Golf Events from the Weekend 24th August 2014

Well it was another amazing weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to New Jersey for the first FedEx Cup Playoff event and it was the Barclays and was played on the Ridgewood CC, Paramus, New Jersey. It carried 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 were 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). And it was the golfer by the name of Hunter Mahan (USA), who scored rounds of 66-5, 71 even par, 68-3 and an awesome final round of 65-6 for a 72 hole total of 270-14 and he won by two shots for his sixth win of his USPGA Tour career to date so far. He won US $1,440,000 for the win and moved to twenty first position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,920,503 earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) still leads that list with US $7,036,096 earned from the 14 events he has played to date this season so far. Hunter Mahan (USA) also earned 2,500 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for the win and moved to the top of the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 3,276 points earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far and is currently 466 points ahead of Rory McILroy (NIR) who is in second position with 2,810 points earned from the 14 events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty two events Hunter Mahan (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made 16 cuts and achieved six top ten finishes which includes the win here. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all at par and under par especially his first round 66-5 and his final round 65-6 which was the equal low round of the day and included scoring 32-4 on the back nine!!

 

Hunter Mahan (USA) tees off during the final round

Hunter Mahan (USA) played a brilliant final round of 65-6 which included a front nine of 33-2 with birdies on the par four, first hole and par four, fifth hole and made the turn at minus ten and was one shot behind the leader. Stuart Appleby (Australia) went out it 34-1 and made the turn at minus seven and was four shots behind the leader. Jason Day (Australia) went out in 33-2 and made the turn at minus eleven and was leading by one shot. Cameron Tringale (USA) went out in 32-3 and made the turn at minus ten and was one shot behind the leader. 

Hunter Mahan (USA) played holes ten to 14 in two under par and moved to minus 12 and was now tied for the lead. Stuart Appleby (Australia) played holes ten to 14 in four under par with making three birdies in a row from holes ten to 12 and also birding the 14th and he moved to minus eleven and was now only one shot behind the leader. Jason Day (Australia) played holes ten to 14 in one under par and moved to minus 12 and was now tied for the lead. Cameron Tringale (USA) played holes ten to 14 in even par and remained at minus ten but now was two shots behind the leader. 

Hunter Mahan (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in three under par making three consecutive birdies and moved to minus 15 and was now leading by two shots heading to the par four, 72nd hole. Stuart Appleby (Australia) played holes 15 to 17 in one under par and moved to minus 12 and was three shots behind the leader heading to the par four, 72nd hole. Jason Day (Australia) played holes 15 to 17 in even par and remained at minus 12 and was three shots behind the leader heading to the par four, 72nd hole. Cameron Tringale (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in three under par with making three consecutive birdies and moved to minus 13 and was now only two shots behind the leader heading to the par four, 72nd hole. 

Stuart Appleby (Australia) who was playing just under an hour ahead of the final group made a solid par on the par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes at minus 12 and finished two shots behind the winner. Cameron Tringale (USA) who was playing a couple of groups ahead of the final group made an untimely bogey five at the par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes at minus 12 and finished two shots behind the winner. Hunter Mahan (USA) who was playing in the group ahead of the final group now stood on the par four, 72nd tee with a three shot lead. He chose driver off the tee on the dog leg left to right par four but he faded it too much and it landed well in the trees to the right. When he got up to his ball he discussed his second over with his caddie, John Wood over what shot to play. He had two options, the first was to chip out to the fairway on the left leaving a wedge shot for his third and his other option was to try and hook his ball around the trees and onto the green. He chose the first option and chipped his ball out onto the fairway leaving a wedge shot of just over 100 yards to the green. He now knew if he could just hit his short wedge on the green for his third shot and two putt he would more than likely win. But he slightly pulled his third shot and it missed the green on the left hand side and settled down in the thick rough leaving a difficult up and down for his bogey. He hit a good chip shot for his fourth from the left hand green side rough and the ball bounced by the hole and came to rest ten feet past the hole. He calmed his nerve and put an excellent roll on the ten foot birdie putt and it rolled right into the centre of the cup for his bogey five. 

 

Hunter Mahan (USA) just after he holed the winning putt on the 72nd Green!!

He gave his caddie, John Wood a huge high five and hug to celebrate then there was a big surprise for him as his Wife, Kandi and one year old daughter Zoe came on to the 72nd green to celebrate the win with him. They had just flown in from Texas about half an hour earlier. The win was not certain yet because Jason Day (Australia) could still eagle the par four, 72nd hole to force a playoff. Jason Day (Australia) who was playing in the final group lost his drive in the right hand rough on the par four, 72nd hole. He was faced with a mid iron for his second shot and he knew it must go in the hole for eagle to force a playoff but he didn’t get the contact he wanted and it landed in the rough to the right of the green. He managed to get up and down for his par four and finished the 72 holes at minus 12 and finished two shots behind the winner. Hunter Mahan (USA) now knew his win had been confirmed and he got a kiss from his wife, Kandi and hugged his daughter, Zoe. Hunter Mahan (USA) scored 32-4 on his back nine. He finished the 72 holes on minus 14 and won by two shots. He was then interviewed by CBS Sports on course reporter, Peter Kostis (USA) and he told him “That all the hard work he had done in the last few months on his golf swing was starting to pay off!!” and when asked by Peter Kostis (USA) if he had thought he had done enough to be considered by U.S. Ryder Cup Captain, Tom Watson (USA) for a Captains Pick Selection for the up and coming matches in Scotland next month he replied “Yes”. 

 

Kandi and Zoe Mahan on the left and Hunter Mahan (USA) on the right poses with The Barclays Trophy he won!!

Hunter Mahan (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour for the last nine seasons and has easily kept his card for the next season every season since except for the 2005 season where he had to go back the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for ninth position and gained his full USPGA Tour status back for the 2006 season. He has current career earnings on the USPGA Tour of US $27,679,560 earned from the 303 events he has played in his career to date so far. He has also won six events on the USPGA Tour so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2007 Travelers Championship, 2010 Waste Management Phoenix Open, World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, 2012 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, Shell Houston Open and the 2014 The Barclays. I feel his seventh win on the USPGA Tour isn’t too far off and perhaps it will happen in 2013/14 season in one of the three remaining playoff events? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season and FedEx Cup Playoffs and perhaps he can win the 2014 FedEx Cup after going so close in 2011?

Coming in tied for second position at 272-12 after 72 holes was Stuart Appleby (Australia); he earned US $597,333.34 for his efforts and moved to 64th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,455,291 earned from the twenty seven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 1083 FedEx Cup Points playoff points for his efforts and moved to 19th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoff Points list standings with 1,637 points earned from the twenty seven events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty seven events he has played to date this season so far he has made 18 cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his final round 65-6 which was the equal low round of the day. But he will be disappointed with his first round 73+2 which ruined any chance he had of winning. Stuart Appleby (Australia) has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 1996 season and in that time he has current career earnings of US $28,751,481 from the 488 events he has played to date in his career so far. He has also won nine USPGA Tour events and here they are from the first to the most recent: 1997 Honda Classic, 1998 Kemper Open, 1999 Shell Houston Open, 2003 Las Vegas Invitational, 2004 Mercedes Championships, 2005 Mercedes Championships, 2006 Mercedes Championships, Shell Houston Open and the 2010 The Greenbrier Classic (Where he scored an amazing 59-11 in the final round to win!!). He is a very good Golfer that has lost his form in recent seasons; let’s hope this top ten finish can give him the confidence to have more top ten finishes in the coming weeks and see him make the Tour Championship and maybe even claim the 2014 FedEx Cup? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour Season and FedEx Cup Playoff Series.

Also tied for second position was Jason Day (Australia); he also earned US $597,333.34 for his efforts and moved to 16th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,188,241 earned from the 12 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 1083 FedEx Cup Points playoff points for his efforts and moved to seventh position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 2,111 points earned from the 12 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 12 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 second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his second round 64-7 which was the equal low round of the tournament. But he will be disappointed with his first round 72+1. He has only played 12 events this year due to a thumb injury that has caused him to have rehab time. He has won twice on the USPGA Tour with his maiden win coming at the 2010 HP Byron Nelson Championship and his second win coming in the 2014 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship in mid February. He had three top ten finishes in the four Major Championships last year and here they are: Solo third at the Masters Tournament in April; tied for second at the 113th US Open Championship in June; tied for 32nd at the 142nd Open Championship in July and tied for eighth at the 95th PGA Championship. So far in his career his has amassed earnings of US $17,016,597 from the 148 events he has played in so far in his USPGA Tour career. I feel his third win on the USPGA Tour could well be in one of the three remaining FedEx Cup Playoff Events and he could even win the 2014 FedEx Cup? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoff Events.

The final player to tie for second position was Cameron Tringale (USA); he also earned US $597,333.34 for his efforts and moved to 40th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,925,303 earned from the twenty eight events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 1083 FedEx Cup Points playoff points for his efforts and moved to tenth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoff points list standings with 1,865 points earned from the twenty eight events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty eight events he has played to date this season so far he has made twenty one cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his first, second and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his first and final rounds that were both 66-5. But he will be disappointed with his third round of 72+1. Cameron Tringale (USA) first qualified for the USPGA Tour in 2010 by finishing in tied for 19th position at the 2009 USPGA Tour Final Qualifying Tournament. In his rookie year on the USPGA Tour in 2010 where he made his debut as a member of the USPGA Tour at the 2010 Sony Open in Hawaii in January and in his rookie season he earned just more than $US 300,000 from the twenty one events he played in leaving him 176th on the money list. His best finishes were ties for eleventh position at the Viking Classic and the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. In December 2010 Cameron Tringale (USA) regained his USPGA Tour card for 2011 USPGA Tour season by finishing fourth at final Qualifying-School. He managed to keep his card for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. This year he has played really consistent on 2013/14 USPGA Tour from the large amount of tournaments he has played so far and this top ten finish will give him lots of confidence to keep on improving and perhaps achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win this year in one of the three remaining FedEx Cup Playoff events? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoff Events.

Coming in tied for fifth position at 273-11 after 72 holes was Ernie Els (RSA); he earned US $292,000 for his efforts and moved to 55th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,656,552 earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 500 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and moved to 39th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 1,110 points earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty two 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 final round 66-5. But he will be disappointed with his third round which was 71 even par. Ernie Els (RSA) has already won 19 USPGA Tour events in his career and that includes four Major Championships. He is now 44 years of age and turns 45 in mid October and is entering his twilight years on the USPGA Tour. Perhaps he could win his fifth Major Championship before his career is over and even win the 2014 FedEx Cup? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoffs Series.  

Also tied for fifth position was Matt Kuchar (USA); he also earned US $292,000 for his efforts and moved to fifth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $4,421,969 earned from the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 500 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and remained in fourth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 2,421 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 19 cuts and achieved eleven top ten finishes which is two more than Jimmy Walker (USA), Jim Furyk (USA) and Rory McILroy (NIR) have achieved on the USPGA Tour this season so far with nine. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his final round of 67-4 where he finished it by chipping in on the 72nd hole. He must like the Ridgewood Country Club because last time The Barclays was played here in 2010 he won the event in a playoff. 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 $ 30,837,996 earned from 322 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 first Major Championship of 2015 which is the Masters Tournament next April? 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 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoffs series. 

The final player to tie for fifth position was William McGirt (USA); he also earned US $292,000 for his efforts and moved to 79th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,243,018 earned from the twenty seven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 500 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and moved to 35th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 1,146 points earned from the twenty seven events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty seven 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 first, third and final rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his final round 66-5. But he will be just content with his second round of 71 even par. William McGirt (USA) 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 three remaining 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 solo eighth position at 274-10 after 72 holes was Jim Furyk (USA); he earned US $248,000 for his efforts and remained in fourth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $4,883,595 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far and he is still the highest player on the money list that is yet to win a tournament in the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. He also earned 425 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and moved to sixth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoff Points list standings with 2,276 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 18 cuts and achieved nine top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his first three rounds that were all in the 60s especially his first round which was 66-5. But he will be disappointed with his final round 70-1 after being tied for the lead after 54 holes and he was the only player that finished inside the top ten that scored a final round in the 70s. Jim Furyk (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 1994 season. 2012 was a year of missed chances for him with his narrow misses at winning the US Open Championship and couple of other tournaments. But he hasn’t won on the USPGA Tour since the 2010 THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola and he also won the FedEx Cup that year as well. But he has won 16 tournaments in his USPGA Tour career to date so far and that includes his maiden Major Championship which came at the 2003 US Open Championship. I feel his 17th win will come very soon and maybe it could be in one of the three remaining FedEx Cup Playoff Events and perhaps he could win the 2014 FedEx Cup? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoffs Series

Rounding out the top ten in tied for ninth position at 275-9 after 72 holes was Rickie Fowler (USA); he earned US $208,000 for his efforts and moved to eighth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $4,150,317 earned from the twenty three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 363 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and moved to eleventh position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoff Points list standings with 1,834 points earned from the twenty three events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty three 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 his last five starts have been top ten finishes and all four Major Championships he achieved top five finishes with finishing tied for fifth at the Masters Tournament in April, tied for second at the 114th U.S. Open Championship in June, tied for second at the 143rd Open Championship in July and tied for third at the 96th PGA Championship in August. He will be happy with his first, third and final rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his third and final rounds that were both 67-4. But he will be disappointed with his second round which was 73+2. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour as a full member since the 2010 season after gaining his card by finishing in tied for 15th position at the 2009 USPGA Tour Final Qualifying School. He has easily kept his card for the next season every season since. He won his maiden USPGA Tour event at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship so he will be looking for his second win on the USPGA Tour this year and perhaps it will come in one of the three remaining FedEx Cup Playoff Events? But he will have to wait eight months for another chance to win his maiden Major Championship now because the next one is the Masters Tournament in April next year. And going on his form in the Major Championships this year he would be odds on to win his Maiden Major Championship at some stage in the next few years. I wish him all the best for the rest of the USPGA 2013/14 season and FedEx Cup Playoff Series. 

Also tied for ninth position was Morgan Hoffmann (USA); he too earned US $208,000 for his efforts and moved to 107th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $879,972 earned from the twenty nine events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 363 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and moved to 72nd position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 811 points earned from the twenty nine events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty nine events he has played to date this season so far he has made 16 cuts and this was the very 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 under par especially his third round 66-5. He made the biggest move this week of the players that started the week outside the top 100 on the FedEx Playoffs Points list standings with starting the week 124th position and climbing 52 places to 72nd position. Morgan Hoffmann (USA) spent two years attending Oklahoma State University where he played on the golf team. As a highly rated amateur, he held the number one spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for a time in 2009, and played in that year's Walker Cup. After playing in the 2010 U.S. Open, Morgan Hoffmann (USA) decided to leave college early in order to turn professional. He qualified for his first professional major at the 2012 U.S. Open, finishing in a tie for 29th position. Morgan Hoffmann (USA) has been a resident of Saddle Brook, New Jersey. Morgan Hoffmann (USA) played on the Web.com Tour in 2012, starting the season with no status and getting by on sponsor exemptions and Monday qualifiers. He played in 13 events and finished 19th on the money list, good enough for a promotion to the USPGA Tour for the 2013 Season. In his rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2013 he played in twenty events and made eleven cuts and achieved three top ten finishes and finished in 117th position on the final 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings which was a fine effort in his rookie season and easily kept his card for the 2013/14 USPGA Tour Season. He will need another good finish in the top ten next week to make it to the third FedEx Cup Playoff Event at the BMW Championship the following week. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour Season and FedEx Cup Playoff Series.

Also tied for ninth position was Kevin Na (USA); he too earned US $208,000 for his efforts and remained in twentieth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,970,427 earned twenty four events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 363 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and moved to 13th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 1,776 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 18 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 under par especially his second round 66-5. Kevin Na (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2004 season and has kept his card every season since. He only played in eight events in the 2013 USPGA Tour season because of a back injury (bulging discs) that flared up after the Masters Tournament. He has one win on the USPGA Tour to date in his career so far and that came at the 2011 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He will be very happy with his season so far. So far in his career to date he has career earnings of US $16,235,028 earned from the 269 events he has played so far to date in his career. Let’s hope he can continue on this form for the rest of the season and achieve his second win on the USPGA Tour and perhaps in one of the three remaining FedEx Cup Events? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season and FedEx Cup Playoff Series.

The final player to tie for ninth position was Patrick Reed (USA); he too earned US $208,000 for his efforts and remained in eleventh position on current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,832,449 earned from the twenty five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 363 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and moved to eighth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoff Points list standings with 2,028 points earned from the twenty five events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty five events he has played to date this season so far he has made 17 cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his second and final rounds this week that were 66-5 and 65-6 that was the equal low final round. But he will be disappointed with his first round 71 even par and his third round 73+2. Patrick Reed (USA) is in his second season on the USPGA Tour after gaining his 2013 USPGA Tour card by finishing in tied for 22nd position at the 2012 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. He had a brilliant rookie season with earning US $1,961,519 from the twenty six events he played in with recording five top ten finishes which included his maiden win which came at the Wyndham Championship. He finished in 35th position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings. He is still very young with only being 24 years old. With the win at the WGC - Cadillac Championship in early March it now sees him exempt on the USPGA Tour till the end of the 2016 season. It is amazing to believe he had won three USPGA Tour events before he played in his first Major Championship which was the Masters Tournament in April. Also in 2012 on the USPGA Tour he successfully Monday qualified for six tournaments on the USPGA Tour which was just an amazing effort considering there are 100 odd Golfers trying for the four spots on offer each week. Here are those six events he Monday qualified for and the results: Monday qualified for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans (T24), Wells Fargo Championship (T32), HP Byron Nelson Championship (missed cut), Travelers Championship (T47), True South Classic (T21) and Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Classic (T22). I feel all those good finishes he achieved two years ago from Monday qualifying have given him the confidence to achieve what he has so far in the last two years and I look for him to keep on improving in the coming weeks. Everything at the moment is going well in his life and I wouldn’t be surprised if he won his fourth USPGA Tour event this season and it could even be one of the three remaining FedEx Cup Playoff Events and perhaps even the 2014 FedEx Cup? It seems now he has brought more consistency to his game with making his making his last four straight cuts and two of those were top ten finishes. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season and FedEx Cup Playoff Series.

Danny Lee (NZL) was one of two New Zealand Golfers in the field and he scored a brilliant round of 67-4 in the first round which was awesome and he was only two shots behind the leader. Then he scored a good second round of 71 even par. He scored a good third round of 70-1 and a poor final round of 73+2 for a 72 hole of 281-3 and he finished in tied for 38th position. He earned US $32,000 for his efforts and moved to 122nd position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with  US $744,345 earned from the twenty seven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 147 FedEx Cup Playoffs points for his efforts and he moved to 96th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs points list standings with 637 points earned from the twenty seven events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty seven events he has played to date this season so far he has made 12 cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came over 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 first three rounds of 67-4, 71 even par and 70-1 but he will be disappointed with his final round of 73+2 after he went out in 33-2 and had got to minus seven he preceded to make four bogeys in the next five holes and ended up scoring 40+4 on his back nine. But however he managed to do enough to secure his place next week  inside the top 100 players on the 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list after the conclusion of the Barclays and qualified for the second FedEx Cup Playoff event which is the Deutsche Bank Championship the next week. Let’s hope he can achieve a top ten finish next week and make it to the top 70 players at the conclusion of the Deutsche Bank Championship and make it in to the third FedEx Cup Playoff Event which is the BMW Championship in two weeks time? 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) was the other New Zealand Golfer in the field and he scored an average round of 72+1 in the first round. Then he scored a second round of 71 even par. Then a third round of 72+1 for a 54 hole total of 215+2 and because the field had to be cut to the low 70 players for the final round and he finished in tied for 71st position and he finished in the category of “Made the Cut, Did not Finish”.  And because of this it means his 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoff Series is now over for him. He did earn US $15,680 for his efforts and currently lies in 115th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $824,179 earned from the twenty five events he played in this season. He also earned four FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and finished in 119th position on the final 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 498 points earned from the twenty five events he played in this season and he got US $70,000 from the FedEx Cup Bonus Money Distribution. From the twenty five events he played in this season he made 18 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. He will be disappointed with his three rounds this week that were all in the low 70s when he knew he needed to score in the high to mid 60s to make it into the top 100 players that advance to the second FedEx Cup Playoff event which is the Deutsche Bank Championship the next week. But he can be very satisfied with his 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoff Series. He season is over now but he has retained his full playing status for the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup. Let’s hope he can build on this season and having an even better one next season? I wish him all the best for the 2014/15 USPGA Tour Season and FedEx Cup which starts in early October 2014.

The happiest player this week was Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) who finished in 100th position on the 2013/14 FedEx Cup playoffs points list standings after the Barclays with 611 points earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far and he became the last player eligible for the Deutsche Bank Championship which is the second FedEx Cup Playoff event next week. The least happy player this week was Troy Merritt (USA) who finished in 101st position on the 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 609 points earned from the 19 events he has played in this season and he missed out on playing in the second FedEx Cup Playoff event at the Deutsche Bank Championship the next week by two points!! His 2013/14 USPGA Tour Season and FedEx Cup Playoff series is now over but he is assured of having fully exempt playing status for the 2014/15 USPGA Tour Season.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup Playoff Series heads to Norton, Massachusetts for the Deutsche Bank Championship which is the second FedEx Cup Playoff Event. Only the top 100 players on the 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoff Points list standings after the Barclays will be eligible to compete. It is played on the TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts. It carries a huge prize purse of US $8,000,000 for the taking. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) is the defending champion and will be keen for back to back titles. Danny Lee (NZL) is the only New Zealand Golfer in the field because he finished in 96th position on the 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoff Points list standings after the Barclays. It starts on Friday 29th August because it has a scheduled Monday finish on Labour Day Holiday Monday which is the 1st September. 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 fourth week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 43rd week of his career is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tied for twenty second position this past week at The Barclays and two weeks ago winning at the 96th PGA Championship and three weeks ago won WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and also five weeks ago winning the 143rd Open Championship with 11.10 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his tied for 15th position at The Barclays this past week and two weeks ago tied for 15th position finish at the 96th PGA Championship with 9.16 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who was fresh off his tied for 38th position at The Barclays this past week and he finished in tied for fourth position at the 114th U.S. Open Championship ten weeks ago and also finished tied for second at the BMW International Open and eight weeks ago and also finished in tied for 39th position at the 143rd Open Championship five weeks ago and two weeks ago finished in tied for third position at the 96th PGA Championship with 8.02 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Sergio Garcia (Spain) who is fresh off  his tied for tied for 57th position this past week at The Barclays and two weeks ago tied for 36th position at the 96th PGA Championship and also finished solo second position three weeks ago at the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and five weeks ago he tied for second position at the 143rd Open  Championship with 7.73 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 six weeks ago at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and five weeks ago finished in tied for twenty third position at the 143rd Open Championship and three weeks ago he finished in tied for fourth position at the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and two weeks ago finished in tied for twenty fourth position in the 96th PGA Championship and this past week finish in tied for 30th position at The Barclays with 7.30 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Steve Alker (NZL) is in his first week of his first spell being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his tied for fifth position at the WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by Kraft this past week on the Web.com Tour. This week he gains 19 places and rises to 243rd position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.75 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember when playing in cold conditions it is important to keep your hands warm!!

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