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 to the State of Illinois for John Deere Classic and it was
played on the TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois. And it was the Golfer
by the name of Brian Harman (USA), who scored rounds of 63-8, 68-3, 65-6 and a
final round of 66-5 for a 72 hole total of 262-22 and he won by a single shot
for his maiden USPGA Tour win of his career. He earned US $846,000 for the win
and moved to twenty fourth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money
list standings with US $2,209,254 earned from the twenty five events he has
played to date this season so far. Bubba Watson (USA) still leads that list
with US $5,102,161 earned from the 14 events he has played to date this season
so far. Brian Harman (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and
moved to 14th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings
with 1,272 points earned from the twenty five events he has played to date this
season so far and is 1,050 points behind the current leader of that list who is
Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 2,322 points from the twenty events he has
played to date this season so far. From the twenty five events Brian Harman
(USA) has played to date this season so far he has made 17 cuts and achieved
six top ten finishes which includes the win here. He will be very happy with
his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s and especially his first
round 63-8.
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| Brian Harman (USA) tees off during the final round |
Brian Harman (USA) played an excellent final round
under the circumstances of carrying a two shot lead into the final round and
holding the 54 hole lead for the first time in his career. He scored 66-5 that
included a front nine of 33-2 with a brilliant eagle on the par five, second
hole where he hit his second shot to within ten feet of the flag stick and sank
the putt. He also birdie the par four, ninth hole and his lone bogey came at
the par four, fifth hole and he made the turn at minus 19 and was leading by two
shots. Zach Johnson (USA) went out in 32-3 and made the turn at minus 17 and
was two shots behind the leader.
Brian Harman (USA) played holes ten to 14 in two
under par and moved to minus twenty one and was now only leading by one shot.
Zach Johnson (USA) played holes ten to 14 in three under par and was now at
minus twenty and now was only one shot behind the leader. Brian Harman (USA)
played holes 15 to 17 in two under par and moved to twenty three under par and
was now leading by two shots. Zach Johnson (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one
under par and moved to minus twenty one but was now two shots behind the
leader.
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| Brian Harman (USA) punches the air in delight after holing the winning putt!! |
Zach Johnson (USA) who was playing a couple of
groups in front of Brian Harman (USA) hit a good second shot into the par four,
72nd hole and left himself with a makeable birdie putt to get to minus twenty
two and apply some real pressure to Brian Harman (USA). Zach Johnson (USA)
struck a fine birdie putt from twenty feet for the birdie but it just missed on
the right hand side and he easily tapped in for his par four and finished on
minus twenty one and was one shot behind the winner. Brian Harman (USA) stood
on the par four, 72nd tee with a two shot lead knowing that a bogey five would
be enough to secure his maiden USPGA Tour win. He struck a brilliant drive that
landed right in the middle of the fairway. He was now faced with a second shot
from which was just under 180 yards and he chose his mid iron and with water on
the left it made the shot that much more intimidating. But he hit an excellent
shot that drew away from the water because he is a left handed golfer and it
landed on the green about 65 feet from the pin. That meant he had three putts
to win and made his walk to the green much more enjoyable. He struck a very
conservative putt from 65 feet for his birdie and it came up nine feet short of
the cup. He calmed his nerve then struck a very good putt under the
circumstances of only needing to two putt and came it to rest eight inches from
the cup, and he easily tapped that putt in for his bogey five and he had won
the John Deere Classic for his maiden USPGA Tour title. He scored 33-3 on the
back nine and finished at minus twenty two for the one shot win as I mentioned
before.
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| Kelly Van Slyke, who is Brian Harman's (USA) fiancee on the left embraces Brian Harman (USA) on the right on the 72nd Green after he has just won!! |
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| Brian Harman (USA) kisses the John Deere Classic Trophy he won!! |
Coming in solo second position at 263-21 after 72
holes was Zach Johnson (USA); he earned US $507,600 for the win and moved to
13th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US
$2,861,597 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 tenth position
on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,482 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 17 cuts and achieved five
top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his win at the Hyundai
Tournament of Championships in early January. He will be happy with his four
rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his first round that was
63-8 and his final round which was a blemish free 64-7 but at the same time a
little disappointed he wasn’t able to birdie the 72nd hole. 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 eleven official
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, 2013 BMW Championship and the 2014 Hyundai Tournament of
Champions. I feel his second Major Championship win isn’t too far away and
could well happen next week at Open Championship. He has now amassed US $33,183,400
in career earnings on the USPGA Tour to date so far from the 281 events he has
played in. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014 part of the 2013/14
season.
Coming in tied for third position at 265-19 after 72
holes was Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela); he earned US $272,600 for his efforts
and moved to 125th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list
standings with US $586,803 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
110th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 428
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 14 cuts and
this was his first top ten finish he has achieved to date so far this season.
He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s
especially his third round that was 63-8 and his final round that was a blemish
free 65-6. This result will give him a lot of confidence to keep on improving
and make the first FedEx Cup Playoff event in late August. Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela)
won his first Nationwide Tour event in 2010 at the Preferred Health Systems
Wichita Open. He finished the season 7th on the money list and earned his 2011 USPGA
Tour card, the first Venezuelan to do so. On 23rd January 2011, Jhonattan Vegas
(Venezuela) won his first USPGA Tour event, the Bob Hope Classic, after
defeating tour veteran Bill Haas (USA) and Gary Woodland (USA) in a sudden
death playoff. It was Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) fifth overall start on the USPGA
Tour and the second as a member of the tour. The victory was the first by a
Venezuelan at a USPGA Tour event; Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) earned entry into
the Masters Tournament and a two-year exemption on the USPGA Tour. In his next
start he finished in a tie for 3rd at the Farmers Insurance Open, holding a
share of the lead on the back nine and moved to a career Official World Golf
Ranking high of 69th. Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) was the first USPGA Tour
rookie to lead the FedEx Cup Points standings. In July 2012, Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela)
was the runner-up finisher at the annual Telus World Skins Game to Paul Casey
(England) held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, after having won the 2011 event in Banff
,Alberta. Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) started 2013 with three missed cuts in
three tournaments. He sat out the remainder of the 2013 USPGA Tour season after
shoulder surgery. Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) attempted to regain his USPGA
Tour status through the Web.com Tour Finals, but fell short and started the
2013-14 season on a Medical Extension. He satisfied his medical extension with
a T3 finish at the John Deere Classic this past 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 third position was Jerry
Kelly (USA); he too earned US $272,600 for his efforts and moved to 67th
position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US$1,263,060
earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. He also
earned 163 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 57th position on the
current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 719 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 12 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 especially his third round that was 65-6. Jerry
Kelly (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 1996 season
and has kept his card for the next year every year since. In 2012 he finished
in 126th position on the final USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $
645,701
earned from the 26 events he played in and that meant he missed out on gaining
his full status on the USPGA Tour for the 2013 season by one place. In the 2013
season he finished in 99th position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list
standings with US $ 832,407 earned from the twenty two
events he played in. In his USPGA Tour Career to date so far he has achieved
three USPGA Tour wins and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2002 Sony
Open in Hawaii, Advil Western Open and the 2009 Zurich Classic of New
Orleans. He turns 48 in November and no doubt will be eying the Champions
Tour in just over two and a half year’s time. 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 Tim Clark (RSA); he too earned US $178,600 for his efforts and moved to 89th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $910,778 earned from the twenty events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 105 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 84th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 547 points earned from the twenty events he has played to date this season far. From the twenty events he has played to date this season so far he has made ten cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his final three rounds that were all in the 60s especially his second and third rounds that were 63-8 and 64-7. But he will be extremely disappointed with his first round of 72+1 that had him behind the eight ball from the start. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2002 season and has easily kept his card every year since. In that time he has had a very successful career with earning US $21,648,254 from the 283 events he has played to date in his USPGA Tour career so far. He has only achieved one win though and that came at the 2010 THE PLAYERS Championship. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.
Rounding out the top ten in tied for seventh position at 268-16 after 72 holes was Bo Van Pelt (USA); he earned US $141,587.50 for his efforts and moved to 110th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $711,868 earned from the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 101st position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 463 points earned from the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his final round 65-6. From the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far he has made 13 cuts and this is his very first top ten finish he has achieved to date so far this season. Bo Van Pelt (USA) initially started his career on the Nationwide Tour and won the Omaha Classic, his first and only Nationwide Tour title, in 2003 after shooting a final round of 62. He now plays on the USPGA Tour and captured his maiden victory in 2009 at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee, beating John Mallinger (USA) in a sudden death playoff on the second extra hole. He won the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic Malaysia in 2011, an Asian Tour event and an unofficial USPGA Tour event. He carded a final round seven under 64 to romp to a six stroke victory and finish at 23 under par. On April 8, 2012, he scored a tournament low 64 in the 2012 Masters Tournament, propelling him up the leader board to a final tie for 17th place. Bo Van Pelt (USA) claimed his first victory on the European Tour in October 2012, when he won in Australia at the ISPS Handa Perth International. He won by two strokes over fellow American Jason Dufner (USA), having taken a one stroke advantage into the final round. Let’s hope this top ten finish can give him confidence to achieve more in the weeks to come. I wish him all the best for the rest of the USPGA Tour 2013/14 season.
Also tied for seventh position was defending Champion, Jordan Spieth (USA); he too earned US $141,587.50 for his efforts and remained in sixth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,754,410 earned from the twenty events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and remained in fifth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,636 points earned from the twenty events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty events he has played to date this season so far he has made 18 cuts and achieved seven top ten finishes that includes the one here. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his second round that was 64-7. But he will be disappointed with his first round 71 even par. But he showed some real intestinal fortitude to bounce back from the poor first round and achieve a top ten finish in his first title defence of his career. 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. He Monday qualified and got a few sponsor’s exemptions to play on the USPGA Tour in the early part of the 2013 season. And he managed to win the John Deere Classic in a five hole playoff in mid July which gave him full membership on the USPGA Tour till the end of 2015. 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 2014/15 season. He won the 2013 USPGA Tour rookie of the year award. And last year he played on the winning US Presidents Cup Team after getting selected as a Captains pick for the US Presidents Cup Team. 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 continue this fine form throughout the last part of the 2014 part of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season? I am sure with this performance this past week at the John Deere Classic will only make him a stronger player and perhaps he could win his maiden Major Championship at the Open Championship next week? He is sure to be a Superstar in World Golf for many years to come. I wish him all the best for the rest of 2013/14 season.
Also tied for seventh position was Ryan Moore (USA); he too earned US $141,587.50 for his efforts and moved to 16th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,714,909 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 15th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with 1,252 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 six top ten finishes that includes the one here and also his win at the CIMB Classic in late October last year. He will be happy with his four rounds on the whole this week because they were all in the 60s especially his first round 66-5. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2006 season with easily keeping his card every season since and he has achieved three wins so far in his career with the first coming at the 2009 Wyndham Championship and the second coming at the 2012 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and his third came at the 2013 CIMB Classic. He gained his full USPGA Tour card by earning enough money from sponsor’s exemptions in the 2005 season after he played in the 2005 Masters Tournament and US Open Championship as an Amateur because he won the 2004 US Amateur Championship. I’m sure his fourth win isn’t too far off as well and perhaps it will be his maiden Major Championship at the Open Championship next week? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.
The final player to tied for seventh position was Johnson Wagner (USA); he too earned US $141,587.50 for his efforts and moved to 159th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $324,619 earned from the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 162nd position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 237 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 eight cuts and this was his first top ten finish he has achieved to date this season so far. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his first and second rounds that were 66-5 and 65-6. This finish should give him a lot of confidence because prior to this event he was having a shocking season. Johnson Wagner (USA) is currently a member of the USPGA Tour. He was a member of the Nationwide Tour from 2003 to 2006. He earned his USPGA Tour card for the 2007 season by finishing second on the money list on the Nationwide Tour in 2006. In 2008 Johnson Wagner (USA) gained his first USPGA Tour victory at the Shell Houston Open. The win earned him an invitation to the Masters Tournament and a two year Tour exemption. In 2010, Johnson Wagner (USA) finished 126th on the USPGA Tour after a rally at the season finale fell short, just missing full Tour privileges; Johnson Wagner (USA) was described as "delighted" because he started the week 153rd on the money list. On February 27, 2011, he won the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun in a playoff over Spencer Levin (USA) with par on the first hole and regained his Tour card through 2013. It was the first time since 2000 that a golfer (Robert Allenby (Australia)) finished 126th on the Tour and won the following season. Johnson won the first full-field event of 2012, the Sony Open in Hawaii, and extended his Tour privileges through 2014. He also moved into the Top 100 on the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career, moving from 198 to 92. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks to come on the USPGA Tour. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season.
Tim Wilkinson (NZL) was one of two New Zealand
Golfers in the field and he scored rounds of 74+3 in the first round which was
very average, then a good second round of 68-3 for a 36 hole total of 142 even
par and he missed the cut by two shots. He currently lies in 111th position on
the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $711,465 earned
from the 22 events he has played to date this season so far. He also currently
lies in 107th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings
with 436 points earned from the 22 events he has played to date this season so
far. From the 22 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 15
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 disappointed with his first
round of 74+3 but pleased he came back with 68-3 in the second round but it was
just short of making the cut. It will be a slight dent to his confidence
because he had made his last ten of eleven cuts prior to this event. With only
three events left in the regular 2013/14 USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup season that he
is likely to gain starts in he will need to have more good finishes in the
weeks ahead to secure his place in the first FedEx Cup Series playoff event
which is the Barclays which starts on Thursday 21st August and to do that he
will need to be inside the top 125 players on the final 2013/14 regular season
FedEx Cup Points list. 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 73+2 in the first round which was below
average. Then he scored an average second round of 70-1 for a 36 hole total of
143+1 and he missed the cut by three shots. He currently lies in 115th position
on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $678,385 earned from the 23 events he has
played to date this season so far. He also currently lies in 105th position on
the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 446 points earned from
the 23 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 23 events he
has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved one
top ten finish that came four months ago at the Puerto Rico Open presented by
seepuertorico.com where he finished in solo second position in early March.
This week he started off slow with a really poorly with a first round 73+2 ,
and then he scored a better second round of 70-1 but it was nowhere near good
enough to make the cut. With only three events left in the regular 2013/14
USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup season that he is likely to gain starts in he will
need to have more good finishes in the weeks ahead to secure his place in the
first FedEx Cup Series playoff event which is the Barclays which starts on
Thursday 21st August and to do that he will need to be inside the top 125
players on the final 2013/14 final regular season FedEx Cup Points list. 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 and all the
other Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world head to England for
the 143rd Open Championship which is the third Major Championship of the year
and this year it is played on the Royal Liverpool GC, Hoylake, England. All the
big names in professional golf will be there including Adam Scott (Australia),
Henrik Stenson (Sweden), Bubba Watson (USA), Matt Kuchar (USA), Jason Day
(Australia), Jordan Spieth (USA), Lee Westwood (England), Rory McILroy (NIR) to
name a few as well as Tiger Woods (USA) making his first appearance in a Major
Championship since his major back surgery earlier in the year and he was the
winner of the Open Championship when it was last played on this course in 2006.
It carries a huge prize purse of US $8,000,000 for the taking. Phil Mickelson
(USA) is the defending champion and will be keen to hang onto the Claret Jug
and claim back to back titles but it is highly unlikely because he hasn’t even
recorded a single top ten finish on the USPGA Tour this season to date so far.
It starts on Thursday 17th July and I will back who won the Claret Jug 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 ninth 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 tied for ninth finish four weeks ago at the 114th U.S. Open Championship
with 8.86 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 just over nine months ago and won DP World Tour Championship, Dubai
and the 2013 Race to Dubai Title 33 weeks ago and four weeks ago finished in
tied for fourth position at the 114th U.S. Open Championship and two weeks ago
finished tied for second at the BMW International Open with 7.88 Official Golf
World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Justin Rose (England) who is
fresh off his win this past week at the Aberdeen
Asset Management Scottish Open with 7.34 Official Golf World Ranking
Points; coming in at Number Four is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his
tied for 16th position one week ago at the Greenbrier Classic with 6.90
Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official
Golf World Ranking Points list this week is Matt Kuchar (USA) who is fresh
off his tie for 31st position three weeks
ago at the Travelers Championship with 6.73 Official Golf World Ranking Points;
Danny Lee (NZL) is in his second week of his second spell being the highest
ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his missed cut at the John Deere Classic
this past week on the USPGA Tour. This week he slips eight places and falls to
253rd position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.72 Official
Golf World Ranking Points.
Remember there are four ways to
miss a putt but if you get the ball past the hole you eliminate one!!
Source: Pgatour.com, Official World Golf Rankings, wikipedia.org,
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