenty feet behind the flag stick. Walking up to the green he got a huge standing ovation from the huge gallery surrounding the green because they knew he had already won the tournament. He made a good attempt at his birdie putt but it just missed on the left hand side and he was left with a four footer for his par. Just like he had done all week he rolled it right into the centre of the cup. Tiger Woods (USA) scored 35 even par on his back nine and finished on minus 15 to win by seven shots. He celebrated with his caddie, Joe LaCava (USA). Then he got to celebrate the win with his son Charlie Axel by giving him a huge hug. Keegan Bradley (USA) made a solid par on the par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes on minus eight and was seven shots behind the winner. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) made a solid par on the par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes on minus eight and was seven shots behind the winner.

Tiger Woods (USA) holding his son Charlie Axel after just after he won

 It was Tiger Woods (USA) 39th European Tour International Schedule victory in his 124th European Tour event. He extends his lead at the top of the Official World Golf Ranking. Moves to 14.19 points, over four and half full points clear of Phil Mickelson (USA). It was his 18th WGC career victory in his 42nd WGC career appearance. Here is a breakdown of his 18 wins. He has won the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational eight times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2013); the WGC – Cadillac Championship seven times (1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2013) and WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship three times (2003, 2004 and 2008). His eighth victory in the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational comes in his 14th appearance in the event, dating back to the first year it was played in 1999. Apart from his eight victories, was tied second in 2004, fourth in 2002, tied fourth in 2003 and tied eighth in 2012. He has been inside the top eight of the tournament in 12 of his 14 appearances.

He creates European Tour history by becoming the first player to win the same official European Tour event eight times. He wins his second WGC title of the season, following the WGC – Cadillac Championship. This represents the sixth time he has won multiple WGC events in the same season. The years are: 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2013. It was the fifth time during his career he has won the WGC – Cadillac Championship and WGC – Bridgestone Invitational in the same season. The years are: 1999, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2013. It is the third time he has won a European Tour event when he has led by seven or more shots going into the final round. They are: 2000 US Open Championship (10 shots), 2000 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational (nine shots) and 2013 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational (seven shots). It was the 18th time this European Tour season that the 54 hole leader has gone onto win.

He becomes the fourth player in the 2013 European Tour season to record multiple victories, following Brett Rumford (Australia) (Ballantine’s Championship and Volvo China Open), Graeme McDowell (NIR) (Volvo World Match Play Championship and Alstom Open de France) and Phil Mickelson (USA) (Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and The 142nd Open Championship). Is the 11th time during his European Tour career he has recorded multiple victories in the same European Tour season and first time since 2009.

His seven shot victory is the second equal biggest winning margin on The European Tour in 2013. Charl Schwartzel (RSA) won the Alfred Dunhill Championship by 12 shots. The seven shot wins are by Richard Sterne (RSA) (Joburg Open) and Tiger Woods (USA) (WGC – Bridgestone Invitational). It was his fifth victory on The European Tour he has won by seven shots or more. They are: 2000 US Open Championship (15), 2000 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational (11), 2006 WGC – Cadillac Championship and 2000 Open Championship (both eight) and 2013 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational (seven). (His seven shot lead after 36 holes in the 2013 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational matched the biggest 36 hole lead in European Tour history). It was the 132nd American victory on The European Tour. It was the sixth American victory of the 2013 season. They are: Matt Kuchar (USA) (WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship), Tiger Woods (USA) (WGC – Cadillac Championship and WGC – Bridgestone Invitational), Peter Uihlein (USA) (Madeira Islands Open – Portugal – BPI) and Phil Mickelson (USA) (Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and The 142nd Open Championship).

He became the third American victory on The European Tour in the past four events, following Phil Mickelson (USA) at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and the 142nd Open Championship. It was the 11th American victory in the history of the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational since the event began in 1999. They are: Tiger Woods (USA) (eight), Stewart Cink (USA) (2004), Hunter Mahan (USA) (2010) and Keegan Bradley (USA) (2012). And finally he became the 30th American WGC victory from the 48 individual WGC events since they began in 1999.

Tiger Woods (USA) has now won 79 USPGA Tour events 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) poses with the Gary Player Cup he won!!

Tiger Woods (USA) must be odds on to win the final Major Championship of the 2013 season which is the 95th PGA Championship next week. He 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 $108,609,819 earned from the 304 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. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Coming in tied for second position at 272-8 after 72 holes was Keegan Bradley (USA); he earned US $692,500.00 for his efforts and moved to eighth position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,043,446 earned from the twenty events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 258 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to eighth position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,365 points earned from the twenty events he has played to date this year so far. From those twenty events he has played to date this year so far he has made 16 cuts and achieved seven top ten finishes which includes the one here. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour since the 2011 season after gaining his 2011 full USPGA Tour card by finishing in 14th position on the final 2010 Web.com Tour Money list standings with US $264,760 earned from the 28 events he played in. He had an amazing rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2011 with earning US $3,758,600 from the 28 events he played in and that included making 18 cuts and achieving four top ten finishes and that included two wins and the first one was the HP Byron Nelson Championship and the second one was his maiden Major Championship which was the PGA Championship and he also won an unofficial event which was the PGA Grand Slam of Golf. He finished in 13th position on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list standings which was a fine effort by a rookie. He backed up his rookie season with another awesome season in 2012 where he earned US $ 3,910,658 from the 25 events he played in and finished in tenth position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings. That included making 21 cuts and achieving five top ten finishes which included his third win which came at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. He also played his first Ryder Cup for the USA against Europe. He has just had an amazing last two seasons on the USPGA Tour and is continuing it into 2013. I sure his fourth win isn’t too far off and perhaps it will come at the 95th PGA Championship next week? It is his third straight season he has won over US Three Million Dollars in earnings and he now has career USPGA Tour earnings of US $10,712,704 from the 73 events he has played so far in his USPGA Tour Career which is just amazing!! I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Also tied for second position was Henrik Stenson (Sweden); he too earned US $692,500.00 for his efforts and moved to tenth position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,896,003 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 258 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 12th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,216 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 eleven cuts and achieved five top ten finishes which includes the one here. He has been playing the USPGA Tour for the past three season’s fulltime after he gained his full USPGA Tour card by winning the 2009 Players Championship. He is having a much better season than his previous two in 2013. He has won two USPGA Tour events in his career so far to date and they both have been huge tournaments which include the 2007 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and the 2009 THE PLAYERS Championship. I feel he is a good enough player to win a Major Championship and it could happen in the next few years or even at the 95th PGA Championship next week? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Coming in tied for fourth position at 274-6 after 72 holes was Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain); he won US $321,666.67 for his efforts but because he isn’t a current member of the USPGA Tour he doesn’t get a current Money list or FedEx Cup ranking. He only really plays on the USPGA Tour when the events are co – sanctioned with the European Tour for example: The Major Championships and WGC Events. 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 Zach Johnson (USA); he too earned US $321,666.67 for his efforts and moved to twenty fifth position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,887,559 earned from the 19 events he has played in to date so far. He also earned 120 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twenty fourth position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup points list standings with 955 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 15 cuts and achieved four top ten finishes that includes the one here. Also his last three finishes have been top tens. He has been playing on 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? Maybe even at the 95th PGA Championship next week? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

The final player to tie for fourth position was Jason Dufner (USA); he too earned US $321,666.67 for his efforts and moved to 61st position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,196,334 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 120 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 62nd position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 656 points earned from the 17 events he has played to date this year so far. From those 17 events he has played to date this year so far he has made 14 cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one here. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime for the last six seasons and has easily kept his card every year for the next year every year except one. In that time he has achieved two wins with the Maiden win coming at the 2012 Zurich Classic of New Orleans and his second win coming a few weeks later at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. In 2011 he had his best career finish in a Major Championship which came at the USPGA Championship where he finished runner up to Keegan Bradley (USA) losing to him in a playoff. I feel his third win isn’t too far off and maybe it could happen in the final Major Championship of the year at the 95th PGA Championship next week? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Coming in tied for seventh position at 275-5 after 72 holes was Bill Haas (USA); he earned US $205,000.00 for his efforts and moved to seventh position on the current 2013 USPGA Money list standings with US $3,107,296 earned from the 19 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 92 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to sixth position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 1,412 FedEx Cup Points earned from the 19 events he has played to date this year so far. From those 19 events he has played to date this year so far he has made 14 cuts and achieved nine top ten finishes which includes the one here and he also won AT&T National in late June. He also currently holds the most top tens achieved so far this season with nine. Bill Haas (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour Fulltime since the 2006 season after gaining his 2006 USPGA Tour card at the 2005 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for 26th position to earn his rookie USPGA TOUR card for 2006 season and to do that he had to make birdie on final hole to earn his card on the number (11-under). Since gaining his full USPGA Tour card in 2006 he has easily kept his card every season for the following season every season since. And in that time he has achieved five wins on the USPGA Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2010 Bob Hope Classic, Viking Classic, 2011 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, 2012 Northern Trust Open and the 2013 AT&T Classic. And in 2011 he won the FedEx Cup in a winner-take-all playoff, he pared the third playoff hole (par-3 18th hole) to defeat Hunter Mahan (USA) to win the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola and the FedEx Cup, winning the latter by 15 points over Webb Simpson (USA) and becoming the first player in his 20s to win the season-long competition. He entered the final round three strokes behind Aaron Baddeley (Australia) and Hunter Mahan (USA) but carded a final-round 68-2 to finish regulation tied with Hunter Mahan (USA) at 8-under 272. In the playoff, he appeared to have shot himself out of winning both on the second playoff hole, the Par four, 17th hole at East Lake GC, when his approach to the par 4 landed in the water adjacent to the green. He made a great up and down for par to continue the playoff. As a result of his win, he pocketed the US $1,440,000 first-place cheque and the US $10-million prize for winning the 2011 FedEx Cup. He became just the third player to win the TOUR Championship in his first appearance, joining Chad Campbell (USA) (2003) and Bart Bryant (USA) (2005). He and his father, Jay, are the only father-son combination to tee it up in the TOUR Championship. Now he has achieved his fifth win on the USPGA Tour I feel the next step for him will be to win his maiden Major Championship and I believe it could happen in the 2013 season, perhaps at the 95th PGA Championship next week? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

The final player to tie for seventh position was Chris Wood (England); he too earned US $205,000.00 for his efforts but because he isn’t a current member of the USPGA Tour he doesn’t get a current Money list or FedEx Cup ranking. He only really plays on the USPGA Tour when the events are co – sanctioned with the European Tour for example: The Major Championships and WGC Events. He has been playing the European Tour Fulltime since the 2009 season and has easily kept his card every year since for the next year. I would look for him to have a good showing at the 95th PGA Championship next week.

Rounding out the top ten in tied for ninth position at 276-4 after 72 holes was Luke Donald (England); he earned US $145,750.00 for his efforts and moved to 48th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,396,446 earned from the 12 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 76 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 50th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 707 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 ten cuts and achieved four top ten finishes that includes the one here. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour since the 2002 season after gaining his full USPGA Tour card by finishing in tied for 23rd position at the 2001 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. He has easily kept his card every year since and in that time he has won five USPGA Tour events in his career to date and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2002 Southern Farm Bureau Classic, 2006 The Honda Classic, 2011 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic and the 2012 Transitions Championship. He has current career earnings on the USPGA Tour of US $30,256,879 earned from the 246 events he has played so far in his career to date. The only thing that is lacking now in his career is a Major Championship, maybe it will happen in the 2013 season? Perhaps he will next week at the 95th PGA Championship? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Also tied for ninth position was Jim Furyk (USA); he too earned US $145,750.00 for his efforts and moved to 55th position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,300,929 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 76 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 46th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 727 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 14 cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one here. 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 $54,020,388 earned from the 499 events he has played to date so far in his career. He could be a dark horse for the 95th PGA Championship next week which he has performed well in the recent years. 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. 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. I wish him all the best for rest of the 2013 season.

Also tied for ninth position was Martin Kaymer (Germany); he too earned US $145,750.00 for his efforts and moved to 102nd position on the current 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $746,642 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 76 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 119th position on the current 2013 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 391 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 three top ten finishes that includes the one here. This is his first season playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime. He gained his full 2013 USPGA Tour card by winning the 2010 USPGA Championship which was his maiden Major Championship. He also plays the European Tour fulltime and has achieved ten wins already on the tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2008 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, 2008 BMW International Open, 2009 Open de France ALSTOM, 2009 The Barclays Scottish Open, 2010 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, 2010 US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, 2010 KLM Open, 2010 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, 2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and the 2011 WGC - HSBC Champions. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.  

The final player to tie for ninth position was Richard Sterne (RSA); he too earned US $145,750.00 for his efforts but because he isn’t a current member of the USPGA Tour he doesn’t get a current Money list or FedEx Cup ranking. He only really plays on the USPGA Tour when the events are co – sanctioned with the European Tour for example: The Major Championships and WGC Events. He has been playing the European Tour fulltime since the 2004 season and has kept his card for the following year every year since. He suffered a serious back injury that kept him out of most of the 2010 – 2011 European Tour seasons. On the current 2013 Race to Dubai Money list standings he has earned € 1,263,618 from the 14 events he has played in to date so far and that currently places him in fourth position on that list. He has also won six events to date on the European Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2004 Open de Madrid, 2007 The Celtic Manor Wales Open, 2008 Joburg Open, 2009 Alfred Dunhill Championship, 2009 South African Open Championship and the 2013 Joburg Open. I would look for him to have another good performance at the 95th PGA Championship this coming week which is the final Major Championship of the year and wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup and the European Tour and Race to Dubai and all the other Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world head to Rochester, New York for the final Major Championship of the year which is the PGA Championship and is also known as “Glories Last Shot” and this year it is played on the Oak Hill CC, Rochester, New York. It carries a huge prize purse of US $8,000,000 for the taking. Rory McILroy (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defending his title and win a Major Championship for the first time with his new Nike Golf Clubs. It starts on Thursday 8th August and I will report back next week who won the Wanamaker 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 643rd week of his career in total is the Tiger Woods (USA) who is fresh off his win at the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational this past week with 14.19 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Phil Mickelson (USA) who is fresh off his Open Championship two weeks ago with 8.56 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Rory McILroy (NIR)  who is fresh off his tied for 27th position at the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational this past week with 8.32 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Justin Rose (England) who is fresh off his maiden Major Championship win at the 113th US Open Championship over a month ago with 7.60 Official Golf World Ranking Points; and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list this week is Adam Scott (Australia) who won his maiden Major Championship at the Masters Tournament over three months ago and tying for third position at the Open Championship two weeks ago with 7.44 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 sixth straight week of his career. This week he slips six places and moves to187th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.99 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember the most important shot in a game of golf is the shot you are about to play!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com