Well it was another brilliant weekend on the Major
Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the Web.com Tour
has its season finale event and it was the Web.com Tour Championship and it was
played on TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and carried a
prize purse of US $1,000,000 for the taking. And it was the golfer by the name
of Derek Fathauer (USA) who scored rounds of 65-5, 66-4, 67-3 and a final round
of 68-2 for a 72 hole total of 266-14 and he won by one shot for his maiden
Web.com Tour win of his career. He earned US $180,000 for the win and finished
in second position on the final 2014 Web.com Tour Finals Priority Rankings with
US $468,185.62 earned from the twenty three events he played in this season. Adam
Hadwin (Canada) was number one on the list with US $529,792.17 earned from the
twenty one events he played in.
%2Btees%2Boff%2Bduring%2Bthe%2Bfinal%2Bround.jpg) |
| Derek Fathauer (USA) tees off during the final round |
Derek Fathauer (USA) played a steady final round of
68-2 which included a front nine of 34-1 which included birdies on the par
three, second hole and par four, third hole and his lone bogey came on the par
three, fifth hole. He made the turn at minus 13 and was leading by four shots. Zac
Blair (USA) went out in 37+2 and made the turn at minus nine and was four shots
behind the leader.
Derek Fathauer (USA) played holes ten to 14 in two
under par and moved to minus 15 and now was only leading by three shots. Zac
Blair (USA) played holes ten to 14 in three under par which included making
three birdies in a row from holes 10-12 and he moved to minus 12 and was now only
three shots behind the leader.
Derek Fathauer (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one
over par and fell back to minus 14 and was now only leading by one shot with just
the par four, 72nd hole to play. Zac Blair (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one
under par and moved to minus 13 and was now only one shot behind the leader
heading to the par four, 72nd hole.
%2Babout%2Bto%2Bembrace%2Bhis%2Bcaddie%2Bafter%2Bhe%2Bholed%2Bthe%2Bwinning%2Bputt!!.jpg) |
| Derek Fathauer (USA) on the right embraces his caddie on the left after holing the winning putt!! |
Zac Blair (USA) who was playing in the final group
with Derek Fathauer (USA) made a solid par at the par four, 72nd hole and
finished the 72 holes at minus 13 and was one shot behind the winner. Derek
Fathauer (USA) hit a solid drive down the par four, 72nd hole and it landed in
the centre of the fairway. He then was faced with a very difficult second shot
to a back right pin placement that if he wasn’t careful he could put his ball
in the hazard to the right of the green. He played his second shot very
conservatively with his short iron and landed it in the middle of the green
about 40 feet from the cup. He was now faced with what they say is one of the
hardest things to do in golf and that is to two putt when you have to. But he
struck his putt from 40 feet to near perfection and it came to rest a couple of
feet from the cup. He easily tapped in for his par four and scored 34-1 on his
back nine and finished the 72 holes on minus 14 to win by one shot. He then got
a huge hug and high five from his caddie to celebrate the win!! He then was
interviewed by the Golf Channel reporter and told him “He was so pleased he now
has secured his 2014/15 USPGA Tour card and he looks to get his season off to a
fast start in a few weeks time”.
Derek Fathauer (USA) turned professional on
September 17, 2008. He advanced to the final stage of the 2008 USPGA Tour
Q-School in La Quinta, California at the PGA West Golf Community. He earned his
USPGA Tour card for 2009 after finishing in a tie for second. Derek Fathauer
(USA) finished eight shots behind Harrison Frazar (USA) after shooting
70-69-65-67-67-70 for a total score of 408. Derek Fathauer (USA) made his
professional USPGA Tour debut at the Sony Open in Hawaii on January 15, 2009,
where he missed the cut by one stroke after shooting a 73-69=142 (+2). He made
his first cut on the USPGA Tour at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro - Am.
He shot 71-71-69=211 to make the cut. During the tournament, he also recorded
his first ace of his professional career at the 15th hole of Spyglass Hill Golf
Course, in Pebble Beach, California. But in recent years he was forced back to
play the Web.com Tour. Let’s hope he can make the most of his second go at the
USPGA Tour and keep his card for the 2015/16 season? I wish him all the best on
the USPGA Tour for the season ahead.
%2Bposes%2Bwith%2Bthe%2BWeb.com%2BTour%2BChampionship%2BTrophy%2Bhe%2Bwon.jpg) |
| Derek Fathauer (USA) poses with the Web.com Tour Championship trophy he won!! |
Coming in solo second position with a 72 hole total
of 267-13 was Zac Blair (USA); he earned US $108,000 for his efforts and
finished in eleventh position on the final 2014 Web.com Tour Finals Priority
Rankings with US $108,000 earned from the four events he played in. He also
played in eight events in the regular 2014 Web.com Tour Season and finished in
41st position on the final 2014 Web.com Tour Regular Season Money list
standings with US $97,799 earned from the eight events he played in. But
because he wasn’t a full member of the 2014 Web.com Tour that money didn’t count
to his final 2014 Web.com Tour Finals Priority Ranking. He will be really
excited now that he has a full USPGA Tour card for the 2014/15 season and will
be keen to play his first event in few weeks time. I wish him all the best for
the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Coming in solo third position at 269-11 after 72
holes was Jason Gore (USA); he earned US $68,000 for his efforts and finished
in tenth position on the final 2014 Web.com Tour Finals Priority Rankings with
US $340,346.05 earned from the 17 events he played in this season. Jason Gore (USA)
was born in Van Nuys, California. He first attended the University of Arizona before
transferring to Pepperdine University. While at Pepperdine, he was part of
their NCAA Division I Championship team in 1997. He also played on the
victorious Walker Cup team that year. Jason Gore (USA) turned professional in
1997. He played on the USPGA Tour after moving from the Nationwide Tour midseason
in 2005 after receiving a battlefield promotion, which is given when a player
wins three Nationwide Tour events in one season. He has one USPGA Tour win, the
84 Lumber Classic in 2005, and is the all-time leader in career wins on what is
now the Web.com Tour, with seven. Jason Gore (USA) played in the final group of
the 2005 U.S. Open with Retief Goosen (RSA). He shot a 14-over-par 84 to drop
all the way to a tie for 48th, and Michael Campbell (NZL) went on to win the
trophy. Jason Gore (USA) was not fully exempt on the USPGA Tour from 2009 to
2014. Jason Gore (USA) currently resides in Valencia, California with his wife,
Megan, his son, Jaxon, and his daughter, Olivia. Let’s hope can have a really
good 2014/15 season on the USPGA Tour and perhaps win his second USPGA Tour
event?
Coming in tied for fourth position at 272-8 after 72
holes was Jim Herman (USA); he earned US $44,000 for his efforts and finished
in 15th position on the final 2014 Web.com Tour Finals Priority Rankings with
US $101,725.00 earned from the four events he played in this season. Jim Herman
(USA) played on the mini-tour, Golden Bear Tour from 2001 to 2004. He was then
an assistant golf pro at several golf clubs before qualifying for the
Nationwide Tour after finishing Tied for 74th at the 2007 USPGA Tour Qualifying
Tournament. He has played the Nationwide Tour since 2008, winning once at the
2010 Moonah Classic in Australia. Jim Herman (USA) was a USPGA Tour rookie in
2011, after finishing 19th on the 2010 Nationwide Tour money list. He played in
the 2010 U.S. Open, finishing 47th. He was still exempt on the USPGA Tour this
year but only made US $187,337 from the twenty one events he played in and lost
his exempt status. But now he is fully exempt for the 2014/15 USPGA Tour
season. I wish him all the best for the coming season.
Also tied for fourth position was Heath Slocum
(USA); he too earned US $44,000 for his efforts and finished in 33rd position
on the final 2014 Web.com Tour Finals Priority Rankings with US $57,133.33
earned from the four events he played in. 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. It is great to see
for the second straight year he has regained his USPGA Tour card at the Web.com
Tour Finals. I wish him all the best for the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and
perhaps he can achieve his fifth win?
Coming in solo sixth position at 273-7 after 72 holes was David
Lingmerth (Sweden); he earned US $36,000 for his efforts and finished in 17th
position on the final 2014 Web.com Tour Finals Priority
Rankings with US $99,368.33 earned from the four events he played in. David
Lingmerth (Sweden) has just finished his second year playing on the USPGA Tour
fulltime after gaining his 2013 USPGA Tour card by finishing in tenth position
on the final 2012 Web.com Tour Money list standings with US $ 287,148 earned
from the 26 events he played in. In his rookie year on the USPGA Tour in 2013
he earned US $ 1,748,109
from the twenty three events he played in and finished in 46th position on the
final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings which was a fine showing by a
rookie. In his 2013/14 USPGA Tour season he earned US $676,661 from the twenty
six events he played in and narrowly missed gaining fully exempt status. But it
was great he was able to regain his fully 2014/15 USPGA Tour card back at the
Web.com Tour Finals. I feel his maiden win on the USPGA Tour isn’t too far away
and maybe it will happen in the 2014/15 season?
Rounding out the top ten in tied for seventh position at 274-6 after 72
holes was Travis Bertoni (USA); he earned US $30,125 for his efforts and moved
to 52nd position on the final 2014 Web.com Tour Finals
Priority Rankings with US $35,615.00 earned from the four events he played in. He
unfortunately missed out on his 2014/15 USPGA Tour card by US $696.66. If he
had made his four foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole he would of gained his
USPGA Tour card. He will now have to have another season on the Web.com Tour
and hope he can make the USPGA Tour in the 2015/16 season.
Also tied for seventh position was Chad Collins (USA); he too earned US
$30,125 for his efforts and moved to 47th position on
the final 2014 Web.com Tour Finals Priority Rankings with US $37,995.00 earned
from the four events he played in. Chad
Collins (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour on and off since the 2008
season. He gained his 2013/14 USPGA Tour card by finishing inside the top 50
money earners on the final 2013 Web.com Tour Money list standings. And again he
gained his USPGA Tour card back at the Web.com Tour finals for the 2014/15
USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Also tied for seventh
position was Adam Hadwin (Canada); he too earned US $30,125 for his
efforts and moved to first position on the final 2014
Web.com Tour Finals Priority Rankings with US $529,729.17 earned from the twenty
one events he played in. And with finishing first on the final 2014 Web.com
Tour Finals Priority Rankings he gets a start in the Players Championship in
May 2015 and he doesn’t have to worry
about the re-rank that comes after so many tournaments once the 2014/15 USPGA
Tour season begins. Adam Hadwin (Canada) earned conditional Nationwide Tour
status for 2012 based on his Qualifying school finish. After a slow start to
the year, he had a Tied for fifth finish at the Soboba Golf Classic in April.
After only making four of his next eight cuts, he finished with 63-66 over the
weekend of the Cox Classic in August to secure a Tied for third. Overall, for
the year, he made 13 of 25 cuts, with four top-10 finishes with two third place
finishes, but only finished 30th on the money list, not earning a USPGA Tour
card. Adam Hadwin (Canada) played a full season on the Web.com Tour based on
his 2012 season. On 9 March 2014, Adam Hadwin (Canada) won his first career Web.com
Tour event at the Chile Classic. The win earned him US$117,000 and moved him to
first place on the money list. He became the 13th Canadian to win on the
Web.com Tour. On 7 September 2014, Adam Hadwin (USA) won for a second time on
the Web.com Tour, when he took home a playoff win at the Chiquita Classic. I
wish him all the best for his rookie year on the USPGA Tour in the 2014/15
season.
 |
| Some of the 50 players holding their 2014/15 USPGA Tour cards they just earned!! |
The happiest golfer this week was Eric Axley (USA) who finished in tied for twenty fifth position at the Web.com Tour Championship with a score of 278-2 and he earned US $7,772 for his efforts and he finished in 50th position on the final 2014 Web.com Tour Finals Priority Rankings with US $36,311.66 earned from the four events he played in and earned his USPGA Tour card back for the 2014/15 season. He was US $31.66 ahead of Roberto Castro (USA) who was the unhappiest golfer this week who finished in the 51st position on the final 2014 Web.com Tour Finals Priority Rankings with US $36,280.66 earned from the four events he played in. His tied for 40th finish at the Web.com Tour Championship this week with a score of 281+1 where he earned US $3,900 for his efforts was just not quite enough for him to get the last available card and he will now have to play the 2015 season on the Web.com Tour.
Steve Alker (NZL) was the only New Zealand Golfer in
the field and he scored a poor first round of 72+2 and a second round of 71+1
for a 36 hole total of 143+3 and he missed the 36 hole cut by two shots. But he
had already secured his 2014/15 USPGA Tour Card by finishing in tenth position
on the final 2014 Web.com Tour Regular Season Money list standings with US
$249,536 earned from the 15 events he played in. And with the US $12,365 he
earned from the three Web.com Finals events he played in his total earnings at
all the Web.com Tour events this season came to US $261,901 and that gave him a
final ranking of 20th on the 2014 Web.com Tour Finals Priority Rankings. His
first tournament on the 2014/15 USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup is likely to be at the
Frys.com Open in Silverado Resort
and Spa, Napa, California in the second week of October. It will be the second
time for him playing the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup fulltime having had a season
on it in 2003. I wish him all the best for his 2014/15 USPGA Tour Season and
FedEx Cup.
The next event on the 2013/14
USPGA Tour Schedule is the 40th Ryder Cup Matches that are played between Team
USA and Team Europe and they are played next week in Scotland on the Gleneagles GC, Perthshire, Scotland.
The USA Team is captained by Tom Watson (USA) and
his Vice Captains are: Andy North (USA), Raymond Floyd (USA) and Steve Stricker
(USA) and the team is made up of nine players who qualified by their play over
the last two years and they are Bubba Watson (USA), Jim Furyk (USA), Phil
Mickelson (USA), Jordan Spieth (USA), Zach Johnson (USA), Rickie Fowler (USA),
Jimmy Walker (USA), Matt Kuchar (USA) and Patrick Reed (USA) and the USA Ryder
Cup Captain, Tom Watson (USA) chose three Captains Picks and they are Keegan
Bradley (USA), Hunter Mahan (USA) and Webb Simpson (USA). The European Team is
Captained by Paul McGinley (Ireland) and his Vice Captains are: Des Smith
(Ireland) and Sam Torrance (Scotland) and the team is made up of nine players
who qualified by their play over the last two years and they are Rory McILroy
(NIR), Victor Dubuisson (France), Sergio Garcia (Spain), Martin Kaymer
(Germany), Graeme McDowell (NIR), Henrik Stenson (Sweden), Jamie Donaldson
(Wales), Justin Rose (England) and Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) and the Europe Ryder
Cup Captain, Paul McGinley (Ireland) chose three Captains Picks and they are
Stephen Gallacher (Scotland), Ian Poulter (England) and Lee Westwood (England).
There is no prize money on offer just the honour of holding aloft the Ryder Cup
at the end of the week!! The Match commences with the Opening Ceremony on
Thursday 25th September and the matches start on Friday 26th September with the
morning foursomes. The European Team is the current holder of the Ryder Cup and
will be keen to win it again!! I report back who won the Ryder Cup in next week
time. And the 2014/15 USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup season commences on Thursday 9th
October and is the Frys.com Open and it is played on the Silverado Resort and
Spa, Napa, California. It carries a prize purse of US $5,000,000 for the
taking. Jimmy Walker (USA) is the defending champion and will be keen for back
to back titles. Danny Lee (NZL), Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and Steve Alker (NZL) are
likely to gain starts as well. I will report back who won the trophy once the
result is known.
So to the Top 5 on the Official
World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position
for the eighth week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 47th week of
his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tied for second
position one week ago at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and two weeks ago
he finished in tied for eighth position at the BMW Championship and three weeks
ago tied for fifth position at the Deutsche Bank
Championship and four weeks ago finishing in twenty second position at The
Barclays and six weeks ago winning at the 96th PGA Championship and seven weeks
ago won WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and also nine weeks ago winning the 143rd
Open Championship with 11.75 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at
Number Two is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his tied for ninth position one
week ago at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and two weeks ago tied for
eight position at the BMW Championship and three weeks ago finished in 16th
position at Deutsche Bank Championship and four weeks ago he
tied for 15th position at The Barclays and six weeks ago tied for 15th
position finish at the 96th PGA Championship with 9.14 Official World Ranking
Points; coming in at Number Three is Sergio Garcia (Spain) who is fresh
off his tied for ninth position at the
Tour Championship by Coca – Cola one week ago and two weeks ago he tied for
fourth position at the BMW Championship and four weeks ago tied for 57th
position at The Barclays and six weeks ago tied for 36th position at the 96th
PGA Championship and he also finished solo second position seven weeks ago at
the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and nine weeks ago he tied for second
position at the 143rd Open Championship
with 7.86 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Jim Furyk
(USA) who is fresh off his tied for second position at the Tour Championship by
Coca – Cola one week ago with 7.68 Official
Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World
Ranking Points list standings this week is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who was
fresh off his tied for tied for twenty third position at the BMW Championship two
weeks ago and three weeks ago finished in tied for 26th position at the Deutsche
Bank Championship and four weeks ago he finished in 38th
position at The Barclays and he finished in tied for fourth position at the
114th U.S. Open Championship 14 weeks ago and also finished tied for second at
the BMW International Open and 12 weeks ago and also finished in tied for 39th
position at the 143rd Open Championship nine weeks ago and six weeks ago
finished in tied for third position at the 96th PGA Championship with 7.58
Official Golf World Ranking Points; Danny Lee (NZL) is in his fourth week of
his fourth spell being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after
his tied for 35th position at the Deutsche Bank Championship three
weeks ago on the USPGA Tour. This week he slips four places and falls to 249th
position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.74 Official
Golf World Ranking Points.
Remember you “Drive for show and putt for Dough”!!
Source: Pgatour.com, Official World Golf Rankings, wikipedia.org,
Google search engine, europeantour.com
No comments:
Post a Comment