Golf Events from the Weekend 22nd September 2013

Well it was another great weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup Playoff Series events had its final event of the 2013 season and the 2013 FedEx Cup Champion was also decided this week and he would gain a US $10,000,000 bonus and it was the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and it was played on the East Lake GC, Atlanta, GA. Only the top 30 players on the FedEx Cup Playoffs Series Points list standings after the BMW Championship were eligible to play in it. And it was the golfer by the name of Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who scored rounds of 64-6, 66-4, 69-1 and a final round of 68-2 for a 72 hole total of 267-13 and he won by three shots for his fourth win on the USPGA Tour and he moved to second position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 6,388,230 earned from the 18 events he played in the 2013 USPGA Tour season. Tiger Woods (USA) won the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings US $8,553,439 earned from the 16 events he played in. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) also earned 2500 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points for his efforts and won the 2013 FedEx Cup and the $US 10,000,000 bonus with 4750 points earned from the 18 events he played in he won by 2007 points over Tiger Woods (USA) who earned 2743 points earned from the 16 events he played in and finished second. From the 18 events Henrik Stenson (Sweden) played in this year he made 16 cuts and achieved eight top ten finishes which includes the win here and also the win at the Deutsche Bank Championship three weeks ago.

 

Henrik Stenson (Sweden) tees off during the final round

Henrik Stenson (Sweden) played a great final round under the circumstances of the 2013 Tour Championship and 2013 FedEx Cup all on the line by scoring 68-2. It included a front nine of 35-1 with his lone birdie coming on the par four, seventh hole and he made the turn at minus 12 and was leading by five shots. Jordan Spieth (USA) played a great front nine of 32-3 and made the turn at minus seven and was five shots behind the leader. Steve Stricker (USA) played a good front nine of 33-2 and made the turn at minus seven and was five strokes behind the leader.

Henrik Stenson (Sweden) played holes ten to 14 in even par and remained at minus 12 and now was only leading by three shots. Jordan Spieth (USA) played holes ten to 14 in two under par and he moved to minus nine and was three shots behind the leader. Steve Stricker (USA) played holes ten to 14 in one under par and moved to minus eight and was now only four shots behind the leader.

 

Henrik Stenson (Sweden) acknowledges the crowd after holing the winning putt

Henrik Stenson (Sweden) played holes 15 to 17 in one under par and moved to minus 13 and was still leading by three shots with the par three, 72nd hole to play. Jordan Spieth (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one under par and moved to minus ten and still was three shots behind the leader with just the par three, 72nd hole to play. Steve Stricker (USA) played holes 15 – 17 in two under par and moved to minus ten and was now only three shots behind the leaders.

 

Henrik Stenson (Sweden) kisses the 2013 FedEx Cup Trophy he won!!

Jordan Spieth (USA) who was playing a few groups a head of the final group made a solid par up the difficult par three, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes at minus ten and was three shots behind the winner, he scored a great final round of 64-6. Steve Stricker (USA) who was playing in the group ahead of the final group made a solid par up the difficult par three, 72nd hole and remained at minus ten after 72 holes and finished three shots behind the winner. Henrik Stenson (USA) came to the 72 hole with a three shot lead. He landed his long iron on the difficult par three in the right hand green side bunker. He stuck his bunker shot very well and it came to rest four feet from the pin. He easily tapped in for his par three and scored 34-1 for his back nine. He finished the 72 holes at minus 13 and won by three shots. He celebrated the win by giving his caddie a huge high five and then his good friend and fellow USPGA Tour player, Justin Rose (England) gave him a huge as he was walking off the 18th green. He also got a hug from Justin Roses wife Kate as well.

Henrik Stenson (Sweden) became the first player from Europe to win the FedEx Cup since it was first played for in 2007. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 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 had his career best season to date in the 2013 USPGA Tour season. He has now won four USPGA Tour events in his career so far to date and they all have been huge tournaments which include the 2007 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, 2009 THE PLAYERS Championship, 2013 Deutsche Bank Championship and the Tour Championship by Coca - Cola. I feel he is a good enough player to win a Major Championship and it will happen in the next few years? Now he has won the 2013 FedEx Cup he has really sent a message to the rest of the professional golf world that he has arrived to be a real force in the years to come. I feel way the FedEx Cup is set up now it proves the best player in the four FedEx Cup Playoff Series events will win the FedEx Cup and Henrik Stenson (Sweden) proved that. I wish him all the best for the of the 2014 season when it starts next month.

 

Henrik Stenson (Sweden) poses with the Tour Championship by Coca - Cola Trophy on his right and the 2013 FedEx Cup Trophy his left that he won!!

Coming in tied for second position at 270-10 after 72 holes was Jordan Spieth (USA); he earned US $708,000.00 for his efforts and finished in tenth position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,879,820 earned from the twenty three events he played in this year. He also earned 1,250 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points for his efforts and finished in seventh position on the final 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points list with 1,690 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points earned from the twenty three events he played in. He also got an extra US $700,000 in FedEx Cup bonus money payout. From the twenty three events he played in this season he made 18 cuts and achieved nine top ten finishes which included the one here and also his maiden win at the John Deere Classic in mid July. He also tied Bill Haas (USA) and Brandt Snedeker (USA) for the most top ten finishes of the season. Jordan Spieth (USA) made people really take notice of him in his first ever USPGA Tour event he played as a 16 year old Amateur at the 2010 HP Byron Nelson Championship where he scored rounds of 68-2, 69-1, 67-3 and a final round of 72+2 for a 72 hole total of 276-4 and he tied for 16th position while still attending the University of Texas. In the 2011 HP Byron Nelson Championship he played in it again as a 17 year old Amateur and this time he scored rounds of 69-1, 68-2, 72+2 and a 77+7 which was played in extremely windy conditions for a 72 hole total of 286+6 and he tied for 32nd position. In 2012 he played in five more USPGA Tour events as an Amateur and made the cut in three of them with his best finish being tied for 21st at the 112th US Open Championship and he also achieved low Amateur Honours. He decided to turn professional in December of 2012 in the midst of his sophomore year at the University of Texas. That win he achieved at the John Deere Classic also earned him the last invitation into The Open Championship in Muirfield, Scotland, that week. He joined 27 other players on the John Deere Classic's chartered jet from Moline, Ill., to Scotland. He also is now exempt on the USPGA Tour till the end of the 2015 season and he also gains starts in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at the beginning of the 2014 season and the Masters Tournament next April. He also must now be the logical choice for the rookie of the year award. And in two weeks time he gets to play in his first ever Presidents Cup after getting selected as a Captains pick for the US Presidents Cup Team in early October. He is just an Amazing talent and now he has got his maiden USPGA Tour win I feel he can only go from strength to strength. It is amazing to think that before the start of the 2013 USPGA Tour Season he had no status on the USPGA Tour at all. Let’s hope he can cap off his awesome rookie season with an awesome showing for Team USA in the Presidents Cup? He is sure to be a Superstar in World Golf for many years to come. I wish him all the best for the 2013/14 season.

The other player to tie for second position was Steve Stricker (USA); he too earned US $708,000.00 for his efforts and finished in seventh position on the final 2013 USPGA Money list standings with US $4,440,532 earned from the 13 events he played in this year. He also earned 1,250 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points for his efforts and finished in third position on the final 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs Series Points list standings with 2,650 points earned from the 13 events he played in. He also got and extra US $2,000,000 in FedEx Cup bonus money payout. From the 13 events he played in this year he made all 13 cuts and achieved eight top ten finishes which included the one here. Steve Stricker (USA) has said this year he is going to play in fewer tournaments because he wants to spend more time with his family. Since first joining the USPGA Tour fulltime in the 1994 season by finishing in tied for 18th position at the 1993 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament he has earned US $39,520,093 from the 429 events he has played so far in his career to date. He has also won 12 USPGA Tour events and here they are from the first to the most recent: 1996 Kemper Open, Motorola Western Open, 2001 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, 2007 The Barclays, 2009 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, John Deere Classic, Deutsche Bank Championship, 2010 Northern Trust Open, John Deere Classic, 2011 the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance, John Deere Classic, 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions. I feel his thirteenth win on the USPGA Tour can’t be too far away and maybe it will happen in the 2013/14 season? Perhaps it could even be his maiden Major Championship? It is amazing the standard of golf he has achieved this year from the very few events he has played in. Also I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins a Major Championship in the near future. I wish him all the best for the up and coming 2013/14 season.

Coming in solo fourth position at 271-9 after 72 holes and also scoring the lowest final round score which was 63-7 was Webb Simpson (USA); he won US $384,000.00 for his efforts and finished in 20th position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,957,582 earned from the twenty five events he played in this year. He also earned 750 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points for his efforts and finished in eleventh position on the final 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points list with 1,050 points earned from the 25 events he played in. He also got and extra US $300,000 in FedEx Cup bonus money payout. From the 25 events he played in this year he made twenty one cuts and achieved five top ten finishes that included the one here. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2009 season after gaining his card at the 2008 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for seventh position. He had a fine rookie season in 2009 on the USPGA Tour where he earned just over US one million dollars and easily keep his card for the 2010 season. In his second full season on the USPGA Tour in 2010 he earned just under US one million dollars and easily kept his card for the 2011 season. In his third full season on the USPGA Tour in 2011 he had a Awesome season with earning just over US 6.3 Million Dollars and finished second on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list with US $6,347,353 earned from the 26 events he played in. He also won two USPGA Tour events with his maiden one coming at the Wyndham Championship and his second one coming at the Deutsche Bank Championship which was the second FedEx Cup playoff event. In his fourth season on the USPGA Tour in 2012 he had another awesome season with earning just over US 3.4 million dollars and he won his third event on the USPGA Tour which was his Maiden Major Championship at the 112th US Open Championship. I feel his fourth win on the USPGA Tour will coming in the 2013/14 season.

Coming in solo fifth position on 272-8 after 72 holes was Dustin Johnson (USA); he earned US $320,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 19th position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,963,214 earned from the twenty two events he played in this season. He also earned 550 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points for his efforts and finished in 13th position on the final 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points list with 760 points earned from the twenty two events he played in. He also got and extra US $280,000 in FedEx Cup bonus money payout. From the twenty two events he played in this year he made 16 cuts and achieved six top ten finishes which included the one here and also his win at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions to start the season in January. Since he qualified for the USPGA Tour by finishing in tied for 14th position at the 2007 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament he has retained his full playing status on the USPGA Tour every season since and earned at least US $1.7million every season since. He has also won seven events on the USPGA Tour to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2008 Turning Stone Resort Championship, 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, 2010 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, BMW Championship, 2011 The Barclays, 2012 FedEx St. Jude Classic and the 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions. The only thing that he is lacking now is his maiden Major Championship win but it will have to wait until the 2014 season now. He has also amassed US $19,907,913 in career earnings to date from the 141 events he has played so far in his career and he made the cut in all four Major Championships this year and here are his results: tied for 13th position at the Masters Tournament in April; solo 55th position at the 113th US Open Championship in June; tied for 32nd at the 142nd Open Championship in July and tied for eighth position at the 95th PGA Championship in August. I wish him all the best for the 2013/14 season.

Coming in solo sixth position at 273-7 after 72 holes was Justin Rose (England); he earned US $288,000.00 for his efforts and finished in eighth position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $4,146,148 earned from the 17 events he played in this year. He also earned 500 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points for his efforts and finished in tenth position on the final 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points list standings with 1,300 points earned from the 17 events he played in. He also got and extra US $500,000 in FedEx Cup bonus money payout. From the 17 events he played in this year he made 15 cuts and achieved seven top ten finishes which included the one here and also his maiden Major Championship win at the 113th US Open Championship in mid 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 $25,277,765 from the 230 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. I wish him all the best for the 2013/14 season.

Coming in tied for seventh position at 274-6 after 72 holes was Billy Horschel (USA); he earned US $264,000.00 for his efforts and finished in 13th position on final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,501,703 earned from the twenty six events he played in this year. He also earned 438 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points for his efforts and finished in 16th position on the final 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points standings list with 728 points earned from the twenty six events he played in this year. He also got and extra US $245,000 in FedEx Cup bonus money payout. From the twenty six events he played in this year he made twenty two cuts and achieved eight top ten finishes which included the one here as well as his maiden win on the USPGA Tour which came at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in late April. Billy Horschel (USA) first gained his USPGA Tour card in 2010 by finishing in solo seventh position at the 2009 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. In his rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2010 he only managed to play in four events and missed every cut because of a tendon injury to his left wrist that required surgery. The wrist started bothering him in late 2009. He was granted a major Medical Extension for 2011 USPGA Tour season, with 19 events to equal the Number 125 from the 2010 PGA TOUR money list ($786,977) he improved his status with a Tied 27th finish at the 2010 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. In the 2011 USPGA Tour season he only made US $533,024 from the 25 events he played in and finished in 140th position on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list giving him some status on the USPGA Tour for the 2012 season. He went back to the 2011 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament but finished in tied 103rd position and got his Web.com Tour Card and that meant he had two tours to play on in the 2012 season.

In the 2012 USPGA Tour season he played in 17 events and made 15 cuts and achieved one top ten finish. He earned US $486,177 from those 17 events he played in and finished up in 147th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings meaning he again had some status on the USPGA Tour for the 2013 season. He chose to go back to the 2012 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament to improve his status and he did better than that by finishing tied for fourth position and gained his full USPGA Tour card for the 2013 USPGA Tour season. And I guess as they say the rest is history. He now will be playing in the 2014 Masters Tournament and Hyundai Tournament of Champions to start the 2013/14 season. I wish him all the best for the 2013/14 season.

Also tied for seventh position was Zach Johnson (USA); he too earned US $264,000.00 for his efforts and finished in nine position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $4,044,509 earned from the twenty four events he played in this year. He also earned 438 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points for his efforts and finished in five position on the final 2013 FedEx Cup Points Series list standings with 2,238 points earned from the twenty four events he played in. He also got and extra US $1,000,000 in FedEx Cup bonus money payout. From the twenty four events he played in this year he made twenty cuts and achieved eight top ten finishes which includes the one here and his win at the BMW Championship the week prior. Zach Johnson (USA) 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 ten 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, John Deere Classic and the 2013 BMW Championship. I feel his second Major Championship win isn’t too far away but it will have to wait until the 2014 season now. He has now amassed US $30,321,802 in career earnings on the USPGA Tour to date so far from the 262 events he has played in. I wish him all the best for the 2013/14 season.

 

Rounding out the top ten in tied for ninth position on 275-5 after 72 holes was Roberto Castro (USA); he earned US $227,733.34 for his efforts and finished in twenty ninth position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,154,898 earned from the twenty nine events he played in. He also earned 375 FedEx Cup Series Playoff Points for his efforts and he finished in twenty first position on the final 2013 FedEx Cup Series Playoffs Points list with 645 points earned from the twenty nine events he played in. He also got and extra US $220,000 in FedEx Cup bonus money payout. From the twenty nine events he played in this year he made 19 cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which included the one here. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2012 season after gaining his card by finishing in tied for 13th position at the 2011 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. His rookie year on the USPGA Tour in 2012 was good with him making 19 cuts from the 27 events he entered and he also achieved his first top ten finish at the Greenbrier Classic in early July. He earned US $755,095 and finished in 118th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings and easily kept his card for the 2013 season. Now he has secured his card for the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season, he can now focus on winning his maiden USPGA Tour event which will now have to be in the 2013/14 season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Also tied for ninth position was Jason Dufner (USA); he too earned US $227,733.34 for his efforts and finished in 16th position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,132,268 earned from the twenty two events he played in. He also earned 375 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points for his efforts and finished in 19th position on the final 2013 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points list standings with 685 points earned from the twenty two events he played in. He also got and extra US $230,000 in FedEx Cup bonus money payout. From the twenty two events he played in this year he made 19 cuts and achieved five top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his maiden Major Championship win at the 95th PGA Championship in mid August. Jason Dufner (USA) 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 three 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 and the third one was of course the 2013, 95th PGA Championship which was his maiden Major Championship. Now he has won his Maiden Major Championship I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins another one in the next few years. His awesome ball striking and the fact that nothing really annoys him on the golf course really helps him to perform well under the intense pressure that Major Championship Golf puts on players. He now has career earnings on USPGA Tour of US $15,578,277 earned from the 197 events he has played to date so far in his career. I wish him all the best for the 2013/14 season.

The final player to tie for ninth position was Sergio Garcia (Spain); he too earned US $227,733.34 for his efforts and finished in twenty sixth position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,251,139 earned from the 17 events he played in. He also earned 375 FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points for his efforts and finished in twenty second position on the final 2013 FedEx Cup Series Points list standings with 635 points earned from the 17 events he played in. He also got and extra US $215,000 in FedEx Cup bonus money payout. From the 17 events he played on the USPGA Tour this year he made all 17 cuts and withdrew from one. He also achieved six top ten finishes which included the one here. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2000 season and in the time he has easily kept his card for the next year every season since and he has achieved eight wins on the USPGA Tour in his career so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2001 MasterCard Colonial, Buick Classic 2002 Mercedes Championships, 2004 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, Buick Classic, 2005 Booz Allen Classic. 2008 THE PLAYERS Championship and the 2012 Wyndham Championship. I feel his ninth win isn’t too far off and maybe it could be his maiden Major Championship but he will have to wait till 2014 for that now. I wish him all the best for the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season.

 

Next week the USPGA Tour has the week off but recommences the following week for the tenth playing of the Presidents Cup Matches between the Team International and the Team USA. This year it is being played on the Muirfield Village GC, Dublin, Ohio. There is no prize money on offer just the honour of winning the Presidents Cup and representing your country. Team USA are the defending Champions and will be keen to put their name on the cup again. It starts on Thursday 3rd October with the Afternoon Foursome Matches. I will report back who won the cup in two weeks time. And on the European Tour and Race to Dubai heads to Scotland for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and it is played on the Old Course St. Andrews, Carnoustie & Kingsbarns, Scotland. It carries a large prize purse of US $5,000,000 for the taking. It is played in a Pro – Am format with one professional and one Amateur in a team and they each play the three courses once and then there is a cut. Branden Grace (RSA) is the defending Champion and will be keen for back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 26th September 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 650th week of his career in total is Tiger Woods (USA) who is fresh off his tied for second position at The Barclays four weeks ago with 13.22 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 five months ago and also won The Barclays four weeks ago with 9.25 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Phil Mickelson (USA) who is fresh off his Open Championship win over a two months ago with 8.52 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off winning the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and also the 2013 FedEx Cup this past week with 8.23 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 three months ago and also tying for second position at The Barclays four weeks ago with 7.78 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Michael Hendry (NZL) fresh off  his tie for 10th position at the Vana H Cup KBC Augusta on the Japan Golf Tour four weeks ago is the highest ranked New Zealander Golfer in the world for the Thirtieth third straight week of his career. This week he slips four places and falls to 196th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.94 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember there are four ways to miss a putt but if you get the ball to the hole every time you are eliminating one!!

Source: pgatour.com