Golf Events from the Weekend 7th December 2014

Well is was another awesome weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour has its first event of the unofficial season and it was the Hero World Challenge and it was played on the Isleworth Golf & CC, Windermere, Florida. It is known as “Tiger Woods” tournament because all proceeds raised goes to his foundation. And he was making his come back from major back surgery. It carried a healthy prize purse of US $3,500,000 for the taking. There was only a small field of 18 golfers. Zach Johnson (USA) was the defending Champion and was keen to defend his title. And it was the golfer by the name of Jordan Spieth (USA) who scored rounds of 66-6, 67-5, 63-9 and a very good final round of 66-6 for a 72 hole total of 262-26 and he won by an amazing ten shots for the third victory of his professional career to date so far and it was his second win in as many weeks having won the Emirates Australian Open the week before. It was also his first wire to wire win as a professional. He won US $1,000,000 for the win but because it wasn’t an Official USPGA Tour event it doesn’t count towards the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings. There was also no FedEx Cup Points on offer this week. He will be extremely pleased with his four rounds this week that were all in the mid 60s and his third round was an amazing 63-9 which was blemish free. 

 

Jordan Spieth (USA) tees off during the final round

Jordan Spieth (USA) played a brilliant final round under the circumstances of taking a seven shot lead into the final round. He played an awesome front nine of 31-5 which included birdies on the par four, first hole, par five, third hole, par four, four hole and an amazing eagle on the par five, seventh hole to make the turn at minus twenty five and he was leading by eleven shots. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) went out in 35-1 and made the turn at minus fourteen and was eleven shots behind the leader. Keegan Bradley (USA) went out in 35-1 and made the turn at minus fourteen and was eleven shots behind the leader. Patrick Reed (USA) went out in 33-3 and made the turn at minus fourteen and was eleven shots behind the leader. 

Jordan Speith (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in one over par including his only blemish of the round which was a double bogey six on the short par four, fourteen hole where he over shot the green for his second shot with his short wedge and took four more shots to get the ball in the hole, he fell back to minus twenty four and was now only leading by nine shots. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) played holes ten to fourteen in one under par and moved to minus 15 and was now only nine shots behind the leader. Keegan Bradley (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in one over par and fell back to minus thirteen and still was eleven shots behind the leader. Patrick Reed (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in even par and remained at minus fourteen but now was only ten shots behind the leader. 

Jordan Spieth (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in two under par, bouncing straight back from his double bogey he made on fourteen hole and moved to minus twenty six and now was leading by ten shots heading to the par four, 72nd hole. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) played holes 15 to 17 in one under par and moved to minus 16 and now was only ten shots behind the leader heading to the par four, 72nd hole. Keegan Bradley (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in two under par and moved to minus 15 and now was eleven shots behind the leader with just the par four, 72nd hole to play. Patrick Reed (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in even par and remained at minus fourteen and now was 12 shots behind the leader with just the par four, 72nd hole to play.

Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who was playing in the group ahead of the final group made a solid par at the par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes at minus 16 and was ten shots behind the winner. Patrick Reed (USA) who was playing in the group ahead of the final group made a fine birdie three up the par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes at minus fifteen and was eleven shots behind the winner. Keegan Bradley (USA) who was playing in the final group made a solid par up the par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes at minus fifteen and was eleven shots behind the winner. 

Jordan Spieth (USA) now stood on the par four, 72nd tee with an amazing ten shot lead and knew the title was already his just as he had the week before at the Emirates Australian Open in Sydney. He went through his routine just as a seasoned professional would. He struck a brilliant tee shot that landed right in the centre of the fairway. Then he struck his middle iron second shot and it landed on the green about twenty five feet below the cup. He got a standing ovation from the large gallery that was surrounding the 72nd green. He struck a perfect pace putt for his birdie and it came to rest inches from the cup and he easily tapped in for his par four and finished the 72 holes at minus twenty six to win by ten shots!! He got a huge hug and high five from his caddie, Michael Greller to celebrate the win!! Then he was interviewed by Steve Stands from the NBC Sports/Golf Channel and he told him “His form at the moment is top notch with winning the last two weeks in a row and he contributes some of it towards his new Driver he put in his bag a month ago that he is hitting very well at the moment”. He also said “He hopes that these wins can help him moving forward to the 2015 season especially when the Major Championships roll around.” 

 

Jordan Spieth (USA) tips his cap to the crowd after holing the winning putt!!

Jordan Spieth (USA) has been in amazing form over the last two weeks which includes two rounds of 63 in consecutive tournaments and both of them were blemish free. He will be also happy at winning his maiden Hero World Challenge this week as Tiger Woods (USA) has always been one of his golfing idols. His other professional wins came on the USPGA Tour in 2013 season when he won the John Deere Classic and the 2014 Emirates Australian Open last week. Jordan Spieth (USA) in 2014 made his debut at the Masters Tournament and shared the 54 hole lead with Bubba Watson (USA). During the final round, Jordan Spieth (USA) at one point was the standalone leader by two strokes and, had he held on, would have become the youngest Masters Tournament champion in history (Tiger Woods (USA) holds the record at 21 years of age), but Bubba Watson (USA)  retook the lead heading into the back nine and never relinquished it. Jordan Spieth (USA) finished in a tie for second with Jonas Blixt (Sweden). Jordan Spieth (USA) thus became the youngest runner-up in Masters Tournament history and subsequently moved into the world's top ten. Jordan Spieth (USA) also ended the tournament having shot no worse than an even-par (72) in any of his rounds. And as I mentioned above Jordan Spieth (USA) won his third tournament as a professional at the Hero World Challenge this past week. Still at the tender age of twenty one years old his future looks very bright and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he wins his maiden Major Championship in the next few years. He now is taking a six week break that includes the Christmas and New Year period and will start his 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season probably in mid January. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

 

Jordan Spieth (USA) poses with the Hero World Challenge Trophy he won!!

Coming in solo second position at 272-16 after 72 holes was Henrik Stenson (Sweden); he earned US $400,000 for his efforts but because it wasn’t an Official USPGA Tour event it doesn’t count towards the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings. There was also no FedEx Cup Points on offer this week. He will be extremely pleased with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his first round 67-5. And he was the only other player in the field to score all four rounds in the 60s along with Jordan Spieth (USA). He will be happy he has kept his good form up after his big win in DP World Tour Championship, Dubai two weeks ago. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) has been playing professional golf since 1999 and in that time he has won 17 professional events worldwide including nine on the European Tour and four on the USPGA Tour with the last one being the 2013 Tour Championship by Coca – Cola. He is also the only player to date so far to win the FedEx Cup on the USPGA Tour and the Race to Dubai title on the European Tour in the same year which was 2013. He has performed really well in the Major Championships since 2008 with achieving nine top ten finishes and I feel he will win his maiden Major Championship in the next few years. He has also represented Team Europe in three Ryder Cups (2006, 2008 and 2014) which he was in two winning teams. He has now further cemented his position as the world number two golfer and I look for him to have a huge 2015 season. I wish him all the best for the 2015 season. 

Coming in tied for third position at 273-15 after 72 holes was Keegan Bradley (USA); he earned US $212,500 for his efforts but because it wasn’t an Official USPGA Tour event it doesn’t count towards the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings. There was also no FedEx Cup Points on offer this week. He will be happy with his second and third rounds that were both in the mid 60s especially his 65-7 in the third round. But he will only be content with his first and final round’s that were both low 70s. Keegan Bradley (USA) turned professional in 2008 and in 2010 he played the Web.com Tour and finished 14th on the final 2010 Web.com Tour Money list to earned his 2011 USPGA Tour card. He had an amazing rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2011 with winning his maiden event at the HP Byron Nelson Championship in late May and his second win came at the PGA Championship which was his maiden Major Championship win in his very first time ever playing a Major Championship which he became only the third player to do so. He won the 2011 USPGA Tour Rookie of the Year award. He won his third event on the USPGA Tour in 2012 at the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational. He hasn’t won an event the last two seasons but he has still continued to play very good golf and he tied for fourth at this year’s U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst No 2. He has represented Team USA in two Ryder Cups (2012 & 2014) and one Presidents Cup (2013). I feel he will get back in the winner’s circle in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the 2015 season. 

The other player to tie for third position was Patrick Reed (USA); he too earned US $212,500 for his efforts but because it wasn’t an Official USPGA Tour event it doesn’t count towards the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings. There was also no FedEx Cup Points on offer this week. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his 63-9 in the second round that was the low round of the day by one shot. But he will be disappointed with his first round 73+1 that put him behind the eight ball from the start. Patrick Reed (USA) turned professional in the 2011 season. He played in twelve events on the USPGA Tour in the 2012 season with getting six sponsor’s exemptions and through Monday qualifying (six times). He made seven cuts and earned over US $300,000. His best finish was tied for eleventh at the Frys.com Open. He finished tied for twenty second at the 2012 USPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament to earn his USPGA Tour card for 2013. He had a very good rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2013 with picking up his first top-10 finish at the 2013 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am. On August 18, Patrick Reed (USA) became the 12th first-time USPGA Tour winner of the year with his victory at the Wyndham Championship in a playoff against Jordan Spieth (USA). His win at Sedgefield Country Club also marked his third consecutive top-10 finish. In 2014 he won two more events with his second USPGA Tour win coming at the Humana Challenge in mid January which his first three rounds were consecutive 63s. And it was the first time in USPGA Tour history that a player opened a tournament with three rounds of 63 or better. Just two months later he won his third USPGA Tour event at the WGC – Cadillac Championship which was by far the biggest win of his career to date and he became only the fifth golfer to earn three USPGA Tour wins before his 24th birthday since 1990, joining Tiger Woods (USA), Phil Mickelson (USA), Rory McIlroy (NIR) and Sergio Garcia (Spain). He is the youngest winner of a WGC event, and the victory also moved Patrick Reed (USA) to 20th in the Official World Golf Rankings. Patrick Reed (USA) was also the first USPGA Tour golfer to have three wins before playing in his first major which was the 2014 Masters Tournament. He also made his Ryder Cup debut for Team USA in Scotland later in the year where he excelled in a losing Team. I feel he is destined to win at least one Major Championship before his career is over and maybe it will happen in the next few years? I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.

Coming in solo fifth position at 274-14 after 72 holes was Jason Day (Australia); he earned US $150,000 for his efforts but because it wasn’t an Official USPGA Tour event it doesn’t count towards the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings. There was also no FedEx Cup Points on offer this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his final round 66-6 which was the equal low round of the day. Jason Day (Australia) has been a professional since 2006 and he played on the Web.com Tour in 2007 and won the Legend Financial Group Classic and finished fifth on the final 2007 Web.com Tour Money list to earn his 2008 USPGA Tour card. His rookie year on the USPGA Tour in 2008 was mediocre but he did manage to keep conditional status for the 2009 USPGA Tour season where he finished 69th on the final money list. He won his maiden USPGA Tour event at the 2010 HP Byron Nelson Championship and he won his second USPGA Tour event at the 2014 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship after a thrilling final in which Victor Dubuisson (France) won the last two holes to tie, then twice scrambled halves after missing greens at the extra holes before Jason Day (Australia) finally secured victory. The win lifted Jason Day (Australia) to fourth in the world rankings. He has also performed very well in the Major Championships with already achieving seven top ten finishes which includes finishing tied for second at the 2011 Masters Tournament and also solo third at the 2013 Masters Tournament which Adam Scott (Australia) won. He also finished second in the 2011 U.S. Open Championship which Rory McIlroy (NIR) won and tied for second at the 2013 U.S. Open Championship and tied for fourth at this year’s U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst No. 2. He represented Team International at the 2011 and 2013 President’s Cup. Now he has got over his recent back and thumb injuries I feel he is set for a huge 2015 season and I feel he could win his maiden Major Championship. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in tied for sixth position at 277-11 after 72 holes was Rickie Fowler (USA); he earned US $142,500 for his efforts but because it wasn’t an Official USPGA Tour event it doesn’t count towards the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings. There was also no FedEx Cup Points on offer this week. He will be happy with his first and final rounds that were both in the mid 60s especially his 67-5 in the first round which had him only one shot off the lead. But he will only be content with his second and third rounds that were in the low 70s. Rickie Fowler (USA) turned professional in 2009 and Rickie Fowler's (USA) first USPGA Tour event as a professional was the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open where he finished tied for seventh. His second USPGA Tour event was at the Frys.com Open played at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. He finished tied for second after losing to Troy Matteson (USA) in a three-way playoff that included Jamie Lovemark (USA). Rickie Fowler's (USA) score of 18 under par included a hole in one on the fifth hole in his final round. Rickie Fowler (USA) also notched an eagle in each of his four rounds. In December 2009, Rickie Fowler (USA) successfully gained a 2010 USPGA Tour card through qualifying school, finishing tied for 15th.  In 2012 at the Wells Fargo Championship he won his maiden USPGA Tour event. In 2014 he had a great Major Championship season with having top five finishes in all four Major Championships. He finished in tied for fifth position at the Masters Tournament, then tied for second at both the U.S. Open Championship and Open Championship and finished in tied for third position at the PGA Championship. And he is only the third player behind Jack Nicklaus (USA) and Tiger Woods (USA) to have finished in the top 5 in all four majors in one calendar year, but the first not to win. He has also played in two Ryder Cups representing Team USA (2010 and 2014) which he performed very well. I feel he will win in the 2015 season and perhaps it could be his maiden Major Championship. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.

Also tied for sixth position was Justin Rose (England); He too earned US $142,500 for his efforts but because it wasn’t an Official USPGA Tour event it doesn’t count towards the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings. There was also no FedEx Cup Points on offer this week. He will be extremely happy with his second round 64-8 which saw him record eleven birdies which included making two lots of four birdies in a row first on the front nine from holes six to nine and on the back nine from holes twelve to fifteen. But he will only be content with his first, third and final rounds that were all in the low 70s. Justin Rose (England) turned professional in July 1998 after he finished in tied for fourth position at the 1998 Open Championship as an Amateur. He had a rude awaking to professional golf when he missed his first twenty one straight cuts!! He has won 17 professional events worldwide with seven of them being on the European Tour with his last one coming this year at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open this year in July. He also has won six times on the USPGA Tour with his last win coming at the Quicken Loans Championship this year in June. And in June 2013 he won his maiden Major Championship at the 2013 U.S. Open Championship at Merion. He has also represented Team Europe three times in the Ryder Cup in 2008, 2012 and 2014. And the later two he played on the winning team both times. He has also achieved eight top ten finishes in Major Championships to date so far with winning the 2013 U.S. Open Championship as I mentioned before. And he has achieved nine top ten finishes in WGC Events and has won one at the 2012 WGC – Cadillac Championship. I’m sure he will have a great 2015 season as well and I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins another Major Championship in the next few years. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 season. 

Rounding out the top ten in tied for eighth position at 279-9 after 72 holes was Billy Horschel (USA); he earned US $126,666.66 for his efforts but because it wasn’t an Official USPGA Tour event it doesn’t count towards the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings. There was also no FedEx Cup Points on offer this week. He will be very happy with his final two rounds that were consecutive 67-5s and they both included back nine’s of 31-5. But he will be unhappy with his first two rounds that were both in the low 70s. Billy Horschel (USA) turned professional in 2009 and gained his 2010 USPGA Tour card at the 2009 USPGA Tour Qualifying School. Billy Horschel (USA) won his maiden USPGA Tour event at the 2013 Zurich Classic of New Orleans in late April. Billy Horschel (USA) earned his second win at the 2014 BMW Championship and moved to 23rd in the world rankings. The next week, he won The Tour Championship and with it the 2014 FedEx Cup. The win also moved Billy Horschel (USA) to 14th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Two days after winning the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup, Billy Horschel (USA) became a father for the first time. I feel he can win his fourth event in 2015 and I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.

Also tied for eighth position was Zach Johnson (USA); he too earned US $126,666.66 for his efforts but because it wasn’t an Official USPGA Tour event it doesn’t count towards the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings. There was also no FedEx Cup Points on offer this week. He will be very happy with his first and final rounds that were both in the 60s especially his first round 67-5 which saw him only one shot off the lead. But he will be disappointed with his second and third rounds that were both in the low 70s. Zach Johnson (USA) turned professional in 1998 and qualified for the USPGA Tour by topping the money list on the then Nationwide Tour in 2003 with record earnings of US $494,882, earning an automatic promotion to the USPGA Tour for the 2004 season. He has won eleven events on the USPGA Tour to date so far and his last one came at the 2014 Hyundai Tournament of Champions. And he won his maiden Major Championship in 2007 at the Masters Tournament where he laid up on every par five and used his fine wedge play to make his birdies. He also was defending champion at Hero World Challenge having won it in 2013. He has played on three Presidents Cup Teams for Team USA in 2007, 2009 and 2013 being on the winning team every time. And he has played on four Ryder Cup Teams for Team USA in 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2014 which he played in the winning team every time. I feel his 2015 season will be another good one. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The final player to tie for eighth position was Matt Kuchar (USA); he too earned US $126,666.66 for his efforts but because it wasn’t an Official USPGA Tour event it doesn’t count towards the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings. There was also no FedEx Cup Points on offer this week. He will be very happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his first round 69-2 and in his final round of 70-2 he eagled the first hole by holing out his second shot with a wedge!! Matt Kuchar (USA) turned professional in 2000 and has won seven times on the USPGA Tour to date so far with his last win coming at the 2014 RBC Heritage in April. He biggest win to date came at the 2012 Players Championship. He has achieved six top ten finishes in Major Championships with his best being tied for third at the 2012 Masters Tournament. He has also achieved nine top ten finishes in WGC – Events with his best result winning at the 2013 Accenture Match Play Championship. He has played on the last three Ryder Cup Teams for Team USA in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Also he has played on the last two Presidents Cup Teams for Team USA which they won both of them in 2011 and 2013. I’m sure his 2015 season will be a great one as well and perhaps he can secure his maiden Major Championship. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Tiger Woods (USA) in his first tournament back since missing the cut at the PGA Championship in mid August scored a shocking first round of 77+5, then a better second round of 70-2, and a very good third round when he wasn’t feeling well of 69-3 and an average final round of 72 even par for a 72 hole total of 288 even par and he finished in tied for 17th position. He earned US $102,500 for his efforts but because it wasn’t an Official USPGA Tour event it doesn’t count towards the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings. There was also no FedEx Cup Points on offer this week. He will be happy with his middle two rounds that were both under par especially his third round 69-3 but he will be a little disappointed with his final round 72 even especially his triple bogey eight on the par five, thirteen hole. And he will be extremely disappointed with his first round 77+5. He had nine duffed chip shots in the 72 holes which shows he has to work on his short game more. But on a positive note he is swinging pain free now and releasing the club with a lot more freedom. I am sure he is really looking forward to the 2015 season which he will more than likely begin in late January for him. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.

Next week the PGA Tour of Australasia and the OneAsia Tour have a joint venture as they stage the final events of their 2014 seasons and it is the Australian PGA Championship and is played on the RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast and carries a large prize purse of AU $ 1,000,000 for the taking. Adam Scott (Australia) is the defending champion and will be keen for back to back titles. Ryan Fox (NZL) will lead the New Zealand Challenge and will be looking for another high finish. It starts on Thursday 11th December. I will report back who won the Joe Kirkwood Cup 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 nineteenth week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 58th week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tied for 15th position at the Emirates Australian Open one week ago and two weeks ago tied for second position at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and seven weeks ago finished in third place at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf and he also tied for second position at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship nine weeks ago and was part of the winning European Ryder Cup Team ten weeks ago and 12 weeks ago tied for second position at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and thirteen weeks ago he finished in tied for eighth position at the BMW Championship and fourteen weeks ago tied for fifth position at the Deutsche Bank Championship and fifteen weeks ago finished in twenty second position at The Barclays and 17 weeks ago winning at the 96th PGA Championship and 18 weeks ago won WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and also twenty weeks ago winning the 143rd Open Championship with 11.50 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his solo second finish this past week at the Hero World Challenge and two weeks ago won at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and three weeks ago finished in solo third finish at the Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour and was part of the winning European Ryder Cup Team ten weeks ago with 8.53 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his solo fifth position at the Emirates Australian Open one week ago and two weeks ago tied for second position at the Bet Easy Masters and four weeks ago tied for 12th position at the WGC – HSBC Champions and seven weeks ago tied for 38th position in the Japan Open and he tied for ninth position twelve weeks ago at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and thirteen weeks ago tied for eight position at the BMW Championship and fourteen weeks ago finished in 16th position at Deutsche Bank Championship and fiftteen weeks ago he tied for 15th position at The Barclays and 17 weeks ago tied for 15th position at the 96th PGA Championship with 8.07 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for eleventh position at the Hero World Challenge this past week and tied for  twenty fourth finish at the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters on the Japan Golf Tour three weeks ago and winning the WGC - HSBC Champions four weeks ago with 7.70 Official World Ranking Points; and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list standings this week is Justin Rose (England) who was fresh off his tied for sixth position at the Hero World Challenge this past week and two weeks ago finished tied for second position at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai with 7.06 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is in his sixth 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 three weeks ago on the USPGA Tour. This week he slips three places and falls to 220th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 0.84 Official Golf World Ranking Points. 

Remember to play good golf shots all the time visualisation is the key!!

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