Golf Events from the Weekend 17th August 2014

It was another exciting weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to North Carolina for the final regular season event of the 2013/14 FedEx Cup and it was the Wyndham Championship and it was played on the Sedgefield CC, Greensboro, North Carolina. And it was the golfer by the name of Camilo Villegas (Colombia) who scored rounds of 63-7, 69-1, 68-2 and a brilliant final round of 63-7 for a 72 hole total of 263-17 and he won by a single stroke for his fourth USPGA Tour win and his first since 2010. He earned US $954,000 for the win and moved to 58th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with earned US $1, 526,574 earned from the twenty six events he has played to date this season so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) still leads that list with US $6,965,896 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this season so far. Camilo Villegas (Colombia) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and moved to 37th position on the final regular 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1002 points earned from the twenty six events he has played to date this season so far and he is 1,580 points behind the leader of final regular season 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings who is Rory McILroy (NIR) who has earned 2,582 points from the 13 events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty six events Camilo Villegas (Colombia) has played to date this season so far he has made 18 cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this week when he won. He will be extremely happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s and especially his first round 63-7 which saw him take the first round lead by a shot and his final round 63-7 which was the lowest round of the day by a shot and he also scored the lowest round of the tournament twice. 

Camilo Villegas (Colombia) tees off during the final round

Camilo Villegas (Colombia) played an amazing final round of 63-7 which was blemish free and included an awesome front nine of 29-6 which included an eagle on the par five, fifth hole and birdies on the par four, second hole, par four, fourth hole, par four, sixth hole and par four, eighth hole. He made the turn at minus 16 and was leading by a two shots. Bill Haas (USA) went out in 31-4 and made the turn at minus 14 and was two shots behind the leader. Freddie Jacobson (Sweden) went out in 33-2 and made the turn at minus 12 and was four shots behind the leader.

Camilo Villegas (Colombia) played holes ten to 14 in even par and remained at minus 16 and was still leading by one shot. Bill Haas (USA) played holes ten to 14 in one under par and moved to minus 15 and now was only one shot behind the leader. Freddie Jacobson (Sweden) played holes ten to 14 in one under par and moved to minus 15 and now was one shot behind the leader.

Camilo Villegas (Colombia) played holes 15 to 17 in one under par and headed to the 72nd hole at minus 17 and was now tied for the lead. Bill Haas (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one under par and moved to minus 16 and was still one shot behind the leader with just the 72nd hole to play. Freddie Jacobson (Sweden) played holes 15 to 17 in two under par and moved to minus 17 with just the par four, 72nd hole to play and was now tied for the lead.

Camilo Villegas (Colombia) who was playing about an hour ahead of the leaders hit a good drive down the par four, 72nd hole which found the left side of the fairway. He then struck a good mid iron which found the front of the green. He was able to two putt for his par and he scored 34-1 on the back nine and finished the 72 holes on minus 17 and he had set the pace as leader in the club house. Bill Haas (USA) 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 at minus 16 and was one shot behind the winner. Freddie Jacobson (Sweden) who was playing in the group in front of the final group hit the par four, 72nd hole in the regulation two shots but left himself with a putt over forty feet for his birdie three. He struck his birdie putt way too strong and left himself a very difficult ten foot putt for par which unfortunately missed as well and he had to settle for bogey and finished the 72 holes on minus 16 and finished one shot behind the winner.  

Camilo Villegas (Colombia) acknowledges the crowd after holing out on the 72nd green!!

Camilo Villegas (Colombia) now realised he had won the Wyndham Championship and he was very happy about it. When he was interviewed by the CBS Sports on course reporter, Peter Kostis (USA) he said “All golfers go through there ups and downs and I had suffered my share of the downs in the last few years” he also said “I have continued to work very hard at my game and all that hard work I have put in over the past few months has paid off”. He also gave his sponsors huge praise for sticking by him over the past few years when he wasn’t producing the results they expected of him. Camilo Villegas (Colombia) began playing on the USPGA Tour in 2004 and earned his USPGA Tour card just prior to the 2006 season. He had a blistering start to his 2006 rookie year on tour, with two second place finishes and a third place (at The Players Championship) in his first nine events. He missed making the 2006 Masters Tournament in his rookie year by a single position on the Official USPGA Tour Money List (11th). However, he made his first Masters' appearance in 2007 by finishing in the top 40 of the Official USPGA Tour Money List for 2006. He qualified for the 2008 Masters Tournament through his exceptional play during the inaugural FedEx Cup playoff system, that included an opening round 63 (8 under par) at the Deutsche Bank Championship and three straight top 10 finishes. He entered the FedEx Cup playoffs in 52nd place and improved to 28th place through his play in the first three events, thus qualifying for the 30-man field at The Tour Championship in Atlanta, Georgia, where he finished in the top 10 for the third straight week and finished 24th on the final FedEx Cup points list.

Camilo Villegas (Colombia) won his first USPGA Tour title in September 2008, winning the BMW Championship by two shots over Dudley Hart (USA). For the last 44 holes of the tournament, Camilo Villegas (Colombia) did not three putt, one-putting 27 of those last 44 holes. This victory took him to a career high of 18th in the Official World Golf Rankings. Camilo Villegas (Colombia) followed his BMW Championship win with a victory in The Tour Championship. He beat Sergio Garcia (Spain) in a playoff, having trailed by five shots going into the final round. The win took Camilo Villegas (Colombia) to number seven in the Official World Golf Rankings and established him as the highest ranked golfer from South America. He finished the season 7th on the PGA Tour money list. In late 2008 Camilo Villegas (Colombia) joined the European Tour, making his first European Tour appearance at the 2008 HSBC Champions, the first tournament of the 2009 season. However he continued to play predominately in the United States. He had no victories in 2009 but had five top-10 finishes and ended the season ranked 45th on the final USPGA Tour money list and in the top 30 of the European Tour's Race to Dubai. He has spent over 30 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings since 2008, with a career high rank of seventh. At the 2009 Chevron World Challenge, CamiloVillegas (Colombia) made a very rare albatross (double eagle) on a 568 yard par 5, firing a 262 yard second shot into the hole. In March 2010, Camilo Villegas (Colombia) earned his third victory on the USPGA Tour, winning The Honda Classic by five strokes over Anthony Kim (USA). Camilo Villegas (Colombia) chose not to maintain his status on the European Tour, and a slump in form in 2012 meant he had to enter the USPGA Tour's Qualifying School at the end of the season; he finished 144th on the final money list. Camilo Villegas (Colombia) did not regain a Tour Card but had conditional status on the PGA Tour for 2013, playing in the 126-150 category. His status gave him entry based on sponsor exemptions, past championships, and priority ranking. He regained full privileges for 2014 with a 110th place finish in the 2013 FedEx Cup. In 2014, Camilo Villegas (Colombia) won the Wyndham Championship (As I mentioned earlier), his first win on USPGA Tour in more than four years. The win moved him into the 37th position of the 2014 FedEx Cup prior to going into the FedEx Cup playoffs. With this victory, Camilo Villegas (Colombia) earns an invitation into the 2015 Masters Tournament and two years full-exempt status on the PGA Tour. The win this past week at the Wyndham Championship with give him lots of confidence heading into the FedEx Cup Playoffs in the next few weeks and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he wins his fifth USPGA Tour event in one of them. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season and the FedEx Cup Playoff events. 

Camilio Villegas (Colombia) poses with the Sam Snead Cup he won for winning the Wyndham Championship while taking a selfie!!

Coming in tied for second position at 264-16 after 72 holes was Freddie Jacobson (Sweden); he earned US $466,400 for his efforts and moved to 41st position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,868,882 earned from the twenty four events he has played today this season so far. He also earned 245 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and finish in 38th position on the final 2013/14 regular season FedEx Cup Points list standings with 987 points earned from the twenty four events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty four events he has played to date this season so far he has made 17 cuts and achieved four top ten finishes that includes the one here. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his final three rounds that were 64-6, 66-4 and 66-4. But he will be slightly disappointed he wasn’t able to achieve his second USPGA Tour title. 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 $16,182,707 earned from the 255 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 FedEx Cup Playoff events and hope he can have more top ten finishes and perhaps secure his second USPGA Tour win?

Also tied for second position was Bill Haas (USA); he too earned US $466,400 for his efforts and moved to twenty ninth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,225,378 earned from the twenty four events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 245 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and finished in twenty fourth position on the final 2013/14 regular season FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,268 points earned from the twenty four events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty four events he has played to date this season so far he has made twenty three cuts and withdrawn from one event and he has 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 final round 64-6 that was blemish free. Bill Haas (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour Fulltime since the 2006 season after gaining his 2006 USPGA Tour card at the 2005 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for 26th position to earn his rookie USPGA TOUR card for 2006 season and to do that he had to make birdie on final hole to earn his card on the number (11-under). Since gaining his full USPGA Tour card in 2006 he has easily kept his card every season for the following season every season since. And in that time he has achieved five wins on the USPGA Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2010 Bob Hope Classic, Viking Classic, 2011 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, 2012 Northern Trust Open and the 2013 AT&T Classic. And in 2011 he won the FedEx Cup in a winner-take-all playoff, he pared the third playoff hole (par-3 18th hole) to defeat Hunter Mahan (USA) to win the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola and the FedEx Cup, winning the latter by 15 points over Webb Simpson (USA) and becoming the first player in his 20s to win the season-long competition. He entered the final round three strokes behind Aaron Baddeley (Australia) and Hunter Mahan (USA) but carded a final-round 68-2 to finish regulation tied with Hunter Mahan (USA) at 8-under 272. In the playoff, he appeared to have shot himself out of winning both on the second playoff hole, the Par four, 17th hole at East Lake GC, when his approach to the par 4 landed in the water adjacent to the green. He made a great up and down for par to continue the playoff. As a result of his win, he pocketed the US $1,440,000 first-place cheque and the US $10-million prize for winning the 2011 FedEx Cup. He became just the third player to win the TOUR Championship in his first appearance, joining Chad Campbell (USA) (2003) and Bart Bryant (USA) (2005). He and his father, Jay, are the only father-son combination to tee it up in the TOUR Championship. I feel the next step for him will be to win his maiden Major Championship and I believe it could happen in the 2015 season, perhaps at the Masters Tournament next April? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014 part of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoff Series.

Coming in solo fourth position at 265-15 after 72 holes was Heath Slocum (USA); He earned US $254,400 for his efforts and moved to 141st position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $566,167 earned from the twenty three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 135 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and finished in 129th position on the final 2013/14 Regular Season FedEx Cup Points list standings with 419 points earned from the twenty three events he played in. From the twenty three events he played in this year he made 12 cuts and this was the very first top ten finish he achieved in the season. He will be happy with his four rounds this week because they were all in the 60s especially his first and second rounds that were consecutive 65-5s. But unfortunately it wasn’t enough for him to get inside the top 125 on the final 2013/14 regular season FedEx Cup Points standings list and he will now have to go back and play the Web.com Tour Finals to gain his 2014/15 USPGA Tour card back. Heath Slocum (USA) joined the USPGA Tour in 2001 and since then he has secured four wins. His first win was in 2004 at the Chrysler Classic of Tucson. His second win came at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic in 2005. His third win came at The Barclays in 2009. His best finish in a major is a tie for 9th at the 2008 U.S. Open and he has featured in the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings. Heath Slocum (USA) represented the United States at the 2007 Omega Mission Hills World Cup with Boo Weekley (USA) and finished in 2nd place. Heath Slocum (USA) barely qualified for the 2009 FedEx Cup Playoffs: he finished 124th on the regular season points list, with 125 qualifying. At the first playoff event, The Barclays at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey, he won the event by one stroke, holing a 21 foot putt for par on the last hole to deny Ernie Els (RSA), Padraig Harrington (Ireland), Steve Stricker (USA), and Tiger Woods (USA) the chance of victory. Heath Slocum's (USA) win, his third on the Tour, vaulted him 121 spots on the FedEx Cup points list, to third position; it also earned him US $1,350,000 more than double his prior winnings in 2009.  His fourth win came at the McGladrey Classic in October 2010. Let’s hope we will see him back on the USPGA Tour for the 2014/15 season?  

Coming in tied for fifth position at 266-14 after 72 holes was Webb Simpson (USA); he earned US $193,450 for his efforts and moved to 14th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,193,111 earned from the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 100 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and finished in 13th position on the final 2013/14 Regular Season FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,536 points earned from the twenty one events he played in this season. From the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far he has made 16 cuts and achieved eight top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his win at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in October last year. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his first round 64-6. Webb Simpson (USA) has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2009 season after gaining his card at the 2008 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for seventh position. He had a fine rookie season in 2009 on the USPGA Tour where he earned just over US one million dollars and easily kept his card for the 2010 season. In his second full season on the USPGA Tour in 2010 he earned just under US one million dollars and easily kept his card for the 2011 season. In his third full season on the USPGA Tour in 2011 he had an awesome season with earning just over US 6.3 Million Dollars and finished second on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list with US $6,347,353 earned from the 26 events he played in. He also won two USPGA Tour events with his maiden win coming at the Wyndham Championship and his second one coming at the Deutsche Bank Championship which was the second FedEx Cup playoff event. In his fourth season on the USPGA Tour in 2012 he had another awesome season with earning just over US 3.4 million dollars and he won his third event on the USPGA Tour which was his Maiden Major Championship at the 112th US Open Championship and he won his fourth event at the 2013 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in October last year. I’m sure his fifth win isn’t too far off either and maybe it will happen in one of the four FedEx Cup Playoff events? I wish him all the best with the tournaments he plays in the coming weeks in the FedEx Cup Playoffs and if he gets off to a good start in the first two tournaments maybe he could be the 2014 FedEx Cup Champion? 

Also tied for fifth position was Brandt Snedeker (USA); he too earned US $193,450 for his efforts and moved to 51st position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,652,380 earned from the twenty three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 100 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and finished in 55th position on the final regular season 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 812 points earned from the twenty three events he played this season. From the twenty three events he has played to date this season so far he has made twenty cuts and achieved three 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 second round 65-5. He has had a rather average 2013/14 season on the USPGA Tour by his high standards and this top ten finish maybe just what he needs to boost his confidence. Brandt Snedeker (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2007 season and he has easily kept his card every year for the following season every year since and he has achieved six wins in that time and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2007 Wyndham Championship, 2011 The Heritage, 2012 Farmers Insurance Open, TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, 2013 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the RBC Canadian Open. In 2012 he won the FedEx Cup and the Ten Million Dollar Bonus that goes with it and perhaps he could win it for a second time in 2014. I feel he is destined to win a Major Championship before his career is over, maybe it will happen in the 2015 and perhaps it could happen at the first Major Championship of the year next year at the Masters Tournament next April? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season and the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

The final player to tie for fifth position was Nick Watney (USA); he too earned US $193,450 for his efforts and moved to 101st position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $913,398 earned from the twenty four events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 100 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and finished in 94th position on the final 2013/14 regular season FedEx Cup Points list standings with 584 points earned from the twenty four events he played this season. From the twenty four events he has played to date this season so far he has made 16 cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his first three rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his second round of 64-6. But he will be disappointed with his final round of 70 even par when he held the 54 hole lead and especially his back nine of 37+2. Nick Watney (USA) in 2007, after two years of slow progress, won his first USPGA Tour title at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. This victory took Nick Watney (USA) into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time. He got his second tour win at the 2009 Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, with a one-stroke victory over John Rollins (USA), taking him to his highest position yet in the World Golf Rankings, number 76. 

In the 2010 USPGA Championship at Whistling Straits, Nick Watney (USA) had a three-shot lead going into the final round. However, he shot a final round of 81, which dropped him back to a tie for 18th place. Nick Watney (USA) won the biggest tournament of his career to date and his first World Golf Championship at the WGC – Cadillac Championship at Doral Golf Resort & Spa in March 2011. He entered the final round trailing by two strokes, but shot a final round 67, including a run of four birdies in five holes in the middle of the round, and finished with a birdie at the notoriously difficult 18th, to record a two-stroke victory over compatriot Dustin Johnson (USA).  Nick Watney (USA) admitted in an interview afterwards that he had dwelt on finishing 2nd at Doral, in the same tournament two years before, when his putt on the 18th finished a couple of inches short of the hole. After the victory, Nick Watney (USA) moved up to number 15 in the World Golf Rankings. In July, Nick Watney (USA) won for the second time in 2011 at the AT&T National by beating K. J. Choi (South Korea) by two strokes. The victory owed much to his third-round score when he set a course record 62 around Aronimink Golf Club, beating the previous record set coincidentally on the same day, which Chris Kirk (USA) and Steve Marino (USA) held briefly with joint 63s. Nick Watney (USA) shot a 27 on the back nine, which tied the second lowest nine-hole score ever recorded on the USPGA Tour. The record is held by Corey Pavin (USA) who shot 26 at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwakee in 2006.

During the final round Nick Watney (USA) did not record a single bogey, making a number of crucial par saving putts to hold off the challenge of K. J. Choi (South Korea) and capture his fourth PGA Tour title. This win took Nick Watney (USA) to the top of the FedEx Cup standings, ahead of K. J. Choi (South Korea), and into the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career. He finished the 2011 season ranked third on the USPGA Tour money list. During the 2011 President's Cup, he defeated K.J. Choi (South Korea) on the final day to give the United States team a distinct advantage over the International Team coached by Greg Norman (Australia). The four-day match play tournament was played in Melbourne, Australia. During the first round of the 2012 U.S. Open Championship at the Olympic Club, Nick Watney (USA) made a double eagle on the par-five 17th hole to become only the third man to record a double eagle in U.S. Open history. The others being T.C. Chen (Taiwan) in 1985 at Oakland Hills and Shaun Micheel (USA) in 2010 at Pebble Beach. In August 2012, Nick Watney (USA) won the first of the four FedEx Cup playoff events, The Barclays, at Bethpage Black in New York. He came from two behind in the final round to win by three strokes over Brandt Snedeker (USA) to take the outright lead in the FedEx Cup standings. This was the first playoff event victory of his career. After Rory McILroy (NIR) won the second playoff event, Nick Watney (USA) dropped to second in the standings. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoffs. 

Rounding out the top ten in tied for eighth position at 267-13 after 72 holes was Brad Fritsch (Canada); he earned US $148,400 for his efforts and moved to 140th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $568,391 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 78 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and finished in 151st position on the final 2013/14 regular season FedEx Cup Points list standings with 322 points earned from the 18 events he played in this season. From the 18 events he has played to date this season so far he has made seven cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his first three rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his second round 63-7. He will now head back to the Web.com Tour Finals in attempt to try and earn his USPGA Tour card back for the 2014/15 season. Brad Fritsch (Canada) played on the Canadian Tour from 2001 to 2006 and again from 2010 to 2011. His best finish was second at the 2004 Bay Mills Open Players Championship. He played on the Web.com Tour from 2007 to 2009 and 2012. His best finish was tied for second at the 2012 Mylan Classic. Brad Fritsch (Canada) gained his USPGA Tour card for 2013 by finishing in the top 25 of the Web.com Tour money list in 2012. He improved his position by finishing tied for seventh at the 2012 PGA Tour Qualifying School. He made 18 cuts in 24 events in 2013, finishing 142nd on the money list and missing the FedEx Cup playoffs by four places (ranked 129th). He played in the Web.com Tour Finals and finished 14th to regain his PGA Tour card for 2013/14 season. I wish him all the best for the Web.com Tour Finals in the coming weeks.

Also tied for eighth position was Kevin Kisner (USA); he too earned US $148,400 for his efforts and moved to 94th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $954,497 earned from the twenty five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 78 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and finished in 93rd position on the final 2013/14 regular season FedEx Cup Points list standings with 587 points earned from the Twenty five events he played in. From the twenty five events he has played to date this season so far he has made 17 cuts and achieved three 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 second round 64-6. Kevin Kisner (USA) played the Web.com Tour full-time in 2010, winning once at the Mylan Classic. He finished the year in 11th position on the final 2010 Web.com Tour money list and earned his 2011 USPGA Tour card. Kevin Kisner (USA) failed to earn enough money on the USPGA Tour in 2011 to retain his card (and finished 181st on money list), but finished in tied for eleventh position at the 2011 final qualifying school to earn his card for 2012 USPGA Tour season. He again failed to retain his card, finishing 167th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour money list, and missed earning a card in qualifying school by one stroke. He returned to Web.com Tour in 2013 and won the Chile Classic in March. He finished 13th on the final 2013 Web.com Tour regular season money list to earn his 2014 PGA Tour card. Let’s hope he can build on this top ten finish and have more in the coming weeks and also play well in the first FedEx Cup Playoff events? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoffs.

 

Coming in tied for eighth position was William McGirt (USA); he too earned US $148,400 for his efforts and moved to 95th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $951,018 earned from the twenty six events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 78 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and finished in 81st position on the final 2013/14 regular season FedEx Cup Points list standings with 646 points earned from the twenty six events he played in. From the twenty six events he has played to date this season so far he has made 16 cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his first, second and final rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his first and final rounds that were both 64-6. But he will be disappointed with his third round which was 71+1. He gained his card on the USPGA Tour for the first time in his career when he finished in tied for second position at the 2010 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament and gained his 2011 USPGA Tour card. He had a poor rookie season with only earning US $532,933 from the 32 events he played in and that placed him in 141st position on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list standings. He went back to the 2011 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament and gained his card back for the 2012 season by finishing in tied for 13th position. He had a much better season in 2012 where he made over one million US dollars easily keeping his card for the 2013 season. Maybe he could achieve his maiden win on the USPGA Tour in the 2013/14 season and perhaps it could be one of the four FedEx Cup Playoff Events? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoffs. 

The final player to tie for eighth position was Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela); he too earned US $148,400 for his efforts and moved to 120th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $735,203 earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 78 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and finished in 108th position on the final 2013/14 regular season FedEx Cup Points list standings with 505 Points earned from the twenty two events he played in this season. From the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far he has made 15 cuts and achieved two 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 second round which was 65-5. Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) won his first Nationwide Tour event in 2010 at the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open. He finished the season seventh 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 third 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 tied for third 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 and FedEx Cup Playoffs.

The happiest player this week was Robert Allenby (Australia) who finished in 125th position on the final regular season 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 438 points earned from the twenty eight events he has played to date this season so far and he became the last player eligible for the Barclays which is the first FedEx Cup Playoff event next week. The least happy player this week was Nicholas Thompson (USA) who finished in 126th position on the final regular season 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 437 points earned from the 30 events he has played to date this season so far and he missed out on playing in the first FedEx Cup Playoff event at the Barclays next week by a single point!! He will now have to go back to the Web.com Tour Finals to regain his full playing status for the 2014/15 USPGA Tour Season. 

Danny Lee (NZL) was the only New Zealand Golfer in the field and he scored rounds of 73+3 in the first round which was poor. Then he scored a good second round of 70 even par for a 36 hole total of 143+3 and missed the cut by five shots. He currently lies in 125th   position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with  US $712,345  earned from the twenty six events he has played to date this season so far. He finished in 116th position on the final regular season 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 490 points earned from the twenty six events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty six events he has played to date this season so far he has made eleven cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came five months ago at the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com where he finished in solo second position in early March. He will be happy with his second round of 70 even par. But he will be disappointed with his first round 73+3 that really made it hard for him to make the cut. With this being the final event in the regular 2013/14 USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup season it means he has secured his place in the first FedEx Cup Series playoff event which is the Barclays which starts on Thursday 21st August. He will need a very good performance next week to get himself inside the top 100 players on the 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list after the conclusion of the Barclays on Sunday night to qualify for the second FedEx Cup Playoff event which is the Deutsche Bank Championship the following week. Let’s hope he can achieve a top ten finish next week? I wish all the best in his next few tournaments he plays in for the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoff Series.

Tim Wilkinson (NZL) who chose to sit out the Wyndham Championship this week currently lies in 109th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $808,499 earned from the twenty four events he has played to date this season so far. He also finished in 114th position on the final regular season FedEx Cup Points list standings with 494 points earned from the twenty four events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty four events he has played to date this season so far he has made 17 cuts and achieved three top ten finishes with his first coming at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in mid November last year and the second coming at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in early February this year and the third coming at the Barracuda Championship earlier this month. With this being the final event in the regular 2013/14 USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup season it means he has secured his place in the first FedEx Cup Series playoff event which is the Barclays which starts on Thursday 21st August. He will need a very good performance next week to get himself inside the top 100 players on the 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list after the conclusion of the Barclays on Sunday night to qualify for the second FedEx Cup Playoff event which is the Deutsche Bank Championship the following week. Let’s hope he can achieve a top ten finish next week? I wish all the best in his next few tournaments he plays in for the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoff Series.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup head to New Jersey for the first FedEx Cup Playoff event and it is the Barclays and is played on the Ridgewood CC, Paramus, New Jersey. It carries a huge prize purse of US $8,000,000 for the taking. The top 124 players on the final regular season 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings will be eligible participate (It would of been the top 125 players but Dustin Johnson (USA) has taken a six months leave of absence from the tour). Adam Scott (Australia) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) will also gain starts because there places in the top 125 have already been secured. It starts on Thursday 21st August 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 third week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 42nd week of his career is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his win one week ago at the 96th PGA Championship and two week ago won WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and also four weeks ago winning the 143rd Open Championship with 11.15 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his tied for 15th position finish one week ago at the 96th PGA Championship with 9.15 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who finished in tied for fourth position at the 114th U.S. Open Championship nine weeks ago and also finished tied for second at the BMW International Open and seven weeks ago and also finished in tied for 39th position at the 143rd Open Championship four weeks ago and one week ago finished in tied for third position at the 96th PGA Championship with 8.10 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Sergio Garcia (Spain) who is fresh off  his tied for 36th position at the 96th PGA Championship one week ago and also finished solo second position two weeks ago at the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and four weeks ago he tied for second position at the 143rd Open  Championship with 7.80 Official World Ranking Points; and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list this week is Justin Rose (England) who is fresh off his win five weeks ago at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and four weeks ago finished in tied for twenty third position at the 143rd Open Championship and two weeks ago he finished in tied for fourth position at the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and one week ago finished in tied for twenty fourth position in the 96th PGA Championship with 7.35 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Tim Wilkinson (NZL) is in his third week of his second spell being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his tied for eighth finish at the Barracuda Championship two weeks ago on the USPGA Tour. This week he slips three places and falls to 246th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.73 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember the grip is a very important part of the golf swing!!

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