The USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup recommenced for the 2015 part of the
2014/15 USPGA Tour season this week and it was the Hyundai Tournament of
Champions and it was played on the Plantation Course at Kapalua, Kapalua,
Maui, Hawaii. It carried a huge prize purse of US $5,700,000 for the
taking. Zach Johnson (USA) was the defending champion and was keen to defend
his title. Only players that had won since the 2014 Hyundai Tournament of
Champions including the 2014 Hyundai Tournament of Champions in official FedEx
Cup events were eligible to compete in it. It is also unique in that it has a
scheduled Friday start and Monday finish. And it was the golfer by the name of Patrick
Reed (USA) who scored rounds of 67-6, 69-4, 68-5 and a final round 67-6 for a
72 hole total of 271-21 but he was tied on that score by Jimmy Walker (USA) who
scored rounds of 67-6, 68-5, 67-6 and a final round of 69-4 for a 72 hole total
of 271-21 also. So those two players headed back to the par five, 18th hole for
the first playoff hole.
%2Btees%2Boff%2Bduring%2Bthe%2Bfinal%2Bround%2Bon%2BMonday.jpg) |
| Patrick Reed (USA) in action during the final round |
Patrick Reed (USA) drew the number from the USPGA Tour Officials hat and
when he opened the piece of paper it read the number “One” so Patrick Reed
(USA) teed off first. He struck a poor drive by his standards and it flared
well out to the right and settled behind the gallery rope. Jimmy Walker (USA)
teed off next and hit a much better drive with his little draw on it and it
caught the slope on the right and rolled right into the middle of the fairway
leaving him a good chance to go for the green. Patrick Reed (USA) played his
second shot first with a fairway wood and hit a very good shot from the ball
above the feet lie and it rolled down to within 80 yards of the green leaving a
relatively simply shot. Jimmy Walker (USA) now knew he could put some real
pressure on if he could hit the green for his second shot. But he must have
been feeling the nerves because he hit a horrible slice and it landed in the
corporate stands on the right. Patrick Reed (USA) then played his third shot
first and he struck his 80 yard wedge shot okay but it spun too quickly and came
to rest twenty feet short of the pin. After taking a drop under the USPGA Tour
Officials guidance, Jimmy Walker (USA) was now faced with a similar shot for
his third shot that he faced on the regulation 72nd hole although it was
slightly longer. In the regulation play he left it twenty feet short of the pin
and he must have had that on his mind because it came out far too quick and with
over spin and rolled right through the green into the long rough on the face of
the bunker at the back. He was still away for his fourth shot and played a very
good shot from the tricky lie that had the ball sitting down in the rough. It came
to rest about eight feet short of the pin. Now Patrick Reed (USA) knew if he
could hole his twenty foot birdie putt down the hill he would win. He calmed
his nerve and then put a very good roll on it and it fell right in the centre
of the cup for his birdie!!
%2Bpumps%2Bhis%2Bfist%2Bafter%2Bholing%2Bthe%2Bwinning%2Bputt.jpg) |
| Patrick Reed (USA) pumps his fist in the air after holing the winning putt!! |
He pumped his fist in the air in celebration!! Then got a huge high five
and hug from his caddie, Kessler Karain
who is his brother in law. Then as he walked off the 18th green his wife,
Justine holding their daughter, Windsor – Wells gave him a huge kiss and huge
hug to celebrate the win with him as well. It was great she could be there by
his side to celebrate the win with him because just under a month ago when
Patrick was playing in the Franklin Templeton Shootout his wife, Justine had a grand
mal seizure while in the bathtub in the hotel they were staying in and it was
lucky, Patrick was in the hotel at the time because he had just got back from a
practise round and he saved her from drowning!! She was taken to Naples
Community Hospital and after she was given her a full examination she was given
the all clear. She hopes to get back to caddie for her husband at some stage
this year. Patrick Reed (USA) was then interviewed by on course reporter, Steve
Sands from NBC Sports/Golf Channel. This time he was careful with his words
because last time he won at the WGC – Cadillac Championship in March 2014 he
proclaimed he was definitely one of the top five players in the world when he was
barely inside the top 50. This comment caused him to face major criticism for
what he said, which I feel was unwarranted!! This time he said “He was happy he was able to
win but not happy with how he putted this week, and he has a lot of work to do
still if he is going to contend and win in the WGC – Events and Major
Championships in 2015”.
%2Bposes%2Bwith%2Bthe%2BHyundai%2BTournament%2Bof%2BChampions%2BTrophy%2Bhe%2Bwon!!.jpg) |
| Patrick Reed (USA) poses with the Hyundai Tournament of Champions Trophy he won!! |
Coming in solo second position on 271-21 after 72 holes and losing on the first playoff hole as I mentioned above was Jimmy Walker (USA); he earned US $665,000 for his efforts and moved to eighth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $995,607 earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to eighth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 457 points earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. From the four 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 this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s (And he was the other player to score all four rounds in the 60s along with Patrick Reed (USA)). He will be especially happy with his first and third rounds which were both 67-6s and also both rounds were blemish free. But he will be disappointed with how he played the last five holes in one over par and also how he played the first playoff hole to basically hand the tournament to Patrick Reed (USA) when it looked like the tournament was going to be his to win. Let’s hope he can put this disappointment behind him and have another great season just as he did last year. The 2014 PGA Tour season was the first time that the season began with six events in the fall of 2013. In the first of these, Jimmy Walker (USA) won his maiden USPGA Tour event at the 2013 Frys.com Open, after nine years and 188 PGA Tour starts. He won by two strokes over Vijay Singh (Fiji) after shooting 62-66 over the weekend. The win gave him an exemption into the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, and earned him his first trip to The Masters Tournament and a USPGA Tour card until the end of 2016. Jimmy Walker (USA) also entered the world's top 50 for the first time. Jimmy Walker (USA) opened up 2014 finishing tied for 21st at his first visit to the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. The following week in January 2014, he earned his second USPGA Tour win at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He birdied four of the final six holes and shot a final round 63 to win by one stroke over Chris Kirk (USA). Five weeks later, in early February 2014, Jimmy Walker (USA) won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am by one stroke over Dustin Johnson (USA) and Jim Renner (USA). He had a six-stroke advantage going into the final round, but shot a two-over-par 74 on Sunday and needed to hole a five-foot par putt on the 18th for the victory. This was his third victory of the 2014 season in just eight starts, after previously going 187 events without a victory. With his win, Jimmy Walker (USA) became the leader on the 2014 money list, FedEx Cup standings, and Ryder Cup points standings. He also raised his Official World Golf Ranking to 24th. A tied for eighth finish at the 2014 Masters Tournament raised his ranking to 19th, and ensured him an invitation into the 2015 tournament. He went on to post top-ten finishes at two other majors, a tied for ninth at the 2014 U.S. Open Championship, and a tied for seventh at the 2014 PGA Championship. His highly successful season earned him a spot on the 2014 Ryder Cup, another personal first. Jimmy Walker (USA) went as high as 17th in the Official World Golf ranking during the 2014 season. With three wins in 2014, Jimmy Walker (USA) is fully exempt until the 2017-2018 USPGA Tour season. Let’s hope he can put this disappointment behind him this past week have a great defense of his Sony Open in Hawaii next week. I wish him every continuing success for the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Coming in tied for third position at 272-20 after 72 holes was Jason Day (Australia); he earned US $332,666.67 for his efforts and moved to 38th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US$332,666.67 earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 145 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 47th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 145 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 which came this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his 62-11 in the final round that was blemish free and the equal low round of day and the tournament. It is great to see him back healthy after a thumb injury that caused him a lot of trouble last year!! He has already won two tournaments on the USPGA Tour with the first being the 2010 HP Byron Nelson Championship and the second came last year in the 2014 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship on the twenty third hole over the Frenchman, Victor Dubuisson (France). He also has had a very good record in Major Championships with since 2010 he has achieved seven top ten finishes in them with his best being tied for second at the Masters Tournament in 2011 and second at the 2011 U.S. Open Championship and second equal at the 2013 U.S. Open Championship. Let’s hope he can go one better in 2015 Major Championships. I wish him all the best for the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Also tied for third position was Russell Henley (USA); he too earned US $332,666.67 for his efforts and moved to eighteenth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $614,667 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 145 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to seventeenth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 287 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 one here this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his 65-8 in the first round which saw him have a one shot lead and his 67-6 in the final round which included him birding his last five holes!! 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 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 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. Let’s hope he can continue this form for the rest of the 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 Hideki Matsuyama (Japan); he too earned US $332,666.67 for his efforts and moved to tenth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $869,500 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 145 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tenth position on the current FedEx Cup points list standings with 410 points earned from the five events he has played in 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 three top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be extremely happy with his second and third rounds that were both 66-7s. And they were also the equal low round in the second round and the low round in the third round. But he will only be content with his first and final rounds that were both 70-3s especially his final round because he was tied for the lead after 54 holes. Hideki Matsuyama turned professional in April 2013 and won his second professional tournament, the 2013 Tsuruya Open on the Japan Golf Tour. Five weeks later, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) won his third title on the Japan Golf Tour at the Diamond Cup Golf tournament. Following a top 10 finish at the 2013 U.S. Open, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) entered the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking. He won his fourth Japan Golf Tour event in September at the Fujisankei Classic. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) would win his fifth Japan Golf Tour event in December at the Casio World Open. The win also made Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) the first rookie to lead the Japan Tour's money list. For 2014, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) qualified for the USPGA Tour through non-member earnings. In just seven USPGA Tour-sanctioned events, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) had six top-25 finishes, including a tied for sixth at the 2013 Open Championship. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) earned his first USPGA Tour win at the 2014 Memorial Tournament, beating Kevin Na (USA) in a playoff and moving to a career-high Official World Golf ranking of 13th. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) would win his sixth Japan Golf Tour event late in the 2014 season. In November, the victory came at the Dunlop Phoenix in a playoff over Hiroshi Iwata (Japan). I sure his second win will come during the 2014/15 season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Rounding out the top six in solo sixth position on 274-18 after 72 holes was Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea); he earned US $213,000 for his efforts and remained in second position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,559,000 earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 100 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and remained in second position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 705 points earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. From the four events he has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved three top ten finishes with includes the one this week and his win at the Frys.com Open to start the season back in early October last year. He will be happy with his opening three rounds that were all in the 60s especially his first round 66-7 which saw him only one shot off the lead. But he will only be content with his final round 70-3 which saw him score 37+1 on the front nine but he came back strong on the back nine scoring 33-4. In May 2013, Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) won his first USPGA Tour event at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, beating Keegan Bradley (USA) by two strokes. Sang – Moon - Bae (South Korea) (entered the final round a single stroke behind Keegan Bradley (USA), but birdied four out of his first seven holes to move four ahead. However Sang - Moon Bae (South Korea) double-bogeyed the ninth after finding water and bogeyed the 10th and 15th to drop back to a share of the lead. Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) then proceeded to birdie the 16th and when Keegan Bradley (USA) bogeyed the 17th, Sang - Moon Bae (South Korea) had a comfortable two shot lead to come down the 18th and secure his maiden victory. He became just the fourth South Korean-born winner on the USPGA Tour, after K.J. Choi (South Korea), Y. E. Yang (South Korea), and Kevin Na (South Korea). And as I mentioned earlier he won he won his second USPGA Tour event at the Frys.com Open in October last year. Despite the win, Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) was embroiled in political controversy late in 2014 since his work visa expired and he had yet to serve the compulsory two years in the South Korean military required of men age 18-35. I do hope he is allowed to stay in the USA and play the USPGA Tour for many more years to come because he is a hugely talented player and is sure to win many more tournaments. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup stays in Hawaii for the first
regular season event of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 season and it is the Sony
Open in Hawaii and is played on the Waialae CC, Honolulu, Hawaii. It
carries a large prize purse of US $5,600,000 for the taking. Jimmy Walker (USA)
is the defending champion and will be keen for back to back titles. Danny Lee
(NZL), Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and Steve Alker (NZL) are likely to gain starts as
well. It starts on Thursday 15th January and I will report back who won the
trophy next week.
So to the Top 5 on the Official
World Golf Rankings Points list this week and the first time for 2015 and
coming in at Number One Position for the twenty third week of his fifth spell
of his career and for the 63rd week of his career in total is Rory McILroy
(NIR) fresh off his tied for 15th position at the Emirates Australian Open six
weeks ago and seven weeks ago tied for second position at the DP World Tour
Championship, Dubai with 10.73 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at
Number Two is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his solo second finish five
weeks ago at the Hero World Challenge and seven weeks ago won at the DP World
Tour Championship, Dubai with 7.87 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at
Number Three is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his tied for second position
at the Australian PGA Championship four weeks ago and he finished in solo fifth
position at the Emirates Australian Open six weeks ago with 7.41 Official World
Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off
his solo tenth position at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions this past week
and tied for twenty fifth position at the Thailand Golf Championship four weeks
ago and tied for eleventh position at the Hero World Challenge five weeks ago
with 7.21 Official World Ranking Points; and rounding out the top 5 on the
Official Golf World Ranking Points list standings this week is Sergio Garcia
(Spain) who is fresh off his tie for ninth finish at the Thailand Golf
Championship four weeks ago and seven weeks ago finished in tied for twelfth
position at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai with 6.47 Official Golf World Ranking Points.
Danny Lee (NZL) is in his eleventh 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 eight weeks ago on the USPGA Tour. This week he slips
one place and falls to 221st position on the Official World Golf Rankings
Points list standings with 0.79 Official Golf World Ranking Points.
Remember when playing in very
warm conditions you must drink lots of fluid!!
Source: Pgatour.com,
Official World Golf Rankings, wikipedia.org, Google search engine,
europeantour.com, golfchannel.com,
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