Golf Events from the Weekend 8th February 2015

Well it was another awesome weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed north to San Diego for the Farmers Insurance Open and it was played on the Torrey Pines GC (South), San Diego, California. It carried a huge prize purse of US $6,300,000 for the taking. Scott Stallings (USA) was the defending champion and was keen to defend his title. Tiger Woods (USA) was playing for the second time on the 2014/15 USPGA Tour this season. Danny Lee (NZL) and Steve Alker (NZL) gained starts as well. And it was the golfer by the name of Jason Day (Australia) who scored rounds of 73+1, 65-7, 71-1 and a final round of 70-2 for a 72 hole total of 279-9 but he was tied on that score by Harris English (USA) who scored rounds of 68-4, 66-6, 73+1 and a final round of 72 even par for a 72 hole total of 279-9 also. J. B. Holmes (USA) scored rounds of 69-3, 70-2, 68-4 and a 72 even par for a 72 hole total of 279-9 also and finally Scott Stallings (USA) who was the defending champion scored rounds of 70-2, 72 even par, 68-4 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72 hole total of 279-9 also. So those four players headed back to the par five, eighteenth hole for the first playoff hole. 

 

Jason Day (Australia) plays out of a green side bunker during the final round

So to the first playoff hole which was the par five, eighteenth hole and all the players choose a number from the USPGA Tour Officials hat. Harris English (USA) drew number one and teed off first and lost his tee shot to the right in the rough right of the fairway bunkers. Scott Stallings (USA) drew number two and teed off next and he too lost his tee shot to the right in the right fairway bunker. J. B. Holmes (USA) drew number three from the hat and teed off third and he lost his tee shot to the left in the rough. Finally Jason Day (Australia) teed off last and hit a perfect long straight drive down the centre of the fairway. Harris English (USA) played his second shot first and he was in a dilemma whether to go for the green in two or lay up? After talking it over with his caddie he decided to lay up but he made a terrible mistake because the ball rolled just into the thick rough on the left. Scott Stallings (USA) played his second shot next and he laid up in the fairway 100 odd yards from the green in the middle of the fairway. J. B. Holmes (USA) played his second shot third and laid up to 100 odd yards from the green in the middle of the fairway. Jason Day (Australia) decided to go for the green just as he had done in regulation play. He chose his two iron and lost it slightly to the right and it landed in the fairway pin high to the right of the green. 

Scott Stallings (USA) was the first to play his third shot with his short wedge. It landed on the green fifteen feet past the pin and it spun too much and came back past the flag stick that was placed on the front left off the green over the Water Hazard know as “Devlin’s Billabong” after the famous Australian Golfer, Bruce Devlin’s “10" in 1975 during the Andy Williams San Diego Open where he put six balls in the water hazard!! And it left him with a twenty foot putt for his birdie. J. B. Holmes (USA) played his third shot second with his short wedge and landed it about twenty feet past the flag stick on the left hand side and it caught the slope and spun back to within seven feet of the cup and left him with a very makeable birdie putt. Harris English (USA) played his third shot third and struck a very good shot from the poor lie in the rough but it flew too far and landed at the back of the green leaving him a very difficult 45 foot putt for birdie that he would more than likely have to hole to stay in the playoff. Jason Day (Australia) played his third shot last and it was a short chip shot which he played to almost perfection and it carried over the ridge on the green and rolled down to two feet from the flag stick virtually assuring himself of a birdie. Harris English (England) putted for his birdie from 45 feet and he struck a fine putt under the circumstances which came up about a foot short of the cup. He tapped in for his par five and knew he was about to be eliminated from the playoff. Scott Stallings (USA) putted for his birdie from twenty feet and put a nice roll on it but it broke to the left at the end and he had to settle for his par five and he too knew he was about to be eliminated. J.B. Holmes (USA) now stood over his seven foot putt for birdie and he knew he would have to make it if he was going to extend the playoff to a second hole with Jason Day (Australia). It had a slight break in it from right to left and he put a perfect roll on it and rolled the putt right in the centre of the cup for his birdie four!! Jason Day (Australia) now had a two foot birdie putt to kept the playoff going to a second playoff hole. He rolled it straight in the middle of the cup!! So J.B. Holmes (USA) and Jason Day (Australia) headed to the par three, sixteenth hole for the second playoff hole. 

 

Jason Day (Australia) pumps his fist after holing the winning putt!!

So to the second playoff hole and J.B. Holmes (USA) teed off first at the par three, sixteenth hole and he choose a six iron off the tee and he must of been pumped up because he hit it right over the green and it hit the CBS Sports sounds microphone and bounced into the grandstand to rest against it. Jason Day (Australia) now stood on the tee knowing if he could just hit the green he would have a great chance of winning the playoff. Hit struck his mid iron straight over that flag stick and his ball checked on the second bounce. It came to rest fifteen feet past the flag stick. J. B. Holmes (USA) under the USPGA Tour Officials eyes dropped his ball from the grand stand but he knew his shot was nearly impossible to get up and down because the thick rough which was described as U.S. Open type rough all week made it so hard to control the ball!! He played the chip shot the best he could but it rolled out to fifteen feet past the pin. Jason Day (Australia) now stood over his fifteen foot putt for birdie and he knew if he holed it he was the champion. He missed it to the right and left himself two feet from the cup. J. B. Holmes (USA) now knew the fifteen foot putt for his par was a must to extend the playoff. He studied the break and struck a very good putt but it broke to the left just as it reached the cup. He tapped in for his bogey four and knew his chance of winning had vanished!! Jason Day (Australia) calmed his nerve and rolled in the three foot putt for his par and he was the 2015 Farmer Insurance Open Champion!! He pumped his fist in the air to celebrate the win then he got a hug from his caddie and coach, Colin Swatton. Then his wife, Ellie came running onto the green to give him a hug and kiss to celebrate the win with him and their young son Dash James was also by their side. Then he was interviewed by CBS Sports on course commentator, Peter Kostis and told him “He was so happy to win this week and he visualised himself holding the trophy even before the tournament began just as he had done with his previous two wins on the USPGA Tour” He also said “He has been working extremely hard on his game in the past few weeks and he wants to reach world number one in the near future”. 

 

Jason Day (Australia) on the left poses with his wife, Ellie on the right after he had just won!!

Jason Day (Australia) played a very good final round of 70-2 in the very difficult U.S. Open like conditions. He went out in 35-1 with his lone birdie coming on the par five, ninth hole. He then came home in 35-1 with brilliant birdies on the difficult par four, fifteenth and par three, sixteenth holes where he holed a forty footer for his birdie and he made a great up and down par from a buried lie in the bunker on the par four, seventeenth hole. He also got very fortunate on the par five, 72nd hole where he went for the green in two shots and was over the back in the deep rough. He faced a devilish chip down to the front left pin placement and it came out with two much over spin and he was very lucky not to end up in the Water Hazard know as “Devlin’s Billabong”!! He was inches above from the line of the water hazard so he could ground his club for his fourth shot. He flopped it up to within four feet of the cup and holed the putt for his par. His lone bogey on the back nine came when he three putted the short par four, tenth hole. And as I mentioned earlier he won on the second playoff.

 

Jason Day (Australia) cuddles his young son Dash James just after he won!!

Jason Day (Australia) earned US $1,134,000 for his efforts and moved to seventh position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,535,111 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. Jimmy Walker (USA) currently leads that list with US $2,193,394 earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. Jason Day (Australia) also earned 500 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to seventh position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup points list standings with 695 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far and he is 344 points behind the current leader of the FedEx Cup Points list who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 1,039 points from the six events he has played in to date so far this season. From the three events Jason Day (Australia) has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the win this week. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all under par especially his second round 65-7 on the north course and also how he played the two playoff holes one under par. But he will be just content with his first round 73+1. Jason Day (Australia) turned professional in July 2006 after winning the Green Jacket at the NEC Master of the Amateurs, signing with TaylorMade and Adidas and immediately began playing USPGA Tour events, principally through sponsors' exemptions. He made the cut in five of his first six USPGA Tour events as a professional with a best finish of eleventh at the Reno – Tahoe Open and with official winnings of over US $160,000. He entered USPGA Tour qualifying, or Q-School. He placed in the second of three rounds, he tied for first in his section of the second round, advancing to the Q-School finals. However, in the six-round finals he played poorly, shooting fifteen shots higher than the score needed to qualify. Accordingly, he failed to earn his 2007 USPGA Tour card but earned conditional status on the Nationwide Tour for 2007. 

 

Jason Day (Australia) poses with the Farmers Insurance Open trophy he won!!

Jason Day (Australia) won his first Nationwide Tour event in July 2007 at the Legend Financial Group Classic, becoming the youngest man to win on any of the USPGA Tour's three tours. The win jumped him to eighth on the Nationwide Tour's money list. He ended up finishing fifth on the money list to earn his USPGA Tour card for 2008. He had a mediocre season, but had conditional status for 2009. A second place finish at the Puerto Rico Open helped Jason Day (Australia) retain his card for 2010 and he finished 69th on the money list. In May 2010, he became the youngest Australian to win a USPGA Tour event, winning the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Jason Day (Australia) gained entry into his first ever Major Championship at the 2010 Open Championship after Greg Norman (Australia) withdrew. Jason Day (Australia) went on to make the cut and finish in a tie for 60th place. In August 2010, Jason Day (Australia) made his first appearance at the USPGA Championship where a 66 on Saturday helped him to finish seven-under-par for the tournament and earn his first top-10 in a major. This run of form continued during the FedEx Cup playoff season where Jason Day (Australia) enjoyed top-five finishes at the first two playoff events to qualify for the season ending Tour Championship. He would go on to finish tied for 17th at East Lake Golf Club and ended the 2010 season ranked 21st on the USPGA Tour money list. At the 2011 Masters Tournament, Jason Day (Australia) birdied the last two holes, but came up two strokes short of eventual winner Charl Schwartzel (RSA). Jason Day (Australia) tied for second with Adam Scott (Australia) and at −12 set the Masters Tournament record for the lowest score by a first time participant. This was Jason Day's (Australia) best performance in a Major Championship and throughout the final round Jason Day (Australia) was tied for the lead on a number of occasions before eventually finishing in a tie for second after Charl Schwartzel (RSA) made four consecutive birdies to win the tournament. In June 2011, Jason Day (Australia) participated at Congressional for the 2011 U.S. Open, his maiden appearance in a U.S Open. Following his successful run at the Masters Tournament, Jason Day (Australia) achieved consecutive second place finishes in the Major Championships, this time finishing alone in second, some eight strokes behind runaway leader Rory McILroy (NIR). He shot the equal lowest round of the week on Saturday, a 65, to jump up the leader board into a tie for third after round three. On Sunday, although he did not challenge for the lead, he was the best of the rest of the field as the Open was dominated by wire-to-wire winner Rory McIlroy (NIR).  As a result of his major performances, Jason Day (Australia) moved into the Official World Golf Ranking top-10 for the first time in his career at ninth. Despite not winning a tournament during 2011, Jason Day (Australia) ended the season ranked ninth on the USPGA Tour money list.

Jason Day (Australia) contended in a Major Championship once again at the 2013 Masters Tournament when he shot rounds of 70 and 68 to take a one shot lead over Fred Couples (USA) going to the weekend. In the third round, Jason Day (Australia) was tied for the lead through 16 holes but bogeyed the last two holes to shoot a 73 and finished two shots behind Brandt Snedeker (USA) and Angel Cabrera (Argentina). During the final round, Jason Day (Australia) got off to a quick start by going birdie-eagle to take a one shot lead. Jason Day (Australia) would later go on to birdie 13, 14, and 15 to take a one shot lead with three holes to play. However, he bogeyed 16 and 17 and just missed a birdie putt at 18 that would have tied the lead. He shot a 70 and finished two shots back in third place behind Adam Scott (Australia), and Angel Cabrera (Argentina). Jason Day (Australia) finished as a runner-up for the third time in a Major Championship at the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club. He finished in a tie for second alongside Phil Mickelson (USA), two strokes behind Justin Rose (England). Jason Day (Australia) tied the lead with a birdie at the 10th but bogeys at 11, 14, and 18 would prevent him from winning his first major championship. It was the second time in his career, Jason Day (Australia) had finished as a runner-up at the U.S. Open, and Jason Day (Australia) was also the only player in 2013 to hold a lead on the back nine Sunday at both majors. He also tied for the lowest cumulative score in all four majors in 2013, with fellow Aussie Adam Scott (Australia) at +2. In February 2014, Jason Day (Australia) won his first World Golf Championship event, the WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship, after a 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 on the twenty third hole. The win lifted Jason Day (Australia) to fourth in the world rankings. And as I mentioned earlier he won his third USPGA Tour event this week at the Farmers Insurance Open and again moved back to fourth in the world rankings. Let’s hope he can win more events in 2015 and perhaps his maiden Major Championship having already achieved seven top ten finishes in the fifteen Major Championships he has played to date so far. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in tied for second position on 279-9 and losing on the first playoff hole was Harris English (USA); he earned US $470,400 for his efforts and moved to sixteenth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $946,421 earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 208 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to fifteenth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup points list standings with 503 points earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. From the eight events he has played to date this season so far he has made six cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one this week. He will be happy with his first and second rounds that were both in the 60s and were both blemish free especially his second round 66-6 on the north course!! But he will be disappointed with his third and final rounds that were both in the low 70s especially his front nines which he played in three over on the weekend and had he played them in even par he would of been the clear winner. Harris English (USA) as a USPGA Tour rookie in 2012, Harris English (USA) made 22 of 27 cuts with three top ten finishes, and earned over $1.18 million to keep his tour card. He secured his first victory in 2013, at the FedEx St.Jude Classic in Memphis in June. His second USPGA Tour win came at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in November 2013. I feel his third win on the USPGA Tour is not that far off and it may come in the next few tournaments he plays in? I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Also tied for second position after losing on the second playoff hole was J.B. Holmes (USA); he also earned US $470,400 for his efforts and moved to 33rd position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $624,628 earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 208 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 35th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 311 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 five cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all at par and under par especially his 69-3 on the north course in the first round that was blemish free and his 68-4 in the third round on the south course which was the equal low round of the day!! But he will be disappointed he wasn’t able to hole crucial birdie putts on the 71st and 72nd holes because had he of holed one of them he would of been the champion and no playoff would have been required. But he can gain a lot of confidence out of this week as well because he played some awesome golf. The one mistake the expert commentators on CBS Sports said he made was “He laid up on the par five, 72nd hole where if he had gone for it he would of had more chance of making birdie”. But it is easy to question his decisions in hind sight. And he did make birdie when he was forced to lay up on the same hole on the first playoff hole. But the real mistake he made was air mailing the par three, sixteenth green on the second playoff hole and virtually handing the title to Jason Day (Australia). J. B. Holmes (USA) was medalist at the 2005 USPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament. He tied for tenth in his first USPGA Tour start at the 2006 Sony Open in Hawaii and in February that year he won the FBR Open, making him the fastest golfer to reach US $1,000,000 in career earnings on the USPGA Tour. It was his fifth tournament as a professional and his fourth on the USPGA Tour. After this victory his form fell away, and this continued in 2007 when he made only two top ten finishes and ended the year in 118th place on the money list. On February 3, 2008, J. B. Holmes (USA) won the FBR Open for the second Tour win of his career and also captured the tournament title for the second time in three years. Starting the final round with a four shot lead, on the 18th tee he was one shot behind Phil Mickelson (USA). J. B. Holmes (USA) birdied the 18th to force a play-off and then defeated Mickelson on the first playoff hole (the 18th) by making a six-foot birdie putt after a 359 yard drive. This victory took J.B. Holmes (USA) to 62nd in the Official World Golf Ranking. In 2008, J. B. Holmes (USA) reached a career-high 42nd in the Official World Golf Ranking. After shooting an 80 in the first round, J. B. Holmes (USA) withdrew from the 2011 PGA Championship in August. He had been dealing with vertigo symptoms for several months and eventually was diagnosed with structural defects in the cerebellum known as Chiari malformations. He underwent brain surgery on September 1, 2011, and about a month later, doctors discovered later that J. B. Holmes (USA) was allergic to the adhesive used on the webbed titanium plate at the base of his skull. He was airlifted from his home in Kentucky to John Hopkins in Baltimore for another surgery. J. B. Holmes (USA) returned to the USPGA Tour in late January 2012 at the Farmers Insurance Open. After brain surgery, J. B. Holmes (USA) played in 26 events in 2012. Elbow and ankle injuries limited him to six USPGA Tour events in 2013 and did not play again until the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. J. B. Holmes (USA) satisfied his medical extension through earnings at the 2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, finishing tied for eleventh. He would need a tied for 63rd finish at the Wells Fargo Championship to earn entry into the 2014 Players Championship via FedEx Cup points. J. B. Holmes (USA) would get his first win in six years, regained his USPGA Tour status through the 2015-2016 season, and moved from 242nd to 68th in the Official World Golf Ranking. The win also earned J. B. Holmes (USA) entry into the 2014 USPGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louiville, Kentucky. Let’s hope he can continue this fine form into his next few events he plays and perhaps achieve his fourth USPGA Tour win? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The final player to tie for second position and losing on the first playoff hole was the defending champion, Scott Stallings (USA); he also earned US $470,400 for his efforts and moved to twenty second position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $796,156 earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 208 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to twenty fourth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 386 points earned from seven events he has played to date this season so far. From the seven events he has played to date this season so far he has made six 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 at par or better especially his third round 68-4 which was the equal low round of the day and his 69-3 in the final which was an excellent round in the extremely tough conditions. It was a great defence of his title. Scott Stallings (USA) won the Greenbrier Classic in July 2011 for his first USPGA Tour victory. Despite struggling at times during the final round, Scott Stallings (USA) was able to earn his way into a three-way playoff. He made a birdie on the first playoff hole, while his opponents, Bob Estes (USA) and Bill Haas (USA) made par, which gave him the title. The win moved Scott Stallings (USA) from 88th in the FedEx Cup standings to 26th. His Official World Golf ranking went from 224th to 119th, after starting the year at 562nd. The win also qualified Scott Stallings (USA) for the 2011 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational, 2011 PGA Championship, 2012 Masters Tournament, and the 2012 Players Championship. Scott Stallings (USA) won his second career tournament at the 2012 True South Classic. Scott Stallings (USA) was unable to defend his title in Mississippi because he earned a spot in the 2013 Open Championship after an already exempt Phil Mickelson (USA) won the Scottish Open. It was the second consecutive major Scott Stallings (USA) earned entry as an alternate; he gained entry into the U.S. Open after another player withdrew. In January 2014, Scott Stallings (USA) won the Farmers Insurance Open. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the coming weeks and perhaps achieved his fourth USPGA Tour win in the 2015? I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Rounding out the top six in tied for fifth position at 278-8 after 72 holes was Charles Howell III (USA); he earned US $239,400 for his efforts and moved to 46th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $463,405 earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 105 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 49th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 244 points earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. From the nine events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all at par or better especially his final round 68-4 which was a fine effort in the difficult conditions. He was very unlucky not to be in the playoff because he missed a makeable birdie putt on the 72nd green. Charles Howell III (USA) has won twice on the USPGA Tour to date so far in his career with his first win coming in the 2002 Michelob Championship at Kingsmill and the second came at the 2007 Nissan Open in a playoff over Phil Mickelson (USA). He seems to have well under achieved throughout his USPGA Tour career to date so far because he had a star Amateur career winning the 2000 Haskins Award honouring the most outstanding collegiate golfer in the United States. I feel a lot of golf experts would of thought he would of won ten times on the USPGA Tour and have a couple of Major Championships by now with over fourteen years on tour to date so far. But he has only one top ten finish to his name in Major Championships and that came at the 2003 PGA Championship where he tied for tenth position. But he has represented the Team USA in the 2003 and 2007 Presidents Cup. At age 35 he is right in the prime of his career and perhaps in the next five years he will have some more wins? Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and perhaps his third win? I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.  

The final player to tie for fifth position was Alex Prugh (USA); he too earned US $239,400 for his efforts and moved to 75th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $285,033 earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 105 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 92nd position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 149 points earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. From the seven 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 under par especially his third round 69-3. Alex Prugh (USA) was born and raised in Spokane, Washington. He attended Joel E. Ferris High School, where he was a member of the golf team. He later went on to play at the University of Washington, where he was a three-time varsity Pac-10 All-Conference. Since turning professional in 2007, Alex Prugh (USA) has spent most of his career playing on the second tier Nationwide Tour, where he has one victory, which was achieved at the 2009 Michael Hill New Zealand Open. In 2009, he finished 16th on the money list to earn his 2010 USPGA Tour card. In his third start of the 2010 season, Alex Prugh (USA) started the final round of the Bob Hope Classic (rain delayed until Monday) tied for the lead and ended up finishing alone in fifth place, earning US $200,000. He followed that performance with another fifth place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open and a tenth place finish at the Northern Trust Open. Alex Prugh's (USA) best finish on the USPGA Tour is tied for second at the 2010 Frys.com Open. He finished eleventh on the 2013 Web.com Tour regular season money list to earn his 2014 USPGA Tour card. In 2013–14, he made only 4 cuts in 16 events and finished 206th on the FedEx Cup points list and lost his USPGA Tour card. However, he finished 41st in the Web.com Tour Finals to earn his USPGA Tour card for the 2014–15 season. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks to come and perhaps achieved his maiden USPGA Tour win in 2015? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Tiger Woods (USA) who was playing in his second tournament of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season in his first round went out in 37+1 playing the back nine first with his lone birdie coming on the par four, sixteenth hole and he bogeyed the par four, tenth hole and par three, twelfth hole. Then he birdied the par five, first hole, but made double bogey on the par four, second hole and had to withdraw because his back was playing up again!! So far this season he has earned no money on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings from the two events he has played in to date this season so far and hence he doesn’t have a current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list ranking. He also earned no FedEx Cup points and doesn’t currently have a 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points standings list ranking with no points earned as yet 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 no cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be disappointed that he had to withdraw midway through his first round because he thought his back problems were behind him!! Let’s hope he can get his back and his game sorted out for his next tournament which we are not sure where it will be as yet? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The best New Zealand Golfer in the field was Danny Lee (NZL) and he scored rounds of 71-1 in the first round which was good, then he scored a good second round of 70-2, and a poor third round of 73+1 and a good final round of 73+1 in the very tough conditions for a 72 hole total of 287+1 and he finished in tied for 32nd position. He earned US $32,690 for his efforts and currently lies in 37th  position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $547,418 earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 35 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and he currently lies in 38th  position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 291 points earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. From the ten events he has played to date this season so far he has made six cuts and achieved one top ten finish. He will be happy with his first and second rounds that were both under par but he will be just content with his third and final rounds that were both 73+1s but the course conditions were playing extremely difficult over the weekend. Let’s hope he can make some more cuts in the coming weeks and perhaps 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 next best New Zealand golfer in the field was Steve Alker (NZL) and he scored rounds of 74+2 in the first round which was poor and a good second round of 71-1 for a 36 hole total of 145+1 and he missed the cut by two shots. He currently lies in 172nd position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $55,248 earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. He is currently in 157th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 57 points earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. From the eight events he has played to date this season so far he has make three cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be very happy with his second round 71-1 but disappointed with his first round 74+2. 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.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads stays in California for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am and it is played on the Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California. It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,800,000 for the taking. Jimmy Walker (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL), Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and Steve Alker (NZL) are likely to gain starts as well. It also has famous sport persons from other sports and movie stars playing in the Amateur team event which always makes for interesting viewing. It starts on Thursday 12th February and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position for the twenty seventh week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 67th week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tenth win one week ago on the European Tour at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and three weeks ago he finished in solo second position at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and he tied for 15th position at the Emirates Australian Open ten weeks ago and eleven weeks ago tied for second position at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai with 11.51 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his tied for thirteenth position at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic one week ago and also he tied for 13th position at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters two weeks ago and missing cut at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship three weeks ago and he finished in solo second position nine weeks ago at the Hero World Challenge and eleven weeks ago won at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai with 7.48 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for second position at the Waste Management Phoenix Open one week ago and four weeks ago he had a solo tenth position at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and he tied for twenty fifth position at the Thailand Golf Championship seven weeks ago and tied for eleventh position at the Hero World Challenge nine weeks ago with 7.29 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off his win this past week at the Farmers Insurance Open with 6.82 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list standings this week is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his tied for second position at the Australian PGA Championship eight weeks ago and he finished in solo fifth position at the Emirates Australian Open ten weeks ago with 6.80 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is in his fifteenth week of a new spell being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his tied for 32nd position at the Farmers Insurance Open on the USPGA Tour this past week. This week he gains nine places and rises to 224th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 0.78 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember the more you play the luckier you get!!

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