Golf Events from the Weekend 26th October 2014

This week USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to Georgia for the McGladrey Classic and it was played on the Seaside Course, Sea Island, Georgia. It carried a large prize purse of US $5,600,000 for the taking. Chris Kirk (USA) was the defending Champion and was keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL), Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and Steven Alker (NZL) also gained starts as well. And it was the golfer by the name of Robert Streb (USA) who scored rounds of 69-1, 66-4, 68-2 and a final round of 63-7 which was the low round of the day and included nine birdies and four in a row on the back nine and he finished the 72 holes on 266-14. But Brendon de Jonge (Zimbabwe) scored rounds of 68-2, 64-6, 69-1 and a final round of 65-5 for a 72 hole total of 266-14 also. And Will MacKenzie (USA) scored rounds of 65-5, 68-2, 65-5 and a final round of 68-2 for a 72 hole total of 266-14 also. So those three players headed back to the par four, 18th hole for the first playoff hole. 

 

Robert Streb (USA) in action during the final round

Will MacKenzie (USA) drew number one from the USPGA Tour Officials hat and teed off first and lost his drive slightly to the right hand side in the rough. Brendon de Jonge (Zimbabwe) teed off next and he too put his drive straight down the middle of the fairway. Robert Streb (USA) teed off last and put his drive right down the centre of the fairway. Will MacKenzie (USA) hit his second shot first and he lost it to the right and it found the front right hand green side bunker. Brendon de Jonge (Zimbabwe) played his second shot next and he landed it about twenty feet past the flag stick leaving him an outside chance for his birdie. Robert Streb (USA) played his second shot last and he struck a good mid iron that came up about twenty feet short of the flag stick on the green. Will MacKenzie (USA) played his third shot first from the right hand green side bunker. He struck a poor shot to the pin tucked on the left hand side of the green and it came up twenty five feet short of the hole. Robert Streb (USA) played his third shot next with his putt that was from twenty feet short of the cup. He struck a good putt under the circumstances but it miss on the left and left a tricky four footer for his par. Will Mackenzie (USA) then putted for his par from twenty five feet and he struck a very good putt that just missed on the right hand side and he tapped in for his bogey five. He knew that he would more than likely be eliminated from the playoff now. Brendon de Jonge (Zimbabwe) now had a twenty foot birdie putt to win his maiden USPGA Tour event. He struck a very good putt that just missed on the right hand side and he tapped in for his par four. Robert Streb (USA) then calmed his nerve and rolled in his four footer for his par four. So Robert Streb (USA) and Brendon de Jonge (Zimbabwe) both headed to the par three, 17th hole for the second playoff hole and Will MacKenzie (USA) was eliminated. 

So to the second playoff hole which was the par three, 17th hole. Brendon de Jonge (Zimbabwe) teed off first and landed his tee shot with his short iron on the green to the left about twenty feet from the flag stick. Robert Streb (USA) played next and he struck an awesome seven iron which never left the flag stick and landed pin high about four feet to the right of the flag stick. Brendon de Jonge (Zimbabwe) now knew that holing his twenty foot left to right breaking birdie putt was now crucial if he was going to extend the playoff to a third hole. He struck a very good putt but it just missed on the right hand side of the cup and he easily tapped in for his par three. It now left Robert Streb (USA) a great chance to win his maiden USPGA Tour event of his career. And he didn’t disappoint as he easily rolled the four foot putt in for his birdie two!! Then he high fived and hugged his caddie, Steve Catlin in celebration!! And then his wife, Maggie then came on to the green to give him a hug and kiss to celebrate the win with him as well. When interviewed by the golf channel reporter he said “He was so grateful to gain his maiden USPGA Tour win at this tournament” and he was “Very happy he now gets to play in his very first Master Tournament next April because that has always been on his bucket list to play in one of them before his career was finished”.  

 

Maggie his wife on the left and Robert Streb (USA) on the right poses with the McGladrey Classic Trophy he won!!

Robert Streb (USA) earned US $1,008,000 for the win and moved to second position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,178,733 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. Ben Martin (USA) still leads that list with US $1,194,400 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. Robert Streb (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and moved to the top of the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 600 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far and he is 48 points in front of the player in second position who is Ben Martin (USA) with 552 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. From the three events he has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the win here. He will happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his final round 63-7 which included nine birdies and two bogeys and as I mentioned earlier it was the low round of the day. 

Robert Streb (USA) was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma. He played college golf at Kansas State University. He graduated in 2009 and turned professional. Robert Streb (USA) played on the NGA Pro Golf Tour in 2010 and 2011 and the Web.com Tour in 2012. He won his first event on the Web.com Tour at the Mylan Classic in September. And as I mentioned earlier Robert Streb (USA) earned his maiden USPGA Tour win at the 2014 McGladrey Classic. Let’s hope this win gives him the confidence to keep on improving and perhaps win his second event in the 2014/15 season as well? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 season and FedEx Cup.  

Coming in tied for second position at 266-14 after 72 holes and losing on the second playoff hole was Brendon de Jonge (Zimbabwe); he earned US $492,800 for his efforts and moved to sixth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $546,595 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 245 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to fourth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 308 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. From the three events he has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved one top ten finish which was the one here. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his second round 64-6. But he will be a little disappointed he wasn’t able to birdie the two playoff holes when he had chances to do so. Brendon de Jonge (Zimbabwe) played on the Nationwide Tour from 2004 to 2006 and 2008. He earned his 2007 USPGA Tour card at Qualifying School. He finished 155th on the money list in 2007, losing his tour card. In 2008 he finished second on the Nationwide Tour money list and earned his 2009 USPGA Tour card. He did this by winning the Xerox Classic and recording a runner up finish and three third place finishes. He won the 2008 Nationwide Tour Player of the Year. Brendon De Jonge (Zimbabwe) finished 139th on the money list in 2009, which initially gave him conditional status for 2010. He earned a full tour card through USPGA Tour Qualifying School. In 2010 Brendon De Jonge (Zimbabwe) had his most successful year to date, with 7 top ten finishes taking him to 34th on the money list. He has gone very close to winning on the USPGA Tour in recent years but has yet to achieve the elusive maiden win. Perhaps it will happen in the 2014/15 season? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup.  

The final player to tie for second position and losing on the first playoff hole as I mentioned earlier was Will Mackenzie (USA); he too earned US $492,800 for his efforts and moved to seventh position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $492,800 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 245 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to seventh position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 245 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 four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his first round 65-5 which saw him tied for the lead and his third round 65-5 as well. But he will be disappointed with his bogey five on the first playoff hole that cost him the tournament. Will MacKenzie (USA) played on several mini-tours shortly after turning pro. He played on the Golden Bear Tour in 2003 and finished ninth on the money list. The next year (2004), he played the Hooters Tour and finished third on the money list with three wins. He also played on the Nationwide and Canadian Tours. 2005 was his rookie season on the USPGA Tour. His first win came in 2006 at the Reno-Tahoe Open in his 47th career start on the USPGA Tour. He won the 2008 Viking Classic in a three-way playoff on the second hole over Marc Turnesa (USA) and Brian Gay (USA). In 2013, Will MacKenzie (USA) played the entire season on the Web.com Tour, finished 40th on the money list, and regained his USPGA Tour privileges through the Web.com Tour Finals. In the 2014 USPGA Tour, he finished second at the Valero Texas Open and fourth at the Valspar Championship. Let’s hope this great result can led to big things for the rest of the 2014/15 season? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup. 

Coming in tied for fourth position at 268-12 after 72 holes was Ken Duke (USA); he earned US $220,500 for his efforts and moved to twenty second position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $233,148 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 109 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twenty fourth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 112 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. From the three events he has played to date this season so far he has made two cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came at this event. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his third and final rounds that were both 66-4s. Ken Duke (USA) after turning professional in 1994, Ken Duke (USA) bounced around the world playing mini-tours and on the Asian Tour, South American Tour, and the Canadian Tour. In 1999, he won twice on the Canadian Tour and led their Order of Merit. Ken Duke (USA) first played on what was then the Nike Tour in 1995 and qualified for the USPGA Tour in 2004, but failed to keep his card and returned to the Nationwide Tour. In 2006 he finished at the top of the Nationwide Tour money list and won the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs, which regained his playing rights on the USPGA Tour for 2007. After a slow start to the 2007 season, Ken Duke (USA) hit a run of good form in the spring, with four consecutive top 10 finishes, elevating Duke into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings. At the 2011 Nationwide Tour Championship, Ken Duke (USA) secured his USPGA Tour card with a win. He jumped from 36th on the Tour's money list to seventh. On June 23, 2013, in his 187th start and after three runner-up finishes in his career, Ken Duke (USA) broke through to win his maiden event on the USPGA Tour at the Travelers Championship. He beat Chris Stroud (USA) with a birdie on the second extra hole of a sudden-death playoff. He entered the final round two shots back of the leaders, but shot a final round 66 to take the lead in the clubhouse before Chris Stroud (USA) chipped in on the final green to force a playoff. In the playoff, after both players made par on the first extra hole, Ken Duke (USA) played his approach to within three feet. Chris Stroud (USA), who was about 30 feet away, could not make a birdie, leaving Ken Duke (USA) to convert from three feet for his maiden USPGA Tour victory. Let’s hope he can achieve more top ten’s in the weeks ahead and perhaps his second USPGA Tour win? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup. 

Also tied for fourth position was Russell Henley (USA); he too earned US $220,500 for his efforts and moved to tied for twenty four position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $220,500 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 109 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for twenty sixth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 109 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 this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his second round 63-7 which was the low round of the day. Russell Henley (USA) made his professional debut at the Nationwide Tour's Soboda Golf Classic in September 2011. A year later, he won the Chiquita Classic, defeating Patrick Cantlay (USA) and Morgan Hoffmann (USA) in a playoff. In October 2012, he won his second title of the year at the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open. On the 72nd hole, he made a 25-foot putt for birdie to force playoff against B.J. Staten (USA). He made par on the first playoff hole to earn the win. He graduated from the Web.com Tour (as the Nationwide Tour would later be named), to the USPGA Tour, by finishing third on the money list in 2012. Russell Henley (USA) became the first USPGA Tour rookie to win on his debut in 12 years with a record-setting performance at the 2013 Sony Open in Hawaii. He finished at 24-under-par, 256, breaking by four shots the Sony Open scoring record. It was the second-lowest score for a 72-hole tournament in USPGA Tour history, two shots behind Tommy Armour III (USA) at the Valero Texas Open in 2003. The win gave Russell Henley (USA) an invitation to the 2013 Masters Tournament and the PGA Championship. On March 2, 2014, Russell Henley (USA) won his second USPGA Tour title at the Honda Classic. In difficult conditions on Sunday, Russell Henley (USA) shot a two-over-par round of 72 to make it into a four-man playoff with Russell Knox (Scotland), Rory McILroy (NIR) and Ryan Palmer (USA). At the first playoff hole, the par-five 18th, Russell Henley (USA) was the only one of the four players to find the green in two. Russell Knox (Scotland), Rory McIlroy (NIR) and Ryan Palmer (USA) all failed to get down in two, leaving Russell Henley (USA) to hole from three feet for victory. He climbed into the world's top 50 as a result of this win and qualified for the 2014 Masters Tournament. This finish will give him confidence to have another awesome season and a feel he will achieve his third USPGA Tour win this season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup.  

Also tied for fourth position was the defending champion Chris Kirk (USA); he too earned US $220,500 for his efforts and moved to tied for twenty four position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $220,500 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 109 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for twenty sixth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 109 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 this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his third round 66-4. Chris Kirk (USA) turned professional in 2007. He played on the Nationwide Tour from 2008 to 2010. He won the Fort Smith Classic and the Knoxville News Sentinel Open in 2010. Chris Kirk (USA) finished second on the 2010 Nationwide Tour money list to earn his 2011 USPGA Tour card, despite sitting out the last event of the season. Early in the season, he finished second to Phil Mickelson (USA) at the Shell Houston Open. Chris Kirk (USA) won his first USPGA Tour event in 2011, the Viking Classic, which was played the same weekend as The Open Championship. The victory automatically qualified him for the 2011 USPGA Championship, where he finished tied for 34th position. He earned his second win at the 2013 McGladrey Classic. The win qualified Chris Kirk (USA) for his first Masters Tournament; the Viking Classic was an alternate event and not eligible for a Masters invitation. On September 1, 2014, Chris Kirk (USA) won the second event of the FedEx Cup playoffs at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston to jump from 17 in FedEx Cup rankings to first. He will gain lots of confidence from this finish and it was a great defence of his title. I’m sure his fourth USPGA Tour win will come very soon and perhaps it will be in the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup. 

The final player to tie for fourth position was Kevin Kisner (USA) he too earned US $220,500 for his efforts and moved to 14th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $296,664 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 109 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 14th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 169 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. From the three events he has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his final round 65-5. Kevin Kisner (USA) played on the mini-tours (NGA Hooters Tour and Tarheel Tour) and from 2007 to 2009, winning three times. He also played in six Nationwide Tour events in 2009. He played the Nationwide Tour full-time in 2010, winning once at the Mylan Classic. He finished the year in eleventh position on the money list and earned his 2011 USPGA Tour card. Kevin Kisner (USA) failed to earn enough money on the USPGA Tour in 2011 to retain his card (181st on money list), but finished tied for eleventh at qualifying school to earn his card for 2012. He again failed to retain his card, finishing 167th on the money list, and missed earning a card in qualifying school by one stroke. He returned to (the now renamed) Web.com Tour in 2013 and won the Chile Classic in March. He finished 13th on the 2013 Web.com Tour regular season money list to earn his 2014 USPGA Tour card. Let’s hope he can build on this great start he has had so far this season and have more top ten finishes and perhaps even achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup. 

Rounding out the top ten in tied for eighth position at 269-11 after 72 holes was Kevin Chappell (USA); he earned US $156,800 for his efforts and moved to tied for 33rd position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $156,800 earned from the two events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 78 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for 42nd position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 78 points earned from the two events he has played to date this season so far. From the two events 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 first, second and final rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his final round 65-5. But he would only be content with his third round 70 even par. Kevin Chappell (USA) turned professional the day after the 2008 Palmer Cup and has played mainly on the Nationwide Tour trying to earn enough money to gain status on Tour. A stand out result early in his career on the USPGA Tour was at the 2008 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am where he finished tied for sixth position. Kevin Chappell (USA) won his first professional event at the 2010 Fresh Express Classic at TPC Stonebrae on the Nationwide Tour, winning by one stroke over David Hearn (Canada) after a final round of 65. He finished the year ninth on the money list and earned his 2011 USPGA Tour card. At the 2011 Valero Texas Open, Kevin Chappell (USA) finished tied for second behind Brendan Steele (USA) after a bogey on the 17th hole put him one stroke behind. This was Kevin Chappell's (USA) best ever career finish on the USPGA Tour. In 2011, he also qualified for the U.S. Open Championship, his first ever Major Championship appearance and shot a 66 on Sunday to finish in a tie for third place and ensure himself of entry into the 2012 U.S. Open. Kevin Chappell (USA) finished tied for tenth at his second consecutive U.S. Open Championship in 2012; it was his only top-10 finish of 2012 and he finished the season 125th on the money list, earning the last available Tour card based on season earnings. Let’s hope he can achieve more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and perhaps achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win in the 2014/15 season? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup.  

Also tied for eighth position was Fabian Gomez (Argentina); he too earned US $156,800 for his efforts and moved to tied for 33rd position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $156,800 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 42nd 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 that came at this event. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his second round 66-4. Fabian Gomez (Argentina) won his first Nationwide Tour event at the 2010 Chitimacha Louisiana Open. He finished the year 12th on the money list and earned his 2011 USPGA Tour card. That season, his best result was seventh at the Puerto Rico Open, 15th at the St.Jude Classic and 18th at the Viking Classic. In 2012 he returned to the Nationwide Tour. He finished second at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open, seventh at the South Georgia Classic and tenth at the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open. He finished 55th on the Nationwide Tour money list. Later he finished tenth at the USPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament to regain his USPGA Tour card for the 2013 season. In 2013, Fabian Gómez (Argentina) finished second at the Puerto Rico Open, 16th at the RBC Canadian Open and 21st at the AT&T National. He finished 133th on the FedEx Cup standings, so he lost his USPGA Tour card. On the 2014 Web.com Tour, Fabian Gómez (Argentina) finished second at the Stomebrae Classic, fourth at the United Leasing Championship and tenth at the Albertsons Boise Open. He finished 23rd in the regular season earnings, which earned him a USPGA Tour card for the 2014/15 season. Let’s hope he can gain lots of confidence from this finish and have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Also tied for eighth position was Andrew Svoboda (USA); he too earned US $156,800 for his efforts and moved to twenty third position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $224,814 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 78 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 18th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 126 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. From the three events he has played to date this season so far he has made two cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came at this event. He will be happy with his first three rounds that were consecutive 66-4s. But he will be disappointed with his final round 71+1 especially his back nine 38+3 that cost him his chance of winning his maiden USPGA Tour event. Andrew Svoboda (USA) played on the Hooters Tour from 2005 to 2009, winning once. He played on the Web.com Tour from 2010 to 2012. He earned his 2013 USPGA Tour card by finishing twenty first on the Web.com Tour money list in 2012. He played on the USPGA Tour in 2013, but also played a few events on the Web.com Tour as he struggled on the USPGA Tour. He won the 2013 Price Cutter Charity Championship on the Web.com Tour in August. He finished in 25th position on the 2013 Web.com Tour regular season money list to earn his 2014 USPGA Tour card. He then won the second event of the Web.com Tour Finals, the Chiquita Classic. Andrew Svoboda (USA) has qualified for the U.S Open Championship four times with a best finish of tied for 71st in 2008. His best finish on the USPGA Tour is tied for second at the 2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the next few tournaments he plays. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The final player to tie for eighth position was Mark Wilson (USA); he too earned US $156,800 for his efforts and moved to tied for 33rd position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $156,800 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 78 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for 42nd position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 78 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. From the three events 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 four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his 66-4 in the second round. Mark Wilson (USA) won for the first time on the USPGA Tour at the Honda Classic in March 2007, where he triumphed in a four-way playoff. He won the tournament on the third extra hole after being tied with Jose Coceres (Argentina), Camilo Villegas (Columbia) and Boo Weekley (USA) at 5-under-par. This victory lifted Mark Wilson (USA) into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career. Mark Wilson (USA) has since won the 2009 Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun, the 2011 Sony Open in Hawaii and the 2011 Waste Management Phoenix Open where he triumphed in a playoff against Jason Dufner (USA). The Sony Open victory earned Mark Wilson (USA) his first trip to the Masters Tournament. Mark Wilson (USA) earned his fifth USPGA Tour victory at the 2012 Humana Challenge, holding off the challenge of Robert Garrigus (USA), Johnson Wagner (USA), and John Mallinger (USA) by two strokes. He finished at 24-under-par, helped by a second round 62 which included eight birdies and an eagle. With the win, he moved to a career high of 40th in the Official World Golf Ranking. The following month, Mark Wilson (USA) enjoyed a good run at the WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship where he made it all the way to the semi-finals before losing to eventual champion Hunter Mahan (USA), 2&1. He did however win the consolation match to finish third, defeating world number three Lee Westwood (England), 1 up. In his run for the semi-finals, Mark Wilson (USA) beat Bo Van Pelt (USA) (3&2), Robert Rock (England) (3&2), Dustin Johnson (USA) (4&3) and Peter Hanson (Sweden) (4&3). This was Mark Wilson’s (USA) best showing at a WGC event and he moved to a career high 24th in the world ranking. Let’s hope he can achieve more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and perhaps achieve his sixth USPGA Tour win. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.

The best New Zealand golfer in the field was Steve Alker (NZL) and he scored rounds of 69-1 in the first round which was good, and a very second round of 67-3, an average third round of 71+1 and a very good final round of 67-3 for a 72 hole total of 274-6 and he tied for 32nd position. He earned US $29,057.78 for his efforts and moved to 83rd position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $42,822 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 35 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for 74th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 47 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. From the three events he has played to date this season so far he has make two cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be happy with his first, second and final rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his second and final rounds which were both 67-3s. But he will be disappointed with his third round which was 71+1. Let’s hope he can make some cuts in the next few events he plays in and even achieve some top ten finishes. 

Danny Lee (NZL) was the next best of the New Zealand Golfers in the field and he scored rounds of 75+5 in the first round which was shocking and included an 8 on the par four, 16th hole but he had a good second round of 69-1 even par for a 36 hole total of 144+4 and he missed the cut by a four shots. He currently lies in tied for 114th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $16,046 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He currently lies in tied for 108th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 22 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. From the three events he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be very disappointed with his first round 75+5 but happy with his second round 69-1 but knew his first round 75+5 ruined his chances of making the cut. Let’s hope he can make some more cuts in the coming weeks and have some top ten finishes in the weeks ahead. 

The final New Zealand golfer in the field was Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and he scored rounds of 69-1 in the first round which was very good, then a poor second round of 78+8 for a 36 hole total of 147+7 and was disqualified. He currently lies in 125th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $12,480 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He currently lies in 124th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 5 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. From the three events he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be happy with his first round 69-1, but he will be disappointed with his second round 78+8 and disqualified himself. Let’s hope he can make more cuts in the weeks ahead and even achieve some top ten finishes. 

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the first leg of two tournaments in the Asia Swing and it is the CIMB Classic and is played on the Kuala Lumpur Golf & CC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It carries a huge prize purse of US $7,000,000 for the taking. Ryan Moore (USA) is the defending champion and will be keen to defend his title. Steve Alker (NZL), Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and Danny Lee (NZL) are likely to gain starts as well. It starts on Thursday 30th October. 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 thirteenth week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 52nd week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his third place finish at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf one week ago and he also tied for second position at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship three weeks ago and was part of the winning European Ryder Cup Team four weeks ago and six weeks ago tied for second position at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and seven weeks ago he finished in tied for eighth position at the BMW Championship and eight weeks ago tied for fifth position at the Deutsche Bank Championship and nine weeks ago finished in twenty second position at The Barclays and eleven weeks ago winning at the 96th PGA Championship and twelve weeks ago won WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and also 14 weeks ago winning the 143rd Open Championship with 11.59 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his tied for 38th position in the Japan Open one week ago and tied for ninth position six weeks ago at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and seven weeks ago tied for eight position at the BMW Championship and eight weeks ago finished in 16th position at Deutsche Bank Championship and nine weeks ago he tied for 15th position at The Barclays and eleven weeks ago tied for 15th position finish at the 96th PGA Championship with 8.18 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Jim Furyk (USA) who is fresh off his fourth place finish at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf one week ago and four weeks ago being a part of the losing USA Ryder Cup Team and six weeks ago he tied for second position at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola with 7.42 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Sergio Garcia (Spain) who is fresh off being part of the winning European Ryder Cup Team four weeks ago and six weeks ago tied for ninth position at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and seven weeks ago he tied for fourth position at the BMW Championship and nine weeks ago tied for 57th position at The Barclays and eleven weeks ago tied for 36th position at the 96th PGA Championship and he also finished solo second position twelve weeks ago at the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and 14 weeks ago he tied for second position at the 143rd Open  Championship with 7.34 Official 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 runner up finish at the Volvo World Match Play Championship one week ago and four weeks ago being part of the winning European Ryder Cup Team and seven weeks ago he tied for twenty third position at the BMW Championship and eight weeks ago finished in tied for 26th position at the Deutsche Bank Championship and nine 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 19 weeks ago and also finished tied for second at the BMW International Open 17 weeks ago and also finished in tied for 39th position at the 143rd Open Championship 14 weeks ago and eleven weeks ago finished in tied for third position at the 96th PGA Championship with 7.28 Official Golf World Ranking Points; Steven Alker (NZL) is in his fourth week of his second spell being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his tied for 32nd position at the McGladrey Classic this past week on the USPGA Tour. This week he slips one place and falls to tied for 258th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 0.72 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember “When it is breezy, Swing easy”!!

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