Golf Events from the Weekend 12th October 2014

Well it was another brilliant weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the 2014/15 USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup season commenced with the Frys.com Open and it was played on the Silverado CC – North, Napa, California. It carried a large prize purse of US $6,000,000 for the taking. Jimmy Walker (USA) was the defending champion and was keen for back to back titles. Danny Lee (NZL), Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and Steve Alker (NZL) all gained starts as well. And it was the golfer by the name of Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) who scored rounds of 66-6, 69-3, 65-7 and a final round of 73+1 for a 72 hole total of 273-15 and he won by two shots for his second win of his USPGA Tour career to date so far. He earned US $1,080,000 for the win and moved to the top of the current 2014/15 USPGA Money list standings with US $1,080,000 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. Steven Bowditch (Australia) is currently in second position on that list with US $648,000 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and is on top of the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 500 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far and he is 200 points ahead of Steven Bowditch (Australia) who is in second position with 300 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the one event Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish which includes the win this week. Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) with be happy with his first three rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his first round 66-6 that had him tied for the lead and his third round 65-7 which was the low round of the day and also saw him take a four shot lead in to the final round. But he will only be content with his final round 73+1, but it was good enough to win his second USPGA Tour title. 

 

Sang - Moon Bae (South Korea) tees off during the final round

Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) played a steady final round under the circumstances of carrying a four shot lead into the final round. He scored 73+1 which included a front nine of 35-1 with birdies on the par five, fifth hole and par five, ninth hole and a lone bogey which came on the par four, eighth hole and he made the turn at minus 17 and he had a nine shot lead. Steven Bowditch (Australia) went out in 36 even par and made the turn at minus eight and was nine shots behind the leader.

Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) played holes ten to 14 in two over par and that included making three bogeys in four holes and he fell back to minus 15 and was now only leading by five shots. Steven Bowditch (Australia) played holes ten to 14 in two under par and moved to minus ten and now was only five shots behind the leader. Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) played holes 15 – 17 in even par with getting a very good up and down for par on the par four, 17th hole and he remained at minus 15 and now only lead by three shots heading to the par five, 72nd tee. Steven Bowditch (Australia) played holes 15 – 17 in two under par and that included birding the par five, 16th hole!! He moved to minus 12 and now was only three shots behind the leader heading to the par five, 72nd tee. 

 

Sang - Moon Bae (South Korea) lines up a putt on the back nine

Steven Bowditch (Australia) who was playing a few groups ahead of the final group made a very good birdie at the par five, 72nd hole and moved to minus 13 and he finished two shots behind the winner. Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) stood on the par five, 72nd tee with a two shot lead and knew as long as he scored no worse that a bogey he would secure the win and his second USPGA Tour event. He struck a brilliant drive that split the middle of the fairway. He chose a rescue wood for his second shot and he hit it perfect, it landed just short of the green and rolled just to the left of the flag stick and came to rest on the back fringe. He struck an aggressive putt for his eagle three from 40 feet from the back fringe and it almost went in but rolled ten feet past the cup. Knowing that he could three putt from there he missed the ten footer on the left hand side and he easily tapped the one foot putt in for his par five and he finished the 72 holes on minus 15 to win by two shots. He scored 38+2 on his back nine. He got huge high five from his caddie, and then his fellow professionals from South Korea came onto the 72nd green to give him a soaking with water which is a tradition when one of their fellow professionals wins!! Once he signed his card he was interviewed by the Golf Channel reporter and told him “He played great golf all week and was so happy to win in the first event of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season after only have a mediocre season in 2013/14”.  

 

Sang - Moon Bae (South Korea) on the right embraces his caddie on the left after holing the winning putt!!

Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since 2012 after gaining his 2012 USPGA Tour card at the 2011 USPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, where he finished tied for eleventh position to secure his playing rights for the 2012 USPGA Tour season. Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) started the season very strongly, making all of his first eight cuts on the USPGA Tour. He recorded his first top-10 finish of the year when he reached the quarter-finals at the 2012 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, knocking out Ian Poulter (England) and Charl Schwartzel (RSA) before losing to Rory McILroy (NIR). In March 2012, Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) lost in a four-man playoff at the Transitions Championship on the USPGA Tour. After finishing at −13 for the tournament, he lost the playoff when Luke Donald (England) holed a birdie putt on the first extra hole to defeat Sang Moon Bae (South Korea), Jim Furyk (USA) and Robert Garrigus (USA). He finished his debut season making 17 out of 25 cuts and ended up 71st in the FedEx Cup standings, one position outside of qualifying for the third playoff event. In May 2013, Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) won his first USPGA Tour event at the HP Bryon Nelson Championship, beating Keegan Bradley (USA) by two strokes. Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) entered the final round a single stroke behind Keegan Bradley (USA), but birdied four out of his first seven holes to move four ahead. However Sang - Moon Bae (South Korea) double-bogeyed the ninth after finding the water and bogeyed the 10th and 15th to drop back to a share of the lead. Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) then proceeded to birdie the 16th and when Keegan Bradley (USA) bogeyed the 17th, Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) had a comfortable two shot lead to come down the 18th and secure his maiden victory. He became just the fourth South Korean-born winner on the PGA Tour, after K.J. Choi (South Korea), Y.E. Yang (South Korea), and Kevin Na (South Korea). This win at the Frys.com Open this past week should give him the confidence to have a great 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

 

Sang - Moon Bae (South Korea) poses with the Frys.com Open Trophy he won!!

Coming in solo second position at 275-13 after 72 holes was Steven Bowditch (Australia); he earned US $648,000 for his efforts and moved to second position on current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $648,000 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to second position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 300 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish that came at this event. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the mid 60s and his final round 67-5 was the equal low round of the day. But he will be disappointed with his first round which was 73+1 and it properly cost him his chance of winning the tournament. Steven Bowditch (Australia) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime on and off since the 2006 season after he gained his 2006 USPGA Tour card by finishing in fourth on the then Nationwide Tour's money list. He played in 22 events, but only made two cuts in his debut season and returned to the Nationwide Tour in 2007. Steven Bowditch (Australia) won for the second time on the Nationwide Tour in 2010, at the Soboba Golf Classic. He finished the year 17th on the money list and earned his 2011 USPGA Tour card. His second full season on the USPGA Tour was a greater success, where he played in 28 events and made 15 cuts, including six top-25 finishes. On 30 March 2014, Steven Bowditch (Australia) won his maiden title on the USPGA Tour, at the Valero Texas Open. He won by a single stroke over Will MacKenzie (USA) and Daniel Summerhays (USA), despite shooting a final four-over-par round of 76, which was the highest round shot by a winner on tour since 2004. The victory came in his 110th tour level start. The win qualified Steven Bowditch (Australia) to play in the Masters Tournament and the 96th PGA Championship for the first time in his career. Steven Bowditch (Australia) has long had a battle with severe depression and is a spokesman for beyondblue, an Australian non-profit organisation promoting awareness of depression and related mental disorders. I feel Steven Bowditch (Australia) could have a huge 2014/15 season and perhaps he could win his second USPGA Tour event? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in tied for third position at 276-12 after 72 holes was Retief Goosen (RSA); he earned US $270,600 for his efforts and moved to tied for third position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $270,600 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 125 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for third position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 125 FedEx Cup Points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. So far this season from the one event he has played to date so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish. He will be happy with his first and third rounds that were both in the 60s especially his third round that was 66-6. But he will be only content with his second and final rounds that were both in the low 70s. Retief Goosen (RSA) has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2001 season and has kept his card or semi status for the next year every season since. His career years came in 2001 and 2004 where he won the US Open Championship in both of those years which are his only two Major Championships he has won so far in his career. His career money year on the USPGA Tour came in 2004 where he earned US $3,885,573 and from the years 2001 to 2010 he earned at least US $1,000,000 each season. He already has seven wins on the USPGA Tour so far in his career with his last one coming at the 2009 Transitions Championship. He now is in his twilight years on the USPGA Tour with being 45 years old and it wouldn’t surprise me if he won his eight USPGA Tour event in the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 season. 

Also tied for third position was Martin Laird (Scotland); he too earned US $270,600 for his efforts and moved to tied for third position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $270,600 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 125 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for third position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 125 FedEx Cup Points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. So far this season from the one event he has played to date so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish. He will be happy with his first and second rounds that were both 67-5 and saw him have the 36 hole lead by one shot. But he will be disappointed with his third and final rounds that were both 71-1. Martin Laird (Scotland) has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2008 season and has kept his card for the next year every season since. His career year on the USPGA Tour to date so far came in the 2011 season where he earned US $2,676,509 and finished in twenty third position on the final money list. He also has won three events on the USPGA Tour so far with his last win coming in 2013 at the Valero Texas Open. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he won his fourth USPGA event in the 2014/15 Season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Also tied for third position was Hunter Mahan (USA); he too earned US $270,600 for his efforts and moved to tied for third position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $270,600 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 125 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for third position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 125 FedEx Cup Points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. So far this season from the one event he has played to date so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his second and third rounds that were both 68-4. Hunter Mahan (USA) turned professional in 2003 and made it through qualifying school to earn a USPGA Tour card for the 2004 season. His first USPGA Tour victory, which came at the 2007 Travelers Championship and it, lifted Hunter Mahan (USA) into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings. In August 2007 Hunter Mahan (USA) entered the top 50 in the world rankings, and in that year finished 15th in the final FedEx Cup standings. His performances in 2007 saw U.S. Presidents Cup captain Jack Nicklaus (USA) choose Hunter Mahan (USA) as one of two captain's picks for the U.S. team. By March 2008 he had reached the top 30 in the Official World Golf Rankings. On February 28, 2010, Mahan won his second USPGA Tour event, beating Rickie Fowler (USA) by one stroke at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. On August 8, 2010, Hunter Mahan (USA) won his third USPGA Tour title at the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational. He beat Ryan Palmer (USA) by 2 strokes. Hunter Mahan (USA) won his second WGC tournament in February 2012 at the WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship. He defeated Rory McILroy (NIR), 2 and 1, in the final. Hunter Mahan (USA) recorded his fifth career PGA Tour victory in April at the Shell Houston Open and moved to fourth in the Official World Golf Ranking, making him the highest-ranked American for the first time. In defense of his title he won in 2012, Hunter Mahan (USA) reached the final of the 2013 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship but was beaten 2&1 by Matt Kuchar (USA). In August 2014, Hunter Mahan (USA) won the first of the year's four FedEx Cup playoff events, The Barclays. He won by two strokes from Stuart Appleby (Australia), Jason Day (Australia) and Cameron Tringale (USA) during a final round that saw six different players share the lead at some point. He birdied three of his last four holes to pull clear of the field. This was Hunter Mahan's (USA) first ever playoff victory and his sixth overall title on the USPGA Tour. Hunter Mahan (USA) was selected by Tom Watson (USA) as one of his three captain's picks for the 2014 Ryder Cup team, finishing with a record of 1–2–1 in the four matches he participated in. This included a halved match against Justin Rose (England) in the singles competition. I sure his seventh win on the USPGA Tour will happen in the 2014/15 season and perhaps it will be his maiden Major Championship? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 season. 

Also tied for third position was Bryce Molder (USA); he too earned US $270,600 for his efforts and moved to tied for third position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $270,600 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 125 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for third position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 125 FedEx Cup Points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. So far this season from the one event he has played to date so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s. Bryce Molder's (USA) first full season on the USPGA Tour in 2007 was mostly unsuccessful, with only 7 cuts made in 21 events and his only top-10 finish coming with a T-6 in the season-ending Children’s Miracle Network Classic. As a result, he returned to the Nationwide Tour in 2008, where he finished 23rd on the money list, made 19 of 27 cuts and earned four top-10s, including a 2nd and a 3rd, winning $234,651. In 2009 on the USPGA Tour, Bryce Molder (USA) broke out in June at the St. Jude Classic, where he shot a second round 63 followed by a third round 65 and was one shot behind 54-hole leader Brian Gay (USA) going into the final round. Bryce Molder (USA) went on to finish in a tie for 2nd with David Toms (USA) on Sunday, four strokes behind the winner, Brian Gay (USA), for his best finish in a USPGA Tour event at the time. A few weeks later, Bryce Molder (USA) finished fourth at the AT&T National, posting 272, five strokes back of winner Tiger Woods (USA). The finish also secured a spot for Bryce Molder (USA) in the 2009 Open Championship. He finished the year ranked 63rd on the USPGA Tour money list with eight top-25 and three top-10 finishes in twenty-one outings. He met with similar success in 2010 on Tour, with six top-10 and ten top-25 finishes in 26 starts. At the 2011 Frys.com Open, after having secured his 2012 USPGA Tour card with five top-10 finishes in 25 tournaments, Bryce Molder (USA) defeated Briny Baird (USA) on the sixth hole of a sudden-death playoff for his maiden USPGA Tour win. The win capped a superb weekend of near-flawless play for Bryce Molder (USA), who went bogey-free –13 in the final 43 holes of regulation play and –4 in the playoff. He sank a 12 foot putt for birdie on the final hole of regulation play to square things just after Briny Baird (USA), playing one group behind Bryce Molder (USA), dramatically chipped-in from 38 feet from the green-side rough for eagle on the 17th hole, temporarily taking a one stroke lead. When Briny Baird (USA) parred the 18th hole, the playoff ensued, with neither player - each seeking his first Tour win after years of trying - able to close the it out until Bryce Molder's (USA) dramatic approach from 133 yards in the 18th fairway to six feet set up his conclusive birdie putt. The win extended Molder's Tour membership through 2013. Let’s hope that he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and maybe even achieve his second win on the USPGA Tour. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The final player to tie for third position was Hideki Matsuyama (Japan); he too earned US $270,600 for his efforts and moved to tied for third position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $270,600 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 125 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for third position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 125 FedEx Cup Points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. So far this season from the one event he has played to date so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his second and third rounds that were both in the 60s. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) turned professional in April 2013 and won his second professional tournament, the 2013 Tsuruya Open on the Japan Golf Tour. Five weeks later, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) won his third title on the Japan Golf Tour at the Diamond Cup Golf tournament. Following a top 10 finish at the 2013 US Open Championship, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) entered the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking. He won his fourth Japan Golf Tour event in September at the Fujisankei Classic. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) would win his fifth Japan Golf Tour event in December at the Casio World Open. The win also made Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) the first rookie to lead the Japan Tour's money list. For 2014, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) qualified for the USPGA Tour through non-member earnings. In just seven USPGA Tour-sanctioned events, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) had six top-25 finishes, including a tied for sixth at the 2013 Open Championship. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) earned his first USPGA Tour win at the 2014 Memorial Tournament, beating Kevin Na (South Korea) in a playoff and moving to a career-high OWGR ranking of 13th. I feel he will achieve his second win on the USPGA Tour this year and I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Rounding out the top ten in tied for eight position at 277-11 after 72 holes was Hudson Swafford (USA); he earned US $168,000 for his efforts and moved to tied for eighth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $168,000 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 78 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for eighth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 78 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his second and final rounds that were in the 60s and his final round was the equal low round of the day. Hudson Swafford (USA) played in the Web.com Tour Finals in 2013 and finished twenty first position to earn his USPGA Tour card for 2014. He had a poor rookie season in the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season with earning US $513,883 from the twenty six events he played in and he finished in 149th position on the final 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings. He was forced back to the 2014 Web.com Tour finals where he finished in 39th position on the Web.com Tour Finals Priority rankings and gained his 2014/15 USPGA Tour card back. I feel with the good start he has made to this season from the first event he is well on his way to keeping his card for the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Also tied for eighth position was Robert Allenby (Australia); he too earned US $168,000 for his efforts and moved to tied for eighth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $168,000 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 78 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for eighth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 78 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his third round that was 66-6. Robert Allenby (Australia) has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since gaining his card at the 1998 USPGA Tour Qualifying School Tournament. He has kept his card for the next year every season since and he has won four USPGA Tour events to date in his career so far with the last one coming 13 years ago at the 2001 Marconi Pennsylvania Classic. In February 2012, Robert Allenby (Australia) missed an opportunity to end an eleven-year drought on the USPGA Tour, when he took a two stroke advantage to the 72nd hole of the Mayakoba Golf Classic. He hit his tee shot into the trees on the right and proceeded to make a double bogey to fall into a playoff with rookie John Huh (USA). He lost out at the eighth extra hole when he could only bogey the par three 10th, leaving John Huh (USA) with a tap in par for the tournament. Both players had made par on all seven previous holes throughout the playoff until this point. I am sure he will achieve his fifth win before his career is over. He has also represented Team International in six Presidents Cups. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Also tied for eighth position was Jon Curran (USA); he too earned US $168,000 for his efforts and moved to tied for eighth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $168,000 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 78 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for eighth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 78 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all at par and under par especially his first and third rounds that were both in the 60s. Jon Curran (USA) turned professional in 2009. He played on the NGA Pro Golf Tour in 2013, winning one event and topping the money list. Jon Curran (USA) began playing on the Web.com Tour in 2014 and won his third event of the year, the Brasil Champions. He finished in twenty fourth position in the Web.com Tour Finals to earn his USPGA Tour card for the 2014–15 season. It was great to see him achieve a top ten finish in his first USPGA Tour event as a full member. Let’s hope he can have many more in the weeks ahead. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 season. 

The final player to tie for eighth position was Brooks Koepka (USA); he too earned US $168,000 for his efforts and moved to tied for eighth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $168,000 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 78 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for eighth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 78 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all at par and under par especially his first and third rounds that were both in the 60s. Brooks Koepka (USA) in his first event of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season, Brooks Koepka (USA) led after the second and third rounds of the Frys.com Open. He finished tied for third. At the U.S. Open Championship, he collected a fourth-place finish, which earned him his USPGA Tour card for the 2014/15 season and his first Masters Tournament invitation. Later he ended 15th at the PGA Championship. He was nominated for the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award for the 2013/14 season. He also has full membership on the European Tour and his played on it for most of the 2014 season. I sure his maiden win on the USPGA Tour isn’t too far off and may happen in the 2014/15 season? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The best New Zealand golfer was Danny Lee (NZL) and he scored rounds of 73+1 in the first round which was average, and a brilliant second round of 67-5 which included a chip in for eagle on the par five, 18th hole, and an average third round of 72 even par and an average final round of 73+1 for a 72 hole total of 285-3 and he finished in tied 46th position. He earned US $16,046 for his efforts and moved to tied for 45th  position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $16,046 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 22 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to tied for 45th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 22 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be extremely happy with his second round 67-5. But he will be disappointed with his other three rounds that were all in the low 70s. Let’s hope he can have some top ten finishes in the weeks ahead. 

Tim Wilkinson (NZL) was the next best of the New Zealand Golfers in the field and he scored rounds of 76+4 in the first round which was poor, and a brilliant second round of 67-5, and a poor third round of 74+2 and an poor final round of 73+1 for a 72 hole total of 290+2 and he finished in tied for 65th position. He earned US $12,480 for his efforts and moved to tied for 64th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $12,480 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 5 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for 64th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 5 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be extremely pleased with his second round 67-5. But he will be disappointed with his other three rounds that were all over par. Let’s hope he can make more cuts in the weeks ahead and even achieve some top ten finishes. 

The final New Zealand golfer in the field was Steve Alker (NZL) and he scored rounds of 75+3 in the first round which was poor, and a good second round of 71-1 for a 36 hole total of 146+2 to miss the 36 hole cut by three shots. So from the one event he has played to date this season so far he has missed one cut and achieved no top ten finishes. And he is yet to gain any FedEx Cup Points or Money so hence he doesn’t have a current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings or Money list ranking. Let’s hope he can make some cuts in the next few events he plays in.  

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to Las Vegas for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and it is played on the TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada. It carries a huge prize – purse of US $6,200,000 for the taking. Webb Simpson (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen for back to back titles. Danny Lee (USA), Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and Steve Alker (NZL) are likely to gain starts as well. It starts on Thursday 16th October and I will report back who won the trophy next week. 

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position for the eleventh week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 50th week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tied for second position at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship one week ago and was part of the winning European Ryder Cup Team two weeks ago and four weeks ago tied for second position at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and five weeks ago he finished in tied for eighth position at the BMW Championship and six weeks ago tied for fifth position at the Deutsche Bank Championship and seven weeks ago finished in twenty second position at The Barclays and nine weeks ago winning at the 96th PGA Championship and ten weeks ago won WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and also 12 weeks ago winning the 143rd Open Championship with 11.60 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his tied for ninth position four weeks ago at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and five weeks ago tied for eight position at the BMW Championship and six weeks ago finished in 16th position at Deutsche Bank Championship and seven weeks ago he tied for 15th position at The Barclays and nine weeks ago tied for 15th position finish at the 96th PGA Championship with 8.69 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Sergio Garcia (Spain) who is fresh off being part of the winning European Ryder Cup Team two weeks ago and four weeks ago tied for ninth position at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and five weeks ago he tied for fourth position at the BMW Championship and seven weeks ago tied for 57th position at The Barclays and nine weeks ago tied for 36th position at the 96th PGA Championship and he also finished solo second position ten weeks ago at the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and 12 weeks ago he tied for second position at the 143rd Open  Championship with 7.56 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Jim Furyk (USA) who is fresh off being a part of the losing USA Ryder Cup Team two weeks ago and four weeks ago he tied for second position at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola with 7.44 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  being part of the winning European Ryder Cup Team two weeks ago and five weeks ago he tied for twenty third position at the BMW Championship and six weeks ago finished in tied for 26th position at the Deutsche Bank Championship and seven 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 17 weeks ago and also finished tied for second at the BMW International Open  15 weeks ago and also finished in tied for 39th position at the 143rd Open Championship 12 weeks ago and nine weeks ago finished in tied for third position at the 96th PGA Championship with 7.21 Official Golf World Ranking Points; Steven Alker (NZL) is in his second week of his second spell being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his missed cut at the Frys.com Open this past week on the USPGA Tour. This week he slips three places and falls to 253rd position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 0.73 Official Golf World Ranking Points. 

Remember golf is an 18 hole game so if you get off to bad start there is time to recover!!

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