Well it was another excellent weekend on the Major
Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and
FedEx Cup was in Mexico for the OHL Classic at Mayakoba which was the final
event in the 2014 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and it was played on
the El Camaleon, Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It carried a large prize
purse of US $6,100,000 for the taking. Harris English (USA) was the defending
champion and was keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL), Tim Wilkinson (NZL)
and Steve Alker (NZL) all gained starts as well. And it was the golfer by the
name of Charley Hoffman (USA) who scored rounds of 66-5, 68-3, 67-4 and a final
round of 66-5 for a 72 hole total of 267-17 and he won by a single stroke for
his third USPGA Tour win of his career. He earned US $1,098,000 for the win and
moved to sixth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings
with US $1,116,475 earned from the four events he has played to date this
season so far. Bubba Watson (USA) still leads that list with US $1,400,000
earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. Charley
Hoffman (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and moved to sixth
position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 519 points
earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far and he is
162 points behind the current leader of that list who is Robert Streb (USA) who
has earned 681 points from the five events he has played to date this season so
far. From the four events Charley Hoffman (USA) has played to date this season
so far he has made two cuts and achieved one top ten finish which was the win
this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the
60s especially his final round 66-6.
Charley Hoffman (USA) played a brilliant final round
of 66-5 which included a front nine of 32-4 which included birdies on the par
three, third hole, par five, fifth hole, par four, sixth hole and par four,
ninth hole and made the turn at minus 16 and was two shots behind the leader. Shawn
Stefani (USA) went out in 33-3 and made the turn at minus 17 and was only one
shot behind the leader. Andres Gonzales (USA) went out in 33-3 and made the
turn at minus 14 and was four shots behind the leader. Danny Lee (NZL) went out
in an amazing 29-7 where he made seven consecutive birdies in a row from holes three
to nine and made the turn at minus 18 and was leading by a single stroke.
Charley Hoffman (USA) played holes ten to 14 in one
under par and moved to minus 17 and now was tied for the lead. Shawn Stefani
(USA) played holes ten to 14 in one over par and fell back to minus 16 and
remained one shot behind the leaders. Andres Gonzales (USA) played holes ten to
14 in one under par and moved to minus 15 and now was only two shots behind the
leaders. Danny Lee (NZL) played holes ten to 14 in one over par and fell back
to minus 17 and was now tied for the lead.
Charley Hoffman (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one
under par and moved to minus 18 and now was leading by one shot with just the
par four, 72nd hole to play. Shawn Stefani (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one
under par and moved to minus 17 and was now only one shot behind the leader
heading to the par four, 72nd hole. Andres Gonzales (USA) played holes 15 to 17
in even par and remained at minus 15 with just the par four, 72nd hole to play
and now had dropped back to three shots behind the leader. Danny Lee (NZL)
played holes 15 to 17 in one over par and now had fallen back to minus 16 and
was two shots behind the leader with just the par four, 72nd hole to play.
Andres Gonzales (USA) who was playing a couple of
groups ahead of the leaders made a solid par at the par four, 72nd hole and
finished the 72 holes at minus 15 and finished two shots behind the winner. Danny
Lee (NZL) who was playing in the group ahead of the final group chose a three
wood instead of a driver off the par four, 72nd tee. He over hooked it and it
found the left hand fairway bunker. For his second shot he couldn’t go for the
green and had to lay up for a perfect wedge distance to the green. He struck a
good wedge shot for his third from about 100 yards that landed pin high about
seven feet to the left of the pin. He struck a good putt for his par from seven
feet but it just broke too much from left to right and lipped out and he tapped
in for his bogey five and finished the 72 holes at minus 15 and finished two
shots behind the winner. Shawn Stefani (USA) hit his drive off the par four,
72nd tee into the left fairway bunker. His ball was too close to the lip and
that meant he had to lay up. He laid up to 100 yards of the green leaving him a
short wedge shot for his third. He caught his third shot slightly fat and came
up a few yards short of the green. He chipped to a few feet short of the hole
for his fourth and tapped in for his bogey five and finished the 72 holes at
minus 16 and was one shot behind the winner.
Charley Hoffman (USA) hit a wild hook with his tee
shot off the par four, 72nd hole. It was so bad that it landed behind a tree
and the only way he could get it back to the fairway was to hit it left handed.
He hit a very good second shot left handed from behind the tree and put his
ball back in the fairway. That left him a short iron to the green. He slightly
pulled his short iron for his third shot but it found the green pin high about
30 feet left. He now knew that all he had to do was two putt and the win was
his. He calmed his nerve and rolled the 30 foot putt down to within two feet of
the cup. Then he easily tapped his two foot putt in for the bogey and the win!!
He pumped his fists in the air to celebrate!! Then he gave his caddie, Brett
Waldman a huge high five and hug as well!! As he walked off the par four, 72nd
green his wife, Stacey gave him a hug and kiss to celebrate the win along with
his two daughters that also came on to the green to give him a hug as well!!
When he won his last USPGA Tour event back in 2010 at the Deutsche Bank
Championship his wife, Stacey was pregnant with their oldest daughter, Claire
who is now four years old. He scored
34-1 on the back nine. When interviewed by the golf channel reporter he told
him “He was very happy with the way he played today and that he was finally
able to secure his third win after it being over four years since his last
win”.
Charley Hoffman (USA) on the left holding his oldest Daughter, Claire and his wife, Stacey on the right holding their youngest Daughter celebrating his win on the 72nd green!! |
Charley Hoffman (USA) has been playing the USPGA
Tour fulltime since the 2006 season. Charley Hoffman (USA) played well in his
rookie season on tour. He made 21 of 29 cuts and recorded five top-10s and 10
top-25s. He finished tied for 46th at the 2006 U.S. Open Championship, his
first major. His best finish came at the Frys.com Open where he finished tied
for fifth. Charley Hoffman (USA) earned US $1,115,193 and finished 82nd on the
money list. Charley Hoffman (USA) won his first event of the 2007 season at the
Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in January. This victory lifted Charley Hoffman (USA)
into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings. Charley Hoffman (USA) won
his first USPGA tour event by defeating John Rollins (USA) after he birdied the
first hole in a playoff. The rest of 2007 was mediocre for Charley Hoffman
(USA) though, on the year he made 18 of 30 cuts and recorded two top-10s and 7
top-25s. He earned US $1,689,366 and finished 50th on the money list and the
FedEx Cup standings. He finished tied for 35th in his first Open Championship and
missed the cut in his first USPGA Championship. He also finished tied for 7th
at the Deutsche Bank Players Championship of Europe on the European Tour.
Charley Hoffman (USA) made 19 of 29 cuts in 2008 and recorded three top-10
finishes and 6 top-25 finishes. His best finish came at the Shell Houston Open where
he finished tied for 6th. He had his least successful year on tour, earning US $945,702
and finishing 110th on the money list. The following year, Charley Hoffman
(USA) almost picked up his second win on USPGA Tour at the FBR Open in 2009 but
he lost in a playoff to Kenny Perry (USA). Charley Hoffman (USA) recorded four
top-10s and 11 top-25s in the 2009 season and finished a career high 41st on
the money list. Charley Hoffman (USA) won his second USPGA Tour event at the
2010 Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston. This victory helped Charley Hoffman (USA) to
finish 25th on the money list, the first time he finished inside the top 30.
Charley Hoffman (USA) came close to his third USPGA Tour win at the 2011 Valero
Texas Open finishing tied for 2nd with Kevin Chappell (USA) behind tour rookie Brendan
Steele (USA). Charley Hoffman (USA) best finish in 2012 was tied for second at
the Travelers Championship, one stroke behind Marc Leishman (Australia).
Charley Hoffman's (USA) best 2013 finish was a tied for third at the Valero
Texas Open. And as I mentioned before his third win came this past week. Let’s
hope he can keep this fine form up for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour
season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 season.
Coming in solo second position at 268-16 after 72
holes was Shawn Stefani (USA); he earned US $658,800 for his efforts and moved
to tenth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with
US $724,190 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so
far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to seventh
position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 368 points
earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. From the
five events he has played to date this season so far he has made four 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 second round 65-6.
Shawn Stefani (USA) turned professional in 2005 and played on mini-tours until 2012,
when he joined the Web.com Tour and won twice. He got his first tour win at the
Midwest Classic in August, and his second in October at the Miccosukee
Championship. He finished sixth on the 2012 money list to earn his USPGA Tour
card for the 2013 season. During the final round of the U.S. Open Championship in
2013 at Merion, Shawn Stefani (USA) carded a hole-in-one on the 229-yard
(209 m) 17th hole, the first ace ever recorded in 18 USGA championships
held at Merion. His 4-iron tee shot bounced off the slope left of the green and
rolled a considerable distance into the cup. Let’s hope he can continue on this
fine form he displayed this past week in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA
Tour season and perhaps gain his maiden USPGA Tour win? I wish him all the best
for the rest of the 2014/15 season.
Coming in tied for
third position at 269-15 after 72 holes was Danny Lee (NZL) who was the best of
the New Zealand Golfers in the field and he scored rounds of 66-5 in the first
round which was very good, then he had a good second round of 69-2, then a very
good third round of 67-4 and a brilliant final round of 67-4 which included an
amazing front nine of 29-7 where he had seven consecutive birdies in a row from
holes three to nine for a 72 hole total of 269-15 and he finished in tied for third
position which was his best finish of the season to date. He earned US $353,800
for his efforts and moved to twentieth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA
Tour Money list standings with US
$502,872 earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far.
He also earned 163 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 18th position
on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 251 points earned
from the six events he has played to date this season so far. From the six
events he has played to date this season so far he has made four cuts and
achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his
four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his first round 66-5,
but he will be disappointed with his back nine (38+3) in the final round that
robbed him a chance of achieving his maiden USPGA Tour win of his career. Let’s
hope he can build on this fine form he displayed this week and maybe achieve his
maiden USPGA Tour win in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. Danny
has been playing the USPGA Tour on and off fulltime since the 2012 season.
Danny Lee (NZL) entered the 2012 USPGA Tour season with USPGA Tour and European
Tour cards. He said he was still keen to play a two-tour schedule, however his
main focus would be on America. He made only 13 cuts in 26 events on the USPGA
Tour and lost his tour card. He did not play on the European Tour. After
striking up a successful partnership late in the Nationwide Tour season, Danny Lee
(NZL) said he would have Australian, Graeme Courts, a former long-time caddy of
Loren Roberts (USA), working for him on the USPGA Tour. K.J. Choi (South Korea)
introduced Danny Lee (NZL) to another Australian, Steve Bann, as a potential
coach. "I am close with K.J. Choi (South Korea) and he said I was thinking
too much about my swing," Danny Lee (NZL) said. "I was always working
on something and I am too technical sometimes so K.J. Choi (South Korea) introduced
me to Steve. Steve is a simple guy who is teaching me how to practise with
better routine and how to trust my own game and not think too much. Danny Lee
(NZL) played on the Web.com Tour in 2013, finishing 15th on the regular season
money list to regain his USPGA Tour card for 2014/15 Season. His best finish
was second at the Rex Hospital Open. In 2014 on the back of six straight missed
cuts, Danny Lee (USA) adopted a claw putting grip for the Puerto Rico Open in
March. He credited the change of putting style for yielding him an instant
result; a runner-up finish, two shots behind winner Chesson Hadley (USA). Let’s
hope he can build on this fine form he displayed this week and maybe achieve
his maiden USPGA Tour win in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 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 Andres Gonzales (USA); he too
earned US $353,800 for his efforts
and moved to twenty second position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour
Money list standings with US $433,334 earned from the five events he has played
to date this season so far. He
also earned 163 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twenty first
position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 237 points
earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. From the
five events he has played to date this season so far he has made five cuts and
this was his first top ten finish he has achieved to date so far this past
week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s
especially his third round 66-5. Andres Gonzales (USA) has played on the Canadian
Tour, Web.com Tour, and USPGA Tour. He won the 2009 Saskatchewan Open on the
Canadian Tour, the 2012 Soboba Golf Classic and 2014 Utah Championship on the
Web.com Tour and has a best finish of tied for eighth at the 2013 Wyndham
Championship on the USPGA Tour (But that was prior to this finish this past
week). He has attained some popularity due to his unorthodox appearance and
prolonged attempts to contact fellow golfer Tiger Woods via Twitter. Let’s hope
he can carry this amazing form in to the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour
season and perhaps win his maiden USPGA Tour event. I wish him all the best for
the rest of the 2014/15 season.
Coming in solo sixth position at 271-13 after 72 holes was Brice Garnett (USA); he earned US $219,600 for his efforts and moved to 47th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $274,880 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 100 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 43rd position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 142 points earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. From the five events he has played to date this season so far he has made five cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came at this event. He will be happy with his first, second and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his first and final rounds that were both 66-5s. But he will be disappointed with his third round 71 even par. Brice Garnett (USA) turned pro in 2006. He played on the Adams Pro Tour from 2007 to 2009. From 2010 to 2013, he played on the Web.com Tour. Brice Garnett (USA) has improved his money list rank each season, culminating with a 14th-place finish in 2013 which earned him a card for the 2014 USPGA Tour. During his rookie season on the USPGA Tour, he made 20 cuts in 28 events, highlighted by a tie for seventh at the Shell Houston Open. He qualified for the 2013/14 FedEx Cup Playoffs, one of only two rookies to do so. Let’s hope he can continue on this fine form in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and achieve more top ten finishes. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 season.
Rounding out the top eight in tied for seventh position at 272-12 after 72 holes was Tony Finau (USA); he earned US $196,725 for his efforts and moved to 15th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $608,358 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 88 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 14th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 287 points earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. From the five events he has played to date this season so far he has made four cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his first and final rounds that were both 65-6s and his 65-6 in the first round saw him tied for the lead and his 65-6 in the final round was the equal low round of the day. But he will only be content with his second and third rounds that were both in the low 70s. Tony Finau (USA) was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Although he had a college scholarship offers in basketball, he turned professional at the age of 17 and began playing on mini-tours including the Gateway Tour, NGA Hooters Tour, and National Pro Tour. He played on the PGA Tour Canada in 2013, making seven cuts in eight starts. He finished tied for third at the 2013 Web.com Tour qualifying school to earn his Web.com Tour card for 2014. He won his first event in August 2014 at the Stonebrae Classic. He finished 12th in the Web.com Tour Finals to earn his USPGA Tour card for the 2014–15 season. Tony Finau (USA) and his brother Gipper competed on the Golf Channel’s The Big Break in 2009. Tony Finau (USA) finished second on Big Break Disney Golf. He is the cousin of basketball player Jabari Parker. Tony Finau (USA) is of Tongan and American Samoan descent, the first person of such ancestry to play on the USPGA Tour. Let’s hope he can continue on this fine form in the weeks ahead in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and perhaps achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 season.
The final player to tie for seventh position was Jason Bohn (USA); he too earned US $196,725 for his efforts and moved to 14th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $629,283 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 88 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 15th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with 284 points earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. From the five events he has played to date this season so far he has made four cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that have come in his last two starts. He will be happy with his first three rounds that were all in the 60s especially his second round 65-6 and he took the 54 hole lead into the final round. But he will be bitterly disappointed with his final round 74+3 especially his front nine 40+4 that ruined any chance he had of winning. Jason Bohn (USA) was born in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. In 1992, while a sophomore on the Alabama Golf Team, Jason Bohn (USA) was playing in a charity fund-raiser in Tuscaloosa, when he made a hole-in-one worth $1 million. Jason Bohn (USA) dropped his amateur status and golf scholarship on the spot and turned professional, as USGA rules did not carry an exemption for aces scored in the middle of regular golf rounds at the time, which the USGA adopted in 2006. He graduated from Alabama in 1995. While playing the Canadian Tour, Jason Bohn (USA) shot a 58 to win the 2001 Bayer Championship. He also played the Nationwide Tour before earning promotion to the USPGA Tour, where he has played since 2004. In 2005 he won the USPGA Tour's B.C. Open. During the 2009 season Jason Bohn (USA) lost in a playoff at the Wyndham Championship along with Kevin Stadler (USA) to Ryan Moore (USA). In April 2010, Jason Bohn (USA) won the 2010 Zurich Classic of New Orleans wire to wire, when he birdied three of the last four holes to win by two shots. Let’s hope he can continue his fine form he has displayed in recent weeks in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. I wish him every continuing success for the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
The second New
Zealand golfer in the field was Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and he scored rounds of 68-3
in the first round which was very good, then an excellent second round of 67-4,
then a average third round of 72+1, and a good final round of 69-2 for a 72
hole total of 276-8 and he finished in tied for twenty ninth position. He earned
US $37,133.75 for his efforts and moved to 127th position on the current
2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $66,029 earned from the five
events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 38 FedEx Cup
Points for his efforts and moved to 110th
position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 61
points earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far.
From the five events he has played to date this season so far he has made two
cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be happy with his first, third and
final rounds that were all under par especially his second round 67-4, but
disappointed with his second round that was a poor 72+1 and ruined any chance
of him having his first top ten finish of the season. I presume his next start
on the USPGA Tour will be the Sony Open in Hawaii in January 2015. Let’s hope
he can make some more cuts in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season
and have some top ten finishes as well.
The final New
Zealand golfer in the field was Steve Alker (NZL) and he scored rounds of 74+3
in the first round which was poor, and a brilliant second round of 66-5 for a
36 hole total of 140-2 and he missed the cut by a single shot. He currently
lies in 156th position on the current
2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $42,822 earned from the five
events he has played to date this season so far. He is currently in tied for
132nd position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 47
points earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far.
From the five events he has played to date this season so far he has make two
cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be disappointed with his first round
74+3 which put him well off the pace but extremely happy with his second round
66-5 which was a fine round of golf. Let’s hope he can make some cuts in the
next few events he plays in, in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season
and even achieve some top ten finishes. I presume his next start on the USPGA
Tour will be the Sony Open in Hawaii in January 2015.
The 2014/15 USPGA
Tour season now takes a break and recommences for the 2015 part in early
January for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and it is played on the Plantation
Course at Kapalua, Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. It carries a large prize
purse of US $5,700,000 for the taking. Only the winners from all the Official
USPGA Tour events played in 2014 are eligible to compete in it. Zach Johnson
(USA) is the defending champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts
on Thursday 9th January and I will report back who won the trophy next year
once the tournament is completed.
So to the Top 5 on the Official
World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position
for the sixteenth week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 55th week
of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his third place finish
at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf four weeks ago and he also tied for second
position at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship six weeks ago and was part of
the winning European Ryder Cup Team seven weeks ago and nine weeks ago tied for
second position at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and tenth weeks ago he
finished in tied for eighth position at the BMW Championship and eleven weeks
ago tied for fifth position at the Deutsche Bank
Championship and twelve weeks ago finished in twenty second position at The
Barclays and 14 weeks ago winning at the 96th PGA Championship and 15 weeks ago
won WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and also 17 weeks ago winning the 143rd Open
Championship with 11.62 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number
Two is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his tied for 12th position at the WGC –
HSBC Champions one week ago and four weeks ago tied for 38th position in the
Japan Open and he tied for ninth position nine weeks ago at the Tour
Championship by Coca – Cola and ten weeks ago tied for eight position at the
BMW Championship and eleven weeks ago finished in 16th position at Deutsche
Bank Championship and twelve weeks ago he tied for 15th position at The
Barclays and 14 weeks ago tied for 15th position at the 96th PGA Championship
with 8.31 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Bubba
Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for twenty fourth finish at the Mitsui
Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters on the Japan Golf Tour this past week and
winning the WGC - HSBC Champions one week ago with 7.71 Official World Ranking
Points; coming in at Number Four is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off
his solo third finish this past week at the Turkish Airlines Open on the
European Tour and was part of the winning European Ryder Cup Team seven weeks
ago with 7.32 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the
Official Golf World Ranking Points list standings this week is Jim Furyk (USA)
who is fresh off his fourth place finish at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf four
weeks ago and seven weeks ago being a part of the losing USA Ryder Cup Team and
nine weeks ago he tied for second position at the Tour Championship by Coca –
Cola with 7.12 Official Golf
World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is in his third week of a new spell being
the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his tied for third
position at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba this
past week on the USPGA Tour. This week he gains 44 places and rises to 212th
position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 0.87
Official Golf World Ranking Points.
Remember golf is just a game and the sun will rise
tomorrow so DON’T TAKE IT TOO SERIOUSLY!!!
Source: Pgatour.com,
Official World Golf Rankings, wikipedia.org, Google search engine,
europeantour.com, golfchannel.com
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