Golf Events from the Weekend 7th September 2014

This week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup Playoff Series headed to Colorado for the third FedEx Cup Playoff Event and it was the BMW Championship which was played on the Cherry Hills CC, Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. Only the top 70 players on the 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoff Points list standings after the Deutsche Bank Championship were eligible to compete. It carried a huge prize purse of US $8,000,000 for the taking. Zach Johnson (USA) was the defending champion and was keen for back to back titles. And it was the golfer by the name of Billy Horschel (USA) who scored rounds of 68-2, 66-4, 63-7 and a final round of 69-1 for a 72 hole total of 266-14 and he won by two shots for his second USPGA Tour win of his career to date so far and he won US $1,440,000 for the win and moved to 17th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,374,787 earned from the twenty six events he has played to date this season so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) still leads that list with US $7,572,096 earned from the 16 events he has played to date this year so far. Billy Horschel (USA) also earned 2,500 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and moved to second position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 4,305 points earned from the twenty six events he has played to date this season so far and he goes into the Tour Championship next week with 2,250 FedEx Cup Playoff Points in the points reset and with a victory next week he will win the 2014 FedEx Cup and the US $10,000,000 Bonus that goes with it and he is nine points behind the current leader of the FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings who is Chris Kirk (USA) who has earned 4,314 points from the twenty seven events he has played to date this season so far and he goes into the Tour Championship next week with 2,500 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points in the points reset and with a victory next week he will win the 2014 FedEx Cup and the US $10,000,000 Bonus that goes with it. From the twenty six events Billy Horschel (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made 19 cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the win here. Billy Horschel (USA) will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s and he was one of only two players to do so with the other being Graham Delaet (Canada) and Billy Horschel (USA) will be especially happy with his third round of 63-7 which was blemish free. 

Billy Horschel (USA) tees off during the final round

Billy Horschel (USA) played a great final round under the circumstances of carrying the 54 hole lead in to the final round, he scored 69-1 which included a front nine of 33-1 with birdies on the par four, first hole, par four, third hole and par four, seventh hole but he made bogeys on the par four, second hole and par three, sixth hole and he made the turn at minus 14 and lead by six shots. Bubba Watson (USA) went out in 34 even par and made the turn at eight under and was six shots behind the leader. Morgan Hoffmann (USA) went out in 33-1 and made the turn at minus five and was nine shots behind the leader.

Billy Horschel (USA) played holes ten to 14 in even par and remained at minus 14 and was now only leading by four shots. Bubba Watson (USA) played holes ten to 14 in two under par and moved to ten under par and was now four shots behind the leader. Morgan Hoffmann (USA) played holes ten to 14 in four under par and that included making four birdies in a row from holes eleventh to 14 and he moved to minus nine and now was only five shots behind the leader.

Billy Horschel (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in even par and remained at minus 14 and was now only leading by two shots. Bubba Watson (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in two under par and moved to minus 12 and now was only two shots behind the leader. Morgan Hoffmann (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in two under par and that included eagling the par five, 17th hole and he moved to minus eleven and was now only three shots behind the leader.

Morgan Hoffmann (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 eleven and finished three shots behind the winner. Bubba Watson (USA) who was playing in the group ahead of the final group hit a brilliant drive down the par four, 72nd hole that landed in the middle of the fairway. Unfortunately it found a divot and left a very difficult second shot. But he managed to make good contact with the ball and landed it on the green pin high with his short iron he hit and he was able to two putt for his par four and he finished the 72 holes at minus 12 and was two shots behind the winner. 

Micah, who is Billy Horschel's (USA) caddie on the left embraces Billy Horschel (USA) on the right after he holed the winning putt!!

Billy Horschel (USA) now stood on the par four, 72nd tee knowing that a bogey was all he needed to win the title. He struck a brilliant tee shot that was drilled right down the right side of the fairway with a slight draw. He now stood in the fairway with his mid iron and knew if he could just hit it somewhere on the green the win was his. But you can’t help but think the thoughts of the second shot on the par five, 72nd hole at the Deutsche Bank Championship the week before where he hit his second shot fat and it landed in the hazard short of the green were flashing through his mind? But the way he executed his second shot with his mid iron it appeared they were only a distant memory because he struck a brilliant shot that landed on the green pin high and came to rest about 35 feet from the pin. As he was walking up to the green he broke into a sprint and went outside the ropes and later said he had to go for a bathroom break. He calmed his nerve then rolled the 35 foot birdie putt about seven feet past the cup. But he hit a brilliant putt for his par from seven feet and it rolled right in the centre of the cup for his par!! He scored 36 even par on the back nine which included making nine straight pars in row and he finished the 72 holes at minus 14 to win by two shots!!  He got a huge hug from his caddie, Micah and then when interviewed by the NBC Sports/Golf Channel Reporter he said “He was so pleased to win this event after what happened to him last week at the Deutsche Bank Championship, and he is looking forward to playing the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola next week because he feels his game is right where he wants it to be at the moment”. He displayed a lot of intestinal fortitude this week to put the disappointment of last week’s near miss behind him and achieved the win this week!!

 

Billy Horschel (USA) poses with the BMW Championship trophy he won!!

Billy Horschel (USA) first gained his USPGA Tour card in 2010 by finishing in solo seventh position at the 2009 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. In his rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2010 he only managed to play in four events and missed every cut because of a tendon injury to his left wrist that required surgery. The wrist started bothering him in late 2009. He was granted a major Medical Extension for 2011 USPGA Tour season, with 19 events to equal the Number 125 from the 2010 PGA TOUR money list (US $786,977) he improved his status with a Tied 27th finish at the 2010 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. In the 2011 USPGA Tour season he only made US $533,024 from the 25 events he played in and finished in 140th position on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list giving him some status on the USPGA Tour for the 2012 season. He went back to the 2011 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament but finished in tied 103rd position and got his Web.com Tour Card and that meant he had two tours to play on in the 2012 season. In the 2012 USPGA Tour season he played in 17 events and made 15 cuts and achieved one top ten finish. He earned US $486,177 from those 17 events he played in and finished up in 147th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings meaning he again had some status on the USPGA Tour for the 2013 season. He chose to go back to the 2012 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament to improve his status and he did better than that by finishing tied for fourth position and gained his full USPGA Tour card for the 2013 USPGA Tour season. He had his career best season to date in 2013 with earning US $3,501,703 from the twenty six events he played in and that included winning his maiden USPGA Tour event at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in late April. But this season could be even better? And I guess as they say the rest is history. I sure his third win can’t be too far off and perhaps it could come at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola next week and because he has one of the top five seed positions on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings if he wins next week he will win the 2014 FedEx Cup as well. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoff Series. 

Coming in solo second position at 268-12 after 72 holes was Bubba Watson (USA); he earned US $864,000 for his efforts and moved to second position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $6,146,978 earned from the twenty events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 1,500 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and moved to third position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 4,058 points earned from the twenty events he has played to date this season so far and he goes into the Tour Championship next week with 2,000 FedEx Cup Playoff Points in the points reset and with a victory next week he will win the 2014 FedEx Cup and the US $10,000,000 Bonus that goes with it. From the twenty events he has played to date this season so far he has made 17 cuts and achieved eight top ten finishes which includes the one here and also the win at the Masters Tournament (Second Major Championship win) in April and the win at the Northern Trust Open in mid February. He will be very happy with his final three rounds that were all 66-4. But he will be disappointed with his first round 70 even par that put him behind the eight ball from the start. Bubba Watson (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2006 season and has easily kept his card for the following year every year since. And he has made at least US One Million Dollars in all of those seasons as well. He has already achieved six wins on the USPGA Tour to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2010 Travelers Championship, 2011 Farmers Insurance Open, Zurich Classic of New Orleans, 2012 Masters Tournament (Maiden Major Championship), 2014 Northern Trust Open and the 2014 Masters Tournament (Second Major Championship). I feel his seventh win on the USPGA Tour will come in the 2013/14 season as well and perhaps it could be the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola next week in Atlanta? And if he does win he will also with the 2014 FedEx Cup as I mentioned earlier and it will cap off a brilliant season for him. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoff Series. 

Coming in solo third position at 269-11 after 72 holes was Morgan Hoffmann (USA); he earned US $544,000 for his efforts and moved to 71st position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,460,922 earned from the 31 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 1000 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and moved to twenty first position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 1,973 points earned from the 31 events he has played to date this season so far and he goes into the Tour Championship next week with 300 FedEx Cup Playoff Points in the points reset. From the 31 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 18 cuts and achieved two top ten finishes with includes the one here. He will be happy with his third and final rounds this week that were 62-8 which was the low third round of the day  and 63-7 in the final round, so he was 15 under par for his final 36 holes. But he will be slightly disappointed with his first and second rounds that were both 72+2. 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 jumped up 47 places this week because he came into this week just making the field at the BMW Championship in 68th position on the 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list, so it was an awesome effort for him to make it into the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola next week. Perhaps if everything goes his way he could win the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola as his maiden USPGA Tour event title and maybe even the 2014 FedEx Cup? But he has exceeded his own expectations in these 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoff Series and he can be really proud of himself no matter how he plays next week.  I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour Season and FedEx Cup Playoff Series.

Coming in tied for fourth position at 271-9 after 72 holes was Rickie Fowler (USA); he earned US $319,000 for his efforts and moved to sixth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $4,546,117 earned from the twenty five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 563 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points for his efforts and moved to ninth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs points list standings with 2,631 points earned from the twenty five events he has played to date this season so far and he goes into the Tour Championship next week with 800 FedEx Cup Playoff Points in the points reset. From the twenty five events has played to date this season so far he has made 18 cuts and achieved nine top ten finishes that includes the one here and he has had top ten finishes in six of his last seven starts and all four Major Championships this season 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 second, third and final rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his second and third rounds that were both 66-4. But he will disappointed with his first round which was 71+1. 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 at Tour Championship by Coca – Cola next week and if it does he may well win the 2014 FedEx Cup as well? But he will have to wait seven 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 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoff Series. 

Also tied for fourth position was Jim Furyk (USA); he too earned US $319,000 for his efforts and remained in fourth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $5,279,395 earned from the twenty events he has played to date this season so far and he is the player who has made the most money this year on the USPGA Tour to date that has yet to achieve a win. He also earned 563 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points for his efforts and moved to seventh position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 3,073 points earned from the twenty events he has played to date this season so far and he goes into the Tour Championship next week with 1,200 FedEx Cup Playoff Points in the points reset. From the twenty events he has played to date this season so far he has made twenty cuts which makes him one of the most consistent players on the USPGA Tour this year and he has achieved ten 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 66-4. But he will be a little disappointed with his first round 70 even par. 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 the final FedEx Cup Playoff Event at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola next week and perhaps he could win the 2014 FedEx Cup as well like he did four years ago in 2010? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoffs Series.

Also tied for fourth position was Sergio Garcia (Spain); he too earned US $319,000 for his efforts and moved to fifth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $4,707,940 earned from the 15 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 563 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points for his efforts and moved to 13th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoff Points list standings with 2,325 points earned from the 15 events he has played to date this season so far and he goes into the Tour Championship next week with 440 FedEx Cup Playoff Points in the points reset. From the 15 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 14 cuts and achieved nine 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 second round 64-6 which was the equal low round of the day. But he will be disappointed with his third round 72+2. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2000 season and in the time he has easily kept his card for the next year every season since and he has achieved eight wins on the USPGA Tour in his career so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2001 MasterCard Colonial, Buick Classic 2002 Mercedes Championships, 2004 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, Buick Classic, 2005 Booz Allen Classic. 2008 THE PLAYERS Championship and the 2012 Wyndham Championship. He has current career earnings on the USPGA Tour of US $37,541,653 earned from the 275 events he has played to date in his career so far. I feel his ninth win isn’t too far off and maybe it could be at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola which is next week and perhaps even he could win the 2014 FedEx Cup? I wish him all the best for the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season.

The final player to tie for fourth position was Ryan Palmer (USA); he too earned US $319,000 for his efforts and moved to twenty eight position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,649,300 earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 563 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points for his efforts and moved to twenty third position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 1,895 points earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far and he goes into the Tour Championship next week with 280 FedEx Cup Playoff Points in the points reset. From the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far he has made 19 cuts and achieved seven 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 64-6 which was the equal low round of the day. But he will be disappointed with his final round 71+1. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2004 season and has managed to keep his card or at least semi status on the USPGA Tour for the next season every season since. He has won three events on the USPGA Tour in that time and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2004 FUNAI Classic at the WALT DISNEY WORLD Resort, 2008 Ginn sur Mer Classic and the 2010 Sony Open in Hawaii. I feel his fourth win isn’t too far away and might just coming in the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and perhaps it could be at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola next week and maybe even he could win the 2014 FedEx Cup? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

Rounding out the top ten in tied for eighth position at 272-8 after 72 holes was Rory McILroy (NIR); he earned US $232,000 for his efforts and remained at number one position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $7,572,096 earned from the 16 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 400 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and moved to fourth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoff Points list standings with 3,735 points earned from the 16 events he has played to date this season so far and he goes into the Tour Championship next week with 1,800 FedEx Cup Playoff Points in the points reset and with a victory next week he will win the 2014 FedEx Cup and the US $10,000,000 Bonus that goes with it. From the 16 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 16 cuts and achieved eleven top ten finishes which includes the one here and also the wins at the 143rd Open Championship (Third Major Championship win) in July, WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and 96th PGA Championship (Fourth Major Championship win) in August. He will be happy with his first, second and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his final round 66-4 which included a four putt on the 12th green. But he will be disappointed with his third round of 72+2 which also included a four putt on the 12th green!! Rory McILroy (NIR) has been playing the USPGA Tour Fulltime for the last three season’s including this one and in 2012 he won the 2012 Final USPGA Tour Money list with US $8,047,952 earned from the 16 events he played in and that included four wins and one was his second Major Championship win which came at the 2012 USPGA Championship. His 2013 USPGA Tour Season wasn’t so good as he was trying to get used to his new Nike Golf Clubs, he finished in 41st position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 1,802,443 earned from the 16 events he played in which was poor by his high standards. Here are his nine wins to date on the USPGA Tour so far from the first to the most recent: 2010 Quail Hollow Championship, 2011 U.S. Open (Maiden Major Championship), 2012 The Honda Classic, PGA Championship (Second Major Championship), Deutsche Bank Championship, BMW Championship, 143rd Open Championship (Third Major Championship), WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and the 96th PGA Championship (Fourth Major Championship). So far in his USPGA Tour career he has amassed US $22,732,098 in the 86 events he has played so far in his career. I feel his tenth USPGA Tour win is not very far off and perhaps it will be at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola the next week? I feel he must be one of the hot favourites to win the 2014 FedEx Cup as well and a win next week will achieve that as well as I mentioned earlier. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA season and his quest to win his maiden FedEx Cup.

Also tied for eighth position was Adam Scott (Australia); he too earned US $232,000 for his efforts and moved to 12th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,866,922 from the 16 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 400 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and moved to 12th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 2,412 points earned from the 16 events he has played to date this season so far and he goes into the Tour Championship next week with 460 FedEx Cup Playoff Points in the points reset. From the 16 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 16 cuts and achieved nine top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his win at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in late May. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his second and final rounds with were both 66-4. But he will be disappointed with his first round of 71+1 which made it hard for him to catch up. Adam Scott (Australia) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2003 season and has kept his card for the next season every season since. In that time he has amassed career earnings of US $37,065,986 earned from the 229 events he has played to date so far in his career. He has also won eleven times on the USPGA Tour to date in his career so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2003 Deutsche Bank Championship, 2004 THE PLAYERS Championship, Booz Allen Classic, 2005 Nissan Open (The 2005 Nissan Open was shortened to 36 holes due to rain. Adam Scott (Australia) defeated Chad Campbell (USA) on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Due to the event's length, this win is not officially recognized), 2006 THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, 2007 Shell Houston Open, 2008 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, 2010 Valero Texas Open, 2011 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, 2013 Masters Tournament (Maiden Major Championship), The Barclays and the 2014 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He had the best record of any player in the four Major Championships in 2013 with winning the Masters Tournament in April; tying for 45th position at the 113th US Open Championship in June; tying for third at the 142nd Open Championship in July and tying for fifth at the 95th PGA Championship in August. He has proved over the last few years that he has one of the solid and most consistent Golf Swings on the USPGA Tour that can stand up to the intense pressures that the USPGA Tour throws at the players week in and week out. He will be one of the favourites to win the Tour Championship by Coca - Cola next week and perhaps even 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.

The final player to tie for eighth position was Jordan Spieth (USA); he too earned US $232,000 for his efforts and remained in eleventh position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $4,207,748 earned from the twenty six events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 400 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and moved to eleventh position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 2,517 points earned from the twenty six events he has played to date this season so far and he goes into the Tour Championship next week with 480 FedEx Cup Playoff Points in the points reset. From the twenty six events he has played to date this season so far he has made twenty three cuts and achieved eight top ten finishes which 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 first and final rounds which were both 67-3. But he will be only content with his first round 70 even par. Jordan Spieth (USA) made people really take notice of him in his first ever USPGA Tour event he played as a 16 year old Amateur at the 2010 HP Byron Nelson Championship where he scored rounds of 68-2, 69-1, 67-3 and a final round of 72+2 for a 72 hole total of 276-4 and he tied for 16th position while still attending the University of Texas. In the 2011 HP Byron Nelson Championship he played in it again as a 17 year old Amateur and this time he scored rounds of 69-1, 68-2, 72+2 and a 77+7 which was played in extremely windy conditions for a 72 hole total of 286+6 and he tied for 32nd position. In 2012 he played in five more USPGA Tour events as an Amateur and made the cut in three of them with his best finish being tied for 21st at the 112th US Open Championship and he also achieved low Amateur Honours. He decided to turn professional in December of 2012 in the midst of his sophomore year at the University of Texas. He Monday qualified and got a few sponsor’s exemptions to play on the USPGA Tour in the early part of the 2013 season. And he managed to win the John Deere Classic in a five hole playoff in mid July which gave him full membership on the USPGA Tour till the end of 2015. That win he achieved at the John Deere Classic also earned him the last invitation into The Open Championship in Muirfield, Scotland, that week. He joined 27 other players on the John Deere Classic's chartered jet from Moline, Ill., to Scotland. He also is now exempt on the USPGA Tour till the end of the 2014/15 season. He won the 2013 USPGA Tour rookie of the year award. And last year he played on the winning US Presidents Cup Team after getting selected as a Captains pick for the US Presidents Cup Team. He is just an Amazing talent and now he has got his maiden USPGA Tour win I feel he can only go from strength to strength. It is amazing to think that before the start of the 2013 USPGA Tour Season he had no status on the USPGA Tour at all. He is sure to be a Superstar in World Golf for many years to come. Maybe his second win could come at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola next week in Atlanta and perhaps he could even win the 2014 FedEx Cup? I wish him all the best for the rest of 2013/14 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoff Series.

The happiest player this week was Dustin Johnson (USA) who finished in 30th position on the 2013/14 FedEx Cup playoffs points list standings after the BMW Championship with 1,769 points earned from 17 events he has played to date this season so far and he became the last player eligible for the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola which is the fourth and final FedEx Cup Playoff event next week and he did that by not playing in any of the first three FedEx Cup Playoff Events because since the 31st July he has been on a leave of absence from the PGA Tour to address “personal challenges.” And he has not indicated a return date as of yet so this will mean the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola next week will only have a 29 player field instead of 30. The least happy player this week was Stuart Appleby (Australia) who finished in 31st position on the final 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 1,755 points earned from the twenty nine events he played in this season and he missed out on playing in the fourth and final FedEx Cup Playoff event at the Tour Championship by Coca - Cola next week by 14 points!! He will be disappointed with his tied for 46th position this week at the BMW Championship that really hurt his chances of getting inside the top 30 on the 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list after the BMW Championship and he wasn’t able to achieve a single round in the 60s this week either.  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 Atlanta, Georgia for the fourth and final FedEx Cup Playoff Series Event which is the Tour Championship by Coca - Cola and only the top 30 players on the FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points list standings after the BMW Championship will be eligible to compete. Also this week the player that is at the top of the final 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings after the conclusion of the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola on Sunday evening is crowned the 2014 FedEx CUP CHAMPION!! It is played on the East Lake GC, Atlanta, Georgia. 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 to defend both his Tour Championship by Coca - Cola and FedEx Cup title. It starts on Thursday 11th September. I will report back who won the Tour Championship by Coca – Coca and who was crowned the 2014 FedEx Cup Champion and took the US $10,000,000 bonus 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 sixth week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 45th week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tied for eighth position this past week at the BMW Championship and last week tied for fifth position at the Deutsche Bank Championship and two weeks ago finishing in twenty second position at The Barclays and four weeks ago winning at the 96th PGA Championship and five weeks ago won WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and also seven weeks ago winning the 143rd Open Championship with 11.37 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his tied for eight position this past week at the BMW Championship and one week ago finished in 16th position at Deutsche Bank Championship and two weeks ago he tied for 15th position at The Barclays and four weeks ago tied for 15th position finish at the 96th PGA Championship with 9.24 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Sergio Garcia (Spain) who is fresh off  his tied for fourth position at the BMW Championship this past week and two weeks ago tied for 57th position at The Barclays and four weeks ago tied for 36th position at the 96th PGA Championship and he also finished solo second position five weeks ago at the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and seven weeks ago he tied for second position at the 143rd Open  Championship with 7.88 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who was fresh off his tied for tied for twenty third position at the BMW Championship this past week and one week ago finished in tied for 26th position at the Deutsche Bank Championship and two 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 12 weeks ago and also finished tied for second at the BMW International Open and ten weeks ago and also finished in tied for 39th position at the 143rd Open Championship seven weeks ago and four weeks ago finished in tied for third position at the 96th PGA Championship with 7.82 Official Golf 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 eight weeks ago at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and seven weeks ago finished in tied for twenty third position at the 143rd Open Championship and five weeks ago he finished in tied for fourth position at the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and four weeks ago finished in tied for twenty fourth position in the 96th PGA Championship and two week ago finished in tied for 30th position at The Barclays and this past week finished in 35th position at the BMW Championship with 7.28 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is in his second 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 one week ago on the USPGA Tour. This week he slips five places and falls to 239th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.76 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember the most important Fundamental in the golf swing is to keep the head still!!

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