Golf Events from the Weekend 23rd February 2014

Well it was another brilliant weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to Arizona for the very first World Golf Championship event of the 2014 season and it was the World Golf Championship – Accenture Match play Championship and was played on the Golf Club at Dove Mountain, Marana, Arizona. It was co – sanctioned with all the other Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world. And the final was between Jason Day (Australia) verse Victor Dubuisson (France). To get to the final Jason Day (Australia) had to defeat Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) in the first round two up; then in the second round in a very tight match he defeated Billy Horschel (USA) on the twenty second hole; in the third round he defeated George Coetzee (RSA) 3&1; in the quarter finals he defeated Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 2&1; and in the semi – finals he defeated Rickie Fowler (USA) 3&2. For Victor Dubuisson (France) to get to the final he defeated Kevin Streelman (USA) 5&4 in the first round; in the second round he defeated Peter Hanson (Sweden) 3&1; in the third round he defeated Bubba Watson (USA) one up; in the quarter finals he defeated Graeme McDowell (NIR) one up; and in the semi finals he defeated Ernie Els (RSA) one up.

So to the Championship Final Match between Jason Day (Australia) verse Victor Dubuisson (France). Jason Day (Australia) won the Par four, first hole with a birdie three to go one up. He went two up when he birdied the par five, second hole. Victor Dubuisson (France) made a fine birdie two on the par three, third hole to get back to one down. Then he made a solid par four on the fourth hole to bring the match back to all square. They halved the par four, fifth hole in bogey fives for the match to be still all square. Jason Day (USA) made a solid par three at the sixth hole to go to one up again. He then won the par four, seventh hole with a birdie to go to two up.

Jason Day (Australia) in action during the final round

They both birdied the par five, eighth hole so Jason Day (Australia) remained two up. Jason Day (Australia) got conceded the par four, ninth hole when Victor Dubuisson (France) pulled his second shot into the desert on the left and after he took his free drop from the grandstand which was a temporary immoveable obstruction his ball rolled in front of a rock leaving an impossible third shot and he then conceded the hole to Jason Day (Australia) so he was now three holes up after nine holes. So Jason Day (Australia) looked in total control of the match at the halfway stage.

They both made pars at the par four, tenth hole so Jason Day (Australia) remained three up. They both made fine birdies on the par five, eleventh hole so Jason Day (Australia) remained three up with seven holes to play. They both made pars on the par three, 12th hole so Jason Day (Australia) was still three up with six holes to play. Victor Dubuisson (France) made a great birdie on the par five, 13th hole and got back to two down with five holes to play. They halved the par four, 14th hole in pars so Jason Day (Australia) was still two up with four holes to play. They halved the short par four, 15th hole in birdie threes so Jason Day (Australia) was still two up with three holes to play. They halved the short par three, 16th hole in pars so Jason Day (Australia) was now two up with two holes to play and that meant that Victor Dubuisson (France) would now have to win the 17th and 18th holes if he was going to square the match and take it to the 19th hole.

Victor Dubuisson (France) hit his ball in the right hand fairway bunker on the par four, 17th hole leaving a difficult shot for his second. Jason Day (Australia) hit his ball into the right rough also leaving a difficult approach shot to the green. Victor Dubuisson (France) hit an amazing second shot from the right hand fairway bunker and his ball came to rest 15 feet past the pin. Jason Day (Australia) struck a good shot with his short wedge from a difficult lie in the right hand rough and it came to rest about twenty feet past the pin. Jason Day (Australia) putted for his birdie first and his putt just missed on the right hand side and he was conceded his par. That meant that Victor Dubuisson (France) would have to hole his 15 foot birdie putt to keep the match alive. He struck a brilliant putt that never looked like missing and dropped right into the centre of the cup!! He was now only one down with one hole to play.

Victor Dubuisson (France) and Jason Day (Australia) both hit their tee shots right down the centre of the fairway on the par four, 18th hole. Jason Day (Australia) played his second shot first with his short iron and he struck it too well and it rolled to the back of the green leaving over forty feet for his birdie putt. Victor Dubuisson (France) hit a poor second shot into the left hand green side bunker. Victor Dubuisson (France) hit a very good bunker shot for his third and it came to rest eight feet below the pin. Jason Day (Australia) putted for his birdie from over forty five feet and it rolled down the fast slope and came to rest 15 feet past the cup. Jason Day (Australia) was still away and now knew if he could hole his 15 foot birdie putt he would win the Championship match. He struck the putt a little weak and it came to rest inches short of dropping and his next putt was conceded for bogey. That meant that Victor Dubuisson (France) would have to hole his eight foot par putt to extend the match to the 19th hole. He put a very good roll on it and it rolled right in the centre of the cup for his par four!! The match was now all square after 18 holes so both Victor Dubuisson (France) and Jason Day (Australia) headed to the 19th hole which was the par four, first hole again.

Both Victor Dubuisson (France) and Jason Day (Australia) hit good tee shots down the par four, 19th hole. Jason Day (Australia) hit his second shot with his short iron slightly too big and it rolled in to the fringe at the back of the green leaving about twenty five feet for his birdie putt. Victor Dubuisson (France) then struck his second shot with his short iron and it flew over the back of the green into the desert leaving an extremely difficult chip shot to get up and down!! It now looked like Jason Day (Australia) would win for sure on this hole. Victor Dubuisson (France) had other ideas though and he hacked his ball out of the very difficult position it was in and it rolled through the rough and came to rest eight feet below the flagstick. Jason Day (Australia) now had to compose himself as he was faced with his twenty five foot birdie putt knowing he would more than likely have to two putt to keep the match alive. He struck a very good putt that came to rest a foot from the cup and was conceded his par putt. That meant that Victor Dubuisson (France) now had to hole an eight foot par putt to extend the match to the twentieth hole. He knocked it straight in the centre of the cup!! So both Victor Dubuisson (France) and Jason Day (Australia) headed to the twentieth hole which was the par four, tenth hole. 

Both Victor Dubuisson (France) and Jason Day (Australia) hit good tee shots down the par four, twentieth hole. Jason Day (Australia) hit his short iron second shot into 30 feet from the pin. Victor Dubuisson (France) pulled his second shot into the desert on the left just as he did in regulation play. He was now faced with an equally difficult shot as he had on the 19th hole. Again he chipped it out through the rough and it rolled and came to rest about 15 feet underneath the cup. Jason Day (Australia) rolled his 30 foot birdie putt up to within a foot of the cup and was conceded his par. Victor Dubuisson (France) now had to hole his 15 foot putt for par to extend the match to the twenty first hole. He struck a great putt and it fell right in to the centre of the cup!!  Sir Nick Faldo (England) who was commentating for CBS Sports said “In all his years watching and playing golf those two up and downs by Victor Dubuisson (France) were the two best up and downs he had ever witnessed!!”. So Victor Dubuisson (France) and Jason Day (Australia) headed to the twenty first hole which they both made bogey fives on. So both Victor Dubuisson (France) and Jason Day (Australia) headed to the twenty second hole which was the par four, 14th hole.  

Both Victor Dubuisson (France) and Jason Day (Australia) found the fairway with their tee shots on the par four, twenty second hole. Jason Day (Australia) played first with his short iron and he struck what he thought was a decent shot but it spun off the front of the green leaving a tricky chip shot from the rough. Victor Dubuisson (France) played his second shot next and he struck his short iron well to land on the green about twenty feet above the cup. Jason Day (Australia) struck a fine chip shot that came to rest about a foot from the cup and the par putt was conceded. Victor Dubuisson (France) now knew if he could hole his right to left breaking twenty footer he would win the Championship final match. He struck a good putt but it broke to the left just at the hole and came to rest inches from going in. His next put was conceded for his par. So both Victor Dubuisson (France) and Jason Day (Australia) were headed to the twenty third hole which was the short par four 15th hole.

 

Jason Day (Australia) pumps his fist in the air after holing the winning putt!!

Victor Dubuisson (France) teed off first on the par four, twenty third hole and lost his drive to the right in the thick rough but it was pin high. Jason Day (Australia) tee off next and struck a very good drive that came to rest in the first cut of rough pin high. Victor Dubuisson (France) played his second shot first and knew he had to at least get it to the green from his buried lie in the rough. It came out with too much over spin and rolled in to the fringe on the other side of the green. It left him with a 30 foot putt for his birdie. Jason Day (Australia) now knew he had a great chance to win the match here if he could put his chip close. He made great contact with the ball with his wedge and came to rest five feet from the cup. Victor Dubuisson (France) putted for birdie from 30 feet but it came up three feet short and he was conceded the par putt. Jason Day (Australia) now knew he could win the WGC – Accenture match play Championship if he could hole the five foot birdie putt. He calmed his nerve and rolled it straight in the middle of the cup!! He pumped his fist in the air to celebrate!! He also got a huge hug and high five from his caddie and coach, Col Swatton. Then his Wife, Ellie and their young son Dash came on to the green to give him a hug and kiss!! When interviewed by CBS Sports commentator, Peter Kostis he told him “He wanted to win this title so badly this week and was so pleased he was able to achieve it!!”.

 

Jason Day (Australia) on the right and his wife, Ellie on the left with their young son Dash pose with the WGC - Accenture Match play Championship Trophy he won!!

Jason Day (Australia) earned US $1,530,000 for the win and moved to seventh position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US$1,909,200 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. Jimmy Walker (USA) still leads that list with US $ 3,785,680 earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. Jason Day (Australia) also earned 550 FedEx Cup Points for his win and moved to eleventh position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 720 Points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He is 1,110 points behind the current leader of the FedEx Cup who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 1,830 points from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. From the three events Jason Day (Australia) has played to date this season so far he has made all three cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that includes the win here. This was also his second win on the USPGA Tour of his career to date having won the HP Byron Nelson Championship just under four years ago in 2010.

He had three top ten finishes in the four Major Championships last year and here they are: Solo third at the Masters Tournament in April; tied for second at the 113th US Open Championship in June; tied for 32nd at the 142nd Open Championship in July and tied for eighth at the 95th PGA Championship. So far in his career his has amassed earnings of US $15,737,556 from the 139 events he has played in so far in his USPGA Tour career. I feel his third win on the USPGA Tour could well be a Major Championship and perhaps it will come at the Masters Tournament in April where he has come so close to winning in the past? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Victor Dubuisson (France) for coming runner up earned € 660,590.59 for his efforts and moved to third position on the current 2014 Race to Dubai Money list standings € 833,661 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. From the three events he has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that includes the win here. Victor Dubuisson (France) has been playing on the European Tour full time since the 2011 season. He has kept his card for the following year every season since and his best season to date so far came in 2013 where he earned € 2,031,675 from the twenty one events he played in and that included his maiden win at the Turkish Airlines Open by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism last November. He looks to have a very promising career in front of him with only being 23 years old and he turns 24 in April. He showed this week that he has a never give up attitude with the two amazing up and downs he achieved!! I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014 season.

The consolidation match for third and fourth positions was played between Rickie Fowler (USA) verse Ernie Els (RSA). They both made pars on the par four, first hole. Rickie Fowler (USA) birdied the par five, second hole to go to one up. Ernie Els (RSA) birdied the par three, third hole to get the match back to all square. Rickie Fowler (USA) birdied the par four, fourth hole to go back to one up. Rickie Fowler (USA) birdied the par four, fifth hole to go to two up. Ernie Els (RSA) birdied the par three, sixth hole to get back to one down. They halved holes seven, eight and nine in pars so Rickie Fowler (USA) was one up at the turn.

Ernie Els (RSA) won the par four, tenth hole with a par so the match was back to all square. Ernie Els (RSA) birdied the par five, eleventh hole and for the first time in the match he was one up. Ernie Els (RSA) then won the par three, 12th hole with a par so he was now two up with six holes to play. Rickie Fowler (USA) won the par five, 13th hole with a brilliant eagle three so Ernie Els (RSA) was back to one up. Rickie Fowler (USA) won the par four, 14th hole with a par and the match was all square again. They halved the short par four, 15th hole in birdie threes and the par three, 16th hole in pars so the match was all square with two holes to play. Rickie Fowler (USA) made a fine birdie on the par four, 17th hole and he went to one up with one hole to play. Ernie Els (RSA) came straight back with a birdie of his own on the par four, 18th hole so the match was all square after 18 holes. Rickie Fowler (USA) made a fine birdie on the par four, 19th hole and won the consolidation match!! It was a bitter sweet win because I am sure he wished he had won in the morning semi finals and had a chance to play for the winner’s trophy, but at the same time he can be well pleased with how he played in this match and that he beat a four time Major Championship winner.

Rickie Fowler (USA) won US $630,000 for his efforts and moved to twenty seventh position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $788,930 earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 200 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 49th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 299 points earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. From the seven events he has played to date this season so far he has made four cuts and this was his first top ten finish of the season to date so far. This result will give him some real confidence with some more really big money tournaments coming up leading into the first Major Championship of the year which is the Masters Tournament in the second week of April. He won his maiden USPGA Tour event at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship so he will be looking for his second win on the USPGA Tour this year. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014 season.

Ernie Els (RSA) will be disappointed with his fourth place finish losing both matches on the final day. But at the same time he can be satisfied that he gave his opponents a run for their money in both matches. And in the 37 holes he played on the final day he was six under the card. He won US $460,000 for his efforts and moved to 35th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 677,921 earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 140 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 59th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 265 points earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. From the four events he has played to date this season so far he has made every cut and this was his first top ten finish he has achieved to date so far this season. This result should give Ernie Els (RSA) a good platform to launch his 2013/14 USPGA Tour campaign. He has already won 19 USPGA Tour events in his career and that includes four Major Championships. He is now 44 years of age and entering his twilight years on the USPGA Tour. Perhaps he could win his fifth Major Championship before his career is over? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014 season. 

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to the East Coast of America for the first time in 2014 and it is the first event of four straight on the Florida Swing. It is the Honda Classic and it is played on the PGA National (Champion), Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,000,000 for the taking. Michael Thompson (USA) is the defending champion and will be keen for back to back titles. Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and Danny Lee (NZL) are also likely to get starts. It starts on Thursday 27th February and I will report back who won the trophy next week.  

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points this week and coming in at Number One Position for the 672nd week of his career in total is Tiger Woods (USA) who is fresh off his  tied for 41st  finish at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic three weeks ago with 10.27 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 ten months ago and also won The Barclays over five months ago and also won the Australian PGA Championship just over three months ago and he also won the Talisker Masters 14 weeks ago and 13 weeks ago finished in solo third position in the individual competition at the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf and 12 weeks ago finished runner up in the Emirates Australian Open with 8.79 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who won the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and also the 2013 FedEx Cup over four months ago and won DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the 2013 Race to Dubai Title 14 weeks ago and also losing in the second round at the WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship this past week with 8.47 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off his WGC – Accenture Match Championship win this past week with 6.94 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list this week is Phil Mickelson (USA) who won the  Open Championship seven months ago and also finished in tied for 19th position at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am two weeks ago with 6.76 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Michael Hendry (NZL) fresh off  his tied for 14th finish at the Oates Victorian Open one week ago is the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world for the fifty fifth straight week of his career. This week he gains three places and rises to 214th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.79 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember when playing in hot conditions you must keep you fluids up to avoid dehydration!!

Source: Pgatour.com, Official World Golf Rankings