Golf Events from the Weekend 25th May 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 stayed in the State of Texas for the second and final Texas Swing of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and the second and final event of the second Texas Swing and it was the Crowned Plaza Invitational at Colonial and it was played on the Colonial CC, Fort worth, Texas. And the Golfer by the name of Adam Scott (Australia) scored rounds of 71+1, 68-2, 66-4 and a very good final round of 66-4 for a 72 hole total of 271-9 but he was tied on that score by Jason Dufner (USA) who scored rounds of 67-3, 69-1, 69-1 and a final round of 66-4 which included holing a twenty five foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole for a 72 hole total of 271-9 also. So both Adam Scott (Australia) and Jason Dufner (USA) headed back to the par four, 18th hole for the first playoff hole. 

Jason Dufner (USA) drew one out of the USPGA Tour Officials hat so he tee off first at the first playoff hole which was the par four, 18th hole. Jason Dufner (USA) hit his driver off the tee and landed it right in the centre of the fairway. Adam Scott (Australia) teed off second and chose his three wood and landed it just behind Jason Dufner’s (USA) ball right in the centre of the fairway. Adam Scott (Australia) played his second shot first with his gap wedge from 135 yards out and the ball landed twenty one feet, four inches from pin leaving him an outside chance for birdie. Jason Dufner (USA) played his second shot next and used his sand wedge from 126 yards, and the ball landed 18 feet from pin. Adam Scott (Australia) putted for his birdie first and he hit a good putt but it just slipped by on the right and it rolled three and a half feet by leaving a little knee knocker putt for his par. Jason Dufner (USA) putted next for his birdie and his putt just slipped by on the right as well and rolled two and a half feet past. Adam Scott (Australia) tapped his knee knocker putt in for his par four. Jason Dufner (USA) then did the same by tapping his knee knocker putt in for his par four as well. So both players headed to the par four, 17th hole for the second playoff hole. 

 

Adam Scott (Australia) tees off during the final round

So to the second playoff hole which was the par four, 17th hole. Jason Dufner (USA) teed off first and hit his hybrid 226 yards, down the right side of fairway. Adam Scott (Australia) played next and chose hits four iron under the instructions of his caddie, Steve Williams and he landed it right in the centre of the fairway. Adam Scott (Australia) chose an eight iron for his second shot from 158 yards and he landed it on the back fringe 14 feet, three inches past hole. Jason Dufner (USA) now with the pressure on him to keep up with Adam Scott (Australia) struck his nine iron perfectly from 147 yards to four feet, five inches to the right of hole. Adam Scott (Australia) holed his putt from the back fringe for his birdie three and now the pressure was right back on Jason Dunfer (USA) to hole his birdie putt from four feet to keep the playoff alive. Jason Dunfer (USA) had been struggling with this length putt all week but this time he had no trouble and rolled it straight into the centre of the cup for his par four. So both players headed to the par four, 18th hole for the third playoff hole. 

So to the third playoff hole which was the par four, 18th hole. Jason Dunfer (USA) teed off first and struck his driver 292 yards, in the right centre of fairway. Adam Scott (Australia) teed off next and stuck his three wood 301 yards, down the centre of fairway as well. Jason Dufner (USA) used his wedge from 149 yards for his second shot and landed it 39 feet, 7 inches short of the flag stick on the green which was a very poor shot by his high standards and he knew he had left the door open for Adam Scott (Australia) to walk through if he was good enough. Adam Scott (Australia) used a wedge from 135 yards for his second shot and landed it 7 feet, 3 inches from the flag stick on the green and had given himself a great chance to make birdie. Jason Dufner (USA) now knew that he had to more than likely hole his 39 feet, seven inches birdie putt if he was going to extend the playoff to a fourth hole. He made an aggressive attempt at it and it rolled six feet past the cup. Adam Scott (Australia) now knew if he could hole his seven foot, three inches putt for his birdie three he would win the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He hit a brilliant putt that dropped right in the centre of the cup for the win. When interviewed by Peter Kostis (USA) from CBS Sports he said “I am so happy to win this week because I have now won the whole four events that are played in Texas on the USPGA Tour, and I am also very pleased to win the same week I gained the Number One Official World Golf Rankings on the USPGA Tour for the first time in my Career”. 

 

Adam Scott (Australia) pumps his fist in the air after holing the winning putt!!

Adam Scott (Australia) scored a very good final round to get into the playoff which was 66-4 and it included a front nine of 34-1 with birdies on the par five, first hole, par four, second hole, par three, fourth hole, par four, sixth hole. But he made a bogey on the par four, third hole and a double bogey on the par four ninth hole. And he played a flawless back nine of 32-3 with birdies coming at the par five, eleventh hole, par four, 12th hole and par four, 14th hole. Adam Scott (Australia) earned US $1,152,000 for the win and moved to 13th position on the current 2013/14  USPGA  Tour Money list standings with US $2,248,650 earned from the eight events he has played to date so far this year. Jimmy Walker (USA) still leads that list with US $4,722,075 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. Adam Scott (Australia) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and moved to 14th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 1,025 points earned from the eight events he has played to date this year so far. He is 1,214 points behind the current leader of the FedEx Cup who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 2,239 points from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. From the eight events Adam Scott (Australia) has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved four top ten finishes that includes the win here. 

Adam Scott (Australia) will be extremely happy he was able to achieve his eleven USPGA Tour win in the same week he became the Official World Number One Golfer for the first time in his career. 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 $35,447,715 earned from the 221 events he has played to date so far in his career. He has also won eleven 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, 2005 Nissan Open (The 2005 Nissan Open was shortened to 36 holes due to rain. Adam Scott (Australia) defeated Chad Campbell (USA) on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Due to the event's length, this win is not officially recognized), 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), The Barclays and the 2014 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. 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. He has proved over the last few years 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 USPGA Tour throws at the players week in and week out. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. 

 

Adam Scott (Australia) poses with the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial Trophy he won and he is also wearing the Jacket he won!!

Coming in solo second position at 271-9 after 72 holes and losing on the third playoff hole as I mentioned above was Jason Dufner (USA); he earned US $691,200 for his efforts and moved to 35th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,517,848 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 37th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 726 points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. From the eleven events he has played to date this season so far he has made ten cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s but at the same time a little disappointed that he missed so many short putts because had he made half of them he would have won by three or four shots. 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 his 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 $16,820,126 earned from the 207 events he has played to date so far in his career. I wish him all the best for the rest of 2013/14 season. 

Coming in tied for third position at 272-8 after 72 holes was Nicholas Thompson (USA); he earned US $371,200 for his efforts and moved to 92nd position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $675,387 earned from the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 163 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 88th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with 396 points earned from the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and this was the first top ten finish he has achieved to date so far this season. He will be happy with his four rounds this week because they were all in the 60s. He will also be really pleased with just making the cut this week as prior to this event he had missed his last four cuts. Nicholas Thompson (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime on and off since the 2006 season after gaining his card by finishing in third position at the 2005 Final USPGA Tour qualifying school. His best finish on the USPGA Tour to date so far came in the 2008 season at the Ginn sur Mer Classic where he tied for 2nd position. With this tied for third position this past week he is having one of his best starts to a USPGA Tour season ever. Let’s hope he can achieve more top ten finishes in the weeks to come. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

The final player to tie for third position was Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden); he too US $371,200 for his efforts and moved to 52nd position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,199,235 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earned 163 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 51st position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 617 points earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 17 events he has played to date this season so far he has made eleven cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his first, third and final rounds this week that were all 67-3 but mad with his second round 71+1. Freddie Jacobson (Sweden) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2004 Season and has easily kept his card for the next year every season since. In that time he has amassed career earnings to date of US $15,513,060 earned from the 248 events he has played into date so far in his career and his maiden win came at the 2011 Travelers Championship. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season and hope he can have more top ten finishes and perhaps secure his second USPGA Tour win?

Rounding out the top five in tied for fifth position at 273-7 after 72 holes was David Lingmerth (Sweden); he earned US $216,960 for his efforts and moved to 113th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $516,146 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 93 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 123rd position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list with 291 points earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 17 events he has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his final two rounds that were both 66-4 but he will be disappointed with his opening round 72+2. He will also be very happy with this finish because prior to this event he had missed his previous five cuts. He is in his second year playing on the USPGA Tour after gaining his 2013 USPGA Tour card by finishing in tenth position on the final 2012 Web.com Tour Money list standings with US $ 287,148 earned from the 26 events he played in. In his rookie year on the USPGA Tour in 2013 he earned US $ 1,748,109 from the twenty three events he played in and finished in 46th position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings which was a fine showing by a rookie. I feel his maiden win on the USPGA Tour isn’t too far away and maybe it will happen in the 2013/14 season? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

Also tied for fifth position was Ryan Palmer (USA); he also earned US $216,960 for his efforts and moved to twenty sixth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US$1,769,371 earned from the 14 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 93 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twenty third position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 897 points earned from the 14 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 14 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 12 cuts and achieved five top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his four rounds this week because they were all in the 60s. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2004 season and has managed to keep his card or at least semi status on the USPGA Tour for the next season every season since. He has won three events on the USPGA Tour in that time and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2004 FUNAI Classic at the WALT DISNEY WORLD Resort, 2008 Ginn sur Mer Classic and the 2010 Sony Open in Hawaii. I feel his fourth win isn’t too far away and might just coming in the 2013/14 season? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

Also tied for fifth position was Brendon Todd (USA); he also earned US $216,960 for his efforts and moved to eleven position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,309,823 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 93 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to ninth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,162 points earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 18 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 15 cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his win last week at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. He will be very happy with his four rounds this week that he scored all in the 60s and it was a great performance backing up after his maiden win last week. He is in amazing form at the moment with his last eight rounds on the USPGA Tour being in the 60s. Brendon Todd (USA) is having his fourth attempt at playing the USPGA Tour fulltime having played it in 2009 and 2012 after winning the 2011 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. In 2013 he played the USPGA Tour on a limited schedule and as well played a limited schedule on the Web.com Tour where he earned US $247,948 from the ten events he played in and finished in inside the top 50 Money earners to earn his full 2013/14 USPGA Tour card. I feel now he has achieved his maiden USPGA Tour win it will give heaps of confidence and he could well win his second USPGA Tour event very soon. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. 

Also tied for fifth position was John Senden (Australia); he also earned US $216,960 for his efforts and moved to 15th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,163,404 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 93 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 12th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,080 points earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 17 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 15 cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his win at the Valspar Championship in March. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s but disappointed with his first round 71+1. John Senden (Australia) has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2002 season and has kept his card for the next year every season since. In that time he has amassed career earnings of US $18,149,729 earned from the 352 events he has played to date so far in his career. His maiden win came at the 2006 John Deere Classic and of course his second win came in mid March this year at the Valsper Championship. So he had to wait just under eight years between wins. He is considered by some golf experts to have one of the best swings in the game but sometimes his putting lets him down. I sure his third win on the USPGA Tour is just around the corner and it could well happen in the 2013/14 season? Perhaps it could even be a WGC – Event or even a Major Championship? Now at age 43 years old he is really settled in his life being happily married to his wife Jackie since 1999, and has one child, Jacob. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

The final player to tie for fifth position was David Toms (USA); he also earned US $216,960 for his efforts and moved to 102nd position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $594,647 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 93 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 101st position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 351 points earned from the 13 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 13 events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that includes the one here. He with be extremely happy with his second and third rounds that were in the mid 60s but disappointed with his first and final rounds that were in the early 70s. David Toms (USA) has been playing the USPGA Tour Fulltime since gaining his card at the 1991 USPGA Tour Qualifying School after finishing in tied for twenty third position. The standout year of David Toms (USA) career came in 2001. He had nine top-10 finishes and three wins on tour, one of which was his first Major Championship which was the PGA Championship. David Toms (USA) won the Compaq Classic of New Orleans by two strokes over Phil Mickelson (USA) for his fifth PGA Tour title. That summer, David Toms (USA) won the PGA Championship by one stroke ahead of Phil Mickelson (USA). His winning score of 265 in the 2001 PGA Championship is the lowest absolute 72-hole score ever recorded in a major championship to date. David Toms (USA) followed up his first major win by successfully defending his title at the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill. At the last event of the year, David Toms (USA) entered a four-man playoff at The Tour Championship where he, Sergio Garcia (Spain) and Ernie Els (RSA) lost out on the first extra hole to Mike Weir (Canada). At the moment he has won 13 USPGA Tour events with his last coming at the 2011 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial which was this very event. Now at age 47 he must be eying up the Champions Tour in three years time. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Danny Lee (NZL) was one of two New Zealand Golfers in the field and he scored rounds of 71+1 in the first round. Then he scored a good second round of 69-1, and a better third round of 68-2 and a steady final round of 70 even par for a 72 hole total of 278-2 and he tied for 38th position. He earned US $26,240 for his efforts and he currently lies in 106th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $558,357 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 30 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and he also currently lies in 99th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 360 points earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 18 events he has played to date this season so far he has made seven cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came just over two months ago at the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com where he finished in solo second position in early March. This week he played a average first round of 71+1 but backed it up with very good second round and third rounds of 69-1 and 68-2 and a steady final round of 70 even par. Let’s hope he can achieve some more top ten finishes in the events he plays in the coming weeks? I wish all the best in his next few tournaments he plays in for the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. 

Tim Wilkinson (NZL) was the other New Zealand Golfer in the field and he scored rounds of 66-4 in the first round which was very good and only one shot of the lead, then a average second round of 71+1, then good third round of 69-1 and a very disappointing final round of 74+4 for a 72 hole total of 280 even par and he finished in tied for 51st position. He earned US $15,061.33 for his efforts and moved to 109th  position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $537,553  earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 17 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 120th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 296 points earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 17 events he has played to date this season so far he has made eleven cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which came at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in mid November last year and at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in early February this year. He will be happy with his first and third rounds this week that were in the 60s but disappointed with his second and final rounds that were in the low to mid 70s. His final round 74+4 really cost him a lot of money because had he scored 66-4 he would have won about 30 times more money than he got but I guess that is why your pay cheque is for the whole 72 holes. Let’s hope he can have some top ten finishes in the weeks to come? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to Ohio for the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance and it is played on the Muirfield Village GC, Dublin, Ohio on the course that Jack Nicklaus (USA) designed and built in his home State. Jack Nicklaus (USA) is also the founder and host. It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,200,000 for the taking. Danny Lee (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) will be hopeful to gain starts as well. Matt Kuchar (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen for back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 29th May 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 second week of his career and also becomes the 17th player to achieve the Number One Official Golf Ranking is Adam Scott (Australia) who is fresh off his win this past week at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial with 8.94 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who won the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and also the 2013 FedEx Cup over eight months ago and won DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the 2013 Race to Dubai Title 27 weeks ago and this past week finished in tied for seventh position at BMW PGA Championship with 7.79 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Tiger Woods (USA) who is fresh off his tied for twenty fifth position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship eleven weeks ago with 7.65 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Matt Kuchar (USA) who is fresh of his tied for  seventh  position at HP Byron Nelson Championship one week ago with 7.03 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list this week is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tie for 48th position at THE PLAYERS Championship two weeks ago with 6.97 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Michael Hendry (NZL) is in his sixth week of his second spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his tied for 49th finish at the Kansai Open Golf Championship this past week which was the fourth event on Japanese soil for the 2014 Japan Golf Tour season. This week he slips nine places and falls to 227th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.77 Official Golf World Ranking Points. 

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

Source: Pgatour.com, Official World Golf Rankings, wikipedia.org, Google search engine

Golf Events from the Weekend 18th May 2014

Well 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 back to the State of Texas for the second and final Texas Swing of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and the first event of the two in the second Texas Swing was the HP Byron Nelson Championship and it was played on the TPC Four Seasons Resort, Irving, Texas. And the golfer by the name of Brendon Todd (USA) scored rounds of 68-2, 64-6, 68-2 and a final round of 66-4 for a 72 hole total of 266-14 to win by two shots. Brendon Todd (USA) earned US $1,242,000 for the win and moved to 15th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,092,863 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. Jimmy Walker (USA) is the new leader of that list with US $4,568,475 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. Brendon Todd (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and moved to eleventh position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,069 points earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far and he is 1,103 points behind the current leader of the FedEx Cup Points list who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 2,172 points from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 17 events Brendon Todd (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made 14 cuts and achieved three top ten finishes that includes the win here. 

 

Brendon Todd (USA) tees off during the final round

Brendon Todd (USA) played a brilliant blemish free final round under the circumstances of being in the final group. He scored 66-4 which included a front nine of 32-3 with birdies on the par three, second hole, par three, fifth hole and par four, ninth hole and made the turn at minus 13 and was leading by one shot. Mike Weir (Canada) went out in 33-2 and made the turn at minus eleven and was two shots behind the leader. Charles Howell III (USA) went out in 33-2 and made the turn at minus nine and was four shots behind the leader. Marc Leishman (Australia) went out in 32-4 and made the turn at minus 12 and was one shot behind the leader. 

Brendon Todd (USA) played holes ten to 14 in one under par and moved to minus 14 and was now leading by two shots. Mike Weir (Canada) played holes ten to 14 in one under par and moved to minus 12 and was still two shots behind the leader. Charles Howell III (USA) played holes ten to 14 in even par and remained at minus nine and but was now five shots behind the leader. Marc Leishman (Australia) played holes ten to 14 in two over par and fell back to minus ten and was now four shots behind the leader. 

Brendon Todd (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in even par and that included making a twenty five foot putt for par on the par three, 17th hole and he remained at minus 14 and was still leading by two shots heading to the par four, 72nd hole. Mike Weir (Canada) played holes 15 to 17 in even par and remained at minus 12 and was still two shots behind the leader heading to the par four, 72nd hole. Charles Howell III (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in two under par and that included holing his third shot with his wedge on the par five, 16th hole for an eagle three and he moved to minus eleven and was now only three shots behind the leader heading to the par four, 72nd hole. Marc Leishman (Australia) played holes 15 to 17 in even par and remained at minus ten and was still four shots behind the leader with just the par four, 72nd hole to play.

Marc Leishman (Australia) who was playing a few groups ahead of the final group made a solid par at the par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes on minus ten and finished four shots behind the winner. Charles Howell III (USA) who was playing in the group behind the final group made a disappointing bogey at the par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes at minus ten was four shots behind the winner. Mike Weir (Canada) who was also playing in the group behind the final group made a solid par at the par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes at minus 12 and was two shots behind the winner.

 

Brendon Todd (USA) on the right embraces his wife, Rachel after holing the winning putt!!

 Brendon Todd (USA) now stood on the par four, 72nd tee with a two shot lead and knew if he could score no worse than a bogey five he would win his maiden USPGA Tour event. He hit his drive right down the centre of the fairway. Then he struck a fine second shot with his mid iron that landed on the green about 30 feet short of the flag stick. He now knew he could three putt and still win. He struck his putt from 30 feet a little too hard and it rolled five feet past the cup. He then calmed his nerve and rolled the five foot par putt in the hole for his par and he had won his maiden USPGA Tour Event. He scored 34-1 for his back nine. 

Brendon Todd (USA) then gave his caddie, Steve Lohmeyer a huge high five to celebrate!! Then his wife, Rachel came on to the 72nd green to give him a hug and kiss as well to share in the moment of his success!! Brendon Todd (USA) is having his fourth attempt at playing the USPGA Tour fulltime having played it in 2009 and 2012 after winning the 2011 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. In 2013 he played the USPGA Tour on a limited schedule and as well played a limited schedule on the Web.com Tour where he earned US $247,948 from the ten events he played in and finished in inside the top 50 Money earners to earn his full 2013/14 USPGA Tour card. I feel now he has achieved his maiden USPGA Tour win it will give heaps of confidence and he could well win his second USPGA Tour event very soon. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. 

 

Brendon Todd (USA) on the left and Peggy Nelson (Wife of the late, Byron Nelson) on the right pose with the HP Byron Championship Trophy he won!!

Coming in solo second position at 268-12 after 72 holes was Mike Weir (Canada); he earned US $745,200 for his efforts and moved to 71st position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $836,614 earned from the 19 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 87th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 370 points earned from the 19 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 19 events he has played to date this season so far he has made seven cuts and this was his very first top ten finish of the season to date so far. He will be very happy with his four rounds this week because they were all in the 60s. This was an amazing performance because prior to this event he had missed 12 cuts in his previous 18 starts and the six cuts he had made he had finished well down the field. It will give the 2003 Masters Tournament winner that is now 44 years old a huge boost of confidence because his form of recent years had really declined badly. Mike Weir (Canada) has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since 1998 and 2003 he had his career year to date with winning three tournaments that included his maiden Major Championship at the Masters Tournament in April. He continued his form in 2004 with defending his Nissan Championship he won the previous year. In 2007 he was chosen as a captains pick for Gary Players International Presidents Cup Team that was played in his native country of Canada at the Royal Montreal Golf Club where he played the then world number one player Tiger Woods (USA) in the Sunday Singles and ended up beating him. And later in the year won his seventh USPGA Tour event at the Fry’s Electronic Open. But in recent years his form really slid backwards because of injuries and changing his swing to suit them. But in 2013/14 USPGA Tour season he used his onetime top 50 career money list exemption to remain exempt. This finish should mean his card is secure for the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season. Let’s hope he can build on this result and have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

Coming in tied for third position at 270-10 after 72 holes was Charles Howell III (USA); he earned US $400,200 for his efforts and moved to twenty seventh position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,724,465 earned from the 19 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 163 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twentieth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 904 points earned from the 19 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 19 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 16 cuts and achieved six top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s. He has played some great golf this year so far and must be due for his third USPGA Tour win very soon. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2001 season with easily keeping his card every season and has currently earned US $27,350,435 from the 409 USPGA Tour starts he has had to date so far in his career. His maiden USPGA Tour win came at the 2002 Michelob Championship at Kingsmill and his second win came at the 2007 Nissan Open in a playoff over Phil Mickelson (USA). I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

The final player to tie for third position was Marc Leishman (Australia); he too earned US $400,200 for his efforts and moved to 46th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,221,169 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 163 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 49th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 587 points earned from the 13 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 13 events he has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be very happy with his golf this week having scored all four rounds in the 60s. He has played the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2009 season and has easily kept his card for the next season every year since. And in the 2012 season he achieved his maiden win on the USPGA Tour at the 2012 Travelers Championship. I sure his second win isn’t too far off and maybe it will happen in the 2013/14 season?

Coming in tied for fifth position at 271-9 after 72 holes was Boo Weekley (USA); he earned US $262,200 for his efforts and moved to 80th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $766,701 earned from the 16 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 105 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 69th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 466 points earned from the 16 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 16 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 12 cuts and this was his very first top ten finish he has achieved to date this season so far. He will be happy with his week on the whole because he scored all four rounds in the 60s. Boo Weekley (USA) has been playing the USPGA Tour on and off since the 2002 season. But in April 2007 he achieved his maiden win on the USPGA Tour at the Verizon Heritage where he had two chip in pars on the 71st and 72nd holes to claim the win. Also in 2007 he represented USA at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup with his fellow countryman Heath Slocum (USA) and they finished in second place. In 2008, Boo Weekley (USA) successfully defended his title at the Verizon Heritage, and rose into the top 25 of the Official World Golf Rankings. Boo Weekley (USA) shot to prominence at the 2008 Ryder Cup with a succession of virtuoso displays of superb golf including an emphatic 4&2 victory over Oliver Wilson (England) in final day Singles play. The final day was also notable however when Boo Weekley (USA) was filmed riding his driver "cowboy horse" style down the first fairway. Boo Weekley (USA) nickname comes from Yogi Bear’s sidekick, Boo Boo Bear. Often when he plays well on the USPGA Tour the gallery shouts out “Boo”. He lost his form between years 2009 to 2012 but in May last year he won the 2013 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial which was played in Fortworth, Texas for his third win on the USPGA Tour and he will defend that title next week. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. 

The final player to tie for fifth position was James Hahn (USA); he earned US $262,200 for his efforts and moved to 112th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 503,011 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 105 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 104th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 334 points earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 18 events he has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and this was his very first top ten finish he has achieved to date this season so far. He will be very happy with his second and third rounds of 65-5 but disappointed with his first and final rounds that were in the 70s. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime for the last two seasons after gaining his card at the 2012 final USPGA Tour Qualifying School and before gaining his card in 2012 he played a full season on the Web.com Tour where he won the Rex Hospital Open. Let’s hope he can have some more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. 

Rounding out the top ten in tied for seventh position at 272-8 after 72 holes was Dustin Johnson (USA); he earned US $207,862.50 for his efforts and remained in third position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,576,013 earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to fourth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,427 points earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. From the ten events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved six top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his win at the WGC - HSBC Champions last November. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his final round that was 66-4. Dustin Johnson (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since he qualified for the USPGA Tour by finishing in tied for 14th position at the 2007 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament and 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 eight events on the USPGA Tour to date so far in his career 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, 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions and the 2013/14 WGC – HSBC Champions. He has also amassed US $23,483,926 in career earnings to date from the 151 events he has played so far in his career and he made the cut in all four Major Championships last season and here were 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 feel now he is ready to win a Major Championship and it may well happen at the U.S. Open Championship in June next month. I wish him all the best for the rest of 2013/14 season. 

Also tied for seventh position was Matt Kuchar (USA); he too earned US $207,862.50 for his efforts and remained in fourth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,464,302 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and remained in third position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 1,571 points earned from the 13 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 13 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 12 cuts and achieved nine top ten finishes that includes the one here and also his win at the RBC Heritage in April. He had another very solid week this week with scoring all four of his rounds in the 60s and he also leads the top ten finishes stat with nine for the season which is three more than the next best players. Matt Kuchar (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour full time on and off since the 2002 season and has easily kept his card for the next season every season since except for the 2005 season. He spent the 2006 season on the Web.com Tour and earned his 2007 USPGA Tour card back by earning US $300,867 from the 21 events he played in and finished in tenth position on the final 2006 Web.com Tour Money list standings. Since 2007 he has had huge success on the USPGA Tour and his current all time USPGA Tour earnings are US $29,880,330 earned from 314 events he has played to date so far in his career. The next step for him would be to win a Major Championship and maybe it will happen in the second Major Championship of the year which is the U.S. Open Championship in June? He has now won seven times on the USPGA Tour to date in his career so far and here they are from his first to the most recent: 2002 The Honda Classic, 2009 Turning Stone Resort Championship, 2010 The Barclays, 2012 THE PLAYERS Championship, 2013 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance and the 2014 RBC Heritage. I wish him all the best with for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Also tied for seventh position was Graham DeLaet (Canada); he too earned US $207,862.50 for his efforts and moved to 19th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US$1,968,796 earned from the 14 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twenty first position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 900 points earned from the 14 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 14 events he has played to date this season so far he has made eleven cuts and achieved six top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his first three rounds that were all in the 60s but only content with his final round that was 70 even par. 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 US $ 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. In the 2013 season on the USPGA Tour he earned US $2,834,900 from the 26 events he played in and finished in twenty first position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings which was his best of his career to date. He also made his rookie appearance in the Presidents Cup for Team International and played brilliantly. I feel his maiden win on the USPGA Tour isn’t too far away and it will happen in the 2013/14 season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

The final player to tie for seventh position was Gary Woodland (USA); he too earned US $207,862.50 for his efforts and moved to 17th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,029,249 earned from the 14 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 17th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 928 points earned from the 14 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 14 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 13 cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his first three rounds this week which were all in the 60s but not happy with his final round which was 71+1. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime 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. In his 2013 season on the USPGA Tour he earned US $1,915,732 from the twenty six events he played in and finished in 37th position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings which included his second win of his USPGA Tour career at the Reno-Tahoe Open. 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 events in the 2013/14 season. 

Tim Wilkinson (NZL) was one of two New Zealand Golfers in the field and he scored rounds of 66-4 in the first round which was very good, then a average second round of 71+1, then another average round third round of 71+1 and a very good final round of 68-2 for a 72 hole total of 276-4 and he finished in tied for twenty second position. He earned US $64,055 for his efforts and moved to 107th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $522,492 earned from the 16 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 46 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 122nd position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 279 points earned from the 16 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 16 events he has played to date this season so far he has made ten cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which came at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in mid November last year and at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in early February this year. He will be happy with his first and final rounds this week that were in the 60s but disappointed with his second and third rounds that were in the low 70s. Let’s hope he can have some top ten finishes in the weeks to come? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

Danny Lee (NZL) was the other New Zealand Golfer in the field and he scored rounds of 69-1 in the first round. Then he scored a shocking second round of 77+7 for a 36 hole total of 146+6 to miss the cut by five shots. He currently lies in 105th  position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $532,117 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. He also currently lies in 106th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 330 points earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 17 events he has played to date this season so far he has made six cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came just under two months ago at the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com where he finished in solo second position in early March. This week he played a good first round of 69-1 but backed it up with a shocking second round of 77+7. Let’s hope he can achieve some more top ten finishes in the events he plays in the coming weeks? I wish all the best in his next few tournaments he plays in for the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. 

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup stays in the State of Texas for the second and final Texas Swing of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and the second and final event of the second Texas Swing and it is the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and is played on the Colonial CC, Fortworth, Texas. It carries a huge prize purse on US $6,400,000 for the taking. Danny Lee (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) will be hopeful to get starts. Boo Weekley (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 22nd May 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 very first week of his career and also becomes the 17th player to achieve the Number One Official Golf Ranking is Adam Scott (Australia) who is  fresh off his tie for 38th position at THE PLAYERS Championship one week ago with 7.99 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Tiger Woods (USA) who is fresh off his tied for twenty fifth position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship ten weeks ago with 7.85 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 seven months ago and won DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the 2013 Race to Dubai Title 26 weeks ago and one week ago finished in tied for 34th position at THE PLAYERS Championship with 7.72 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Matt Kuchar (USA) who is fresh of his tied for  seventh  position at HP Byron Nelson Championship this past week with 7.12 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list this week Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tie for 48th position at THE PLAYERS Championship this past week with 7.04 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Michael Hendry (NZL) is in his fifth week of his second spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his tied for 31st finish at the Crowns two weeks ago which was the third event on Japanese soil for the 2014 Japan Golf Tour season. This week he gains three places and rises to 218th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.80 Official Golf World Ranking Points. 

Remember when playing in extremely cold conditions the most important thing is keep warm at all times!!

Source: Pgatour.com, Official World Golf Rankings, wikipedia.org, Google search engine