Golf Events from the Weekend 22nd March 2015

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 stayed in the State of Florida for the fourth and final event of the Florida swing and it headed to Orlando for the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and it was played on the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida. The Legendary Arnold Palmer was the host this tournament. It carried a huge prize purse of US $6,200,000 for the taking. Matt Every (USA) was the defending champion and was keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL) gained a start as well. And it was the Golfer by the name of Matt Every (USA) who scored rounds of 68-4, 66-6, 69-3 and a final round of 66-6 for a 72 hole total of 269-19 after 72 holes and he won by one shot for his second USPGA Tour win of his career to date so far and also his second straight Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard defending the title he won last year. He won US $1,134,000 for the win and moved to twentieth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,299,641 earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. Bubba Watson (USA) still leads that list with US $2,680,950 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. Matt Every (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to twenty second position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 605 points earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far and he is 545 points behind the current leader of that list who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 1,150 points from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. From the ten events Matt Every (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made seven cuts and the win this week was his very first top ten finish of the season to date so far. Matt Every (USA) will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s (and he was the only player in the field to achieve that) especially his second round 66-6 which saw him have five birdies in a row from holes four to eight and his final round 66-6 which was the equal low round of the day and the birdie he made on the par four, 72nd hole won him the tournament.

 

Matt Every (USA) plays his second shot into the par four, 72nd hole with his short iron

Matt Every (USA) played a great final round under the circumstances which he scored 66-6 which included a front nine of 33-3 where he birdied the par four, third hole, par five, fourth hole, par five, sixth hole and par four, eight hole with his lone bogey coming on the par four, first hole and he made the turn at minus sixteen and was two shots behind the leader. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) went out in 35-1 and made the turn at minus seventeen and was one shot behind the leader. Matt Jones (USA) went out in 36 even par and made the turn at minus thirteen and was five shots behind the leader. Morgan Hoffman (USA) went out in 32-4 and made the turn at minus eighteen and was leading by one shot. 

Matt Every (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in two under par which included birdies on the par four, ten and eleventh holes and moved to minus eighteen and now was one shot behind the leader. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) played holes ten to fourteen in two under par and that included making birdies on the par four, eleventh hole and par five, twelfth hole and he moved to minus nineteen and now was leading by one shot. Matt Jones (Australia) played holes ten to fourteen in one under par and moved to minus fourteen and still was five shots behind the leader. Morgan Hoffman (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in two over par and fell back to minus sixteen and now was three shots behind the leader. 

Matt Every (USA) played holes fifteen to seventeen in even par which included three putting the par five, sixteenth hole and he remained at minus eighteen heading to the difficult par four, 72nd hole and was now tied for the lead. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) played holes fifteen to seventeen in one over par which included three putting the par four, fifteen hole for bogey and taking three shots to get the ball in the hole after reaching the back fringe of the par five, sixteenth hole in two shots and he fell back to minus eighteen and was now tied for the lead heading to the difficult par four, 72nd hole. Matt Jones (Australia) played holes fifteen to seventeen in three under par in which he birdied all three of them and he moved to minus seventeen and was now only one shot behind the leaders heading to the difficult par four, 72nd hole. Morgan Hoffman (USA) played holes fifteen to seventeen in one under par and moved to minus seventeen and now was only one shot behind the leader heading to the difficult par four, 72nd hole. 

 

Matt Every (USA) lines up his birdie putt on the par four, 72nd hole

Matt Jones (Australia) who was playing in the group ahead of the final group and made a solid par up the par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes at minus seventeen and was two shots behind the winner. Matt Every (USA) who was playing in the group ahead of the final group hit the par four, 72nd hole in regulation but was faced with a difficult twenty foot putt that was straight down the hill for his birdie. When he was lining up the putt for his birdie he heard a fan from the surrounding gallery cough and when he turned around he coughed again and muttered out of his breath “The putt is dead straight with hardly any break”. He took the fans advice and rolled his putt from twenty feet down to towards the cup at perfect holing speed and to every ones amazement it fell in the cup for his birdie three and he now had set the club house leading mark at minus nineteen after 72 holes and would have to wait for the final group to see if it would be good enough? Morgan Hoffman (USA) who was playing in the final group made a shocking double bogey on the par four, 72nd hole and it was caused by hitting his tee shot well left and out of bounds!! He finished the 72 holes on minus fifteen and was four shots behind the winner. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) hit a good drive down the par four, 72nd hole. Then he hit his short iron into twenty feet from the flag stick. He was now faced with that twenty foot putt for birdie to force a playoff with Matt Every (USA). After calming his nerves he put a good roll on it but it just broke to the left of the cup and he had to settle for his par four and finished the 72 holes at minus eighteen one shot behind the winner. 

Matt Every (USA) now could celebrate because he knew he was now the Arnold Palmer Invitational Champion for the second straight year!! He celebrated by giving his caddie, Derek Mason a high five and hug!! Then he gave his wife, Danielle a huge kiss and his children Liam and Quinn were by his side as well. Then he was interviewed by NBC Sports/Golf Channel reporter, Steve Sands and he told him “He was so happy to be able to defend his title on this same course because it brought back a lot of good memories for him!!”. He also told him “He has rededicated himself to the game of golf and because after he won his maiden USPGA Tour event here last year he felt like he wasn’t good enough when playing alongside the best players in the world at the Major Championships and WGC Events and winning this event for the second time will help him to feel he belongs out here”. 

 

Matt Every (USA) acknowledges the crowd after holing the winning putt!!

Matt Every (USA) (born December 4, 1983) is an American professional golfer who has won on both the USPGA Tour and Nationwide Tour. Matt Every (USA) was born in Daytona Beach, Florida. He attended Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, where he played for the Mainland Buccaneers men's golf team. He was recognized as the Volusia County Golfer of the Year for four consecutive years, and was an all-state selection after his junior and senior seasons. Matt Every (USA) accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Buddy Alexander's Florida Gators men’s golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 2003 to 2006. During his career as a Gator golfer, he was a three-time first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection (2004, 2005, 2006), and a four-time All-American (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006). As an amateur, he played in the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst in North Carolina and finished in a tie for 28th place. He was the recipient of the Ben Hogan Award, recognizing the best amateur golfer in the United States in 2006. 

 

Matt Every (USA) on the right and Arnold Palmer the tournament host on the left pose with the Arnold Palmer Invitational trophy he won!!

Matt Every (USA) turned professional after completing his NCAA eligibility in 2006. Before he found success on any major golf tour after turning professional, he competed on The Golf Channel's original series The Big Break in Mesquite, Nevada. Matt Every (USA) played in a select few USPGA Tour and Nationwide Tour events between 2006 and 2007 until he found a permanent home on the Nationwide Tour in 2008. In his second start in 2008, he finished runner-up in the Mexico Open. He finished the season with four top-10 finishes and made US $180,000 in earnings, just outside the top twenty five in earnings. In his 2009 sophomore year on the Nationwide Tour, Matt Every (USA) was ranked forty-ninth on the money list going into the Nationwide Tour Championship, needing a third place finish or better to obtain his USPGA Tour card for 2010. He had made fifteen of twenty-five cuts and had three top-10 finishes entering the season's final event. He shot a second-round 63 to take the 36-hole lead, a lead he did not relinquish. He won the event by three shots over Nationwide Tour money leader Michael Sim (USA). The win vaulted him to tenth on the money list, and qualifying him as a USPGA Tour rookie for 2010. Matt Every (USA) was one of three men arrested in a hotel in Bettendorf, Iowa and charged with possession of marijuana on July 6, 2010. In a statement, he denied possessing the drug but apologized for poor judgment. He was subsequently suspended for ninety (90) days from the Tour. Matt Every (USA) earned his first USPGA Tour win at the 2014 Arnold Palmer Invitational and would earn his first Masters Tournament invitation. And as I mentioned before he would go on to defend his title at the 2015 event. Let’s hope he can gain lots of confidence from this win and achieve some more good finishes in the weeks ahead. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in solo second position at 270-18 after 72 holes was Henrik Stenson (Sweden); he earned US $680,400 for his efforts and moved to eighteenth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,402,100 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 twenty first position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 608 points earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. From the four events Henrik Stenson (Sweden) has played to date this season so far he has made four cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which have come in his last three starts and includes the one this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his second and third rounds that were both under 66-6s and his third round was blemish free as well. But he will be just content with his final round 70-2 and angry with the par four, fifteenth hole and par five, sixteenth hole where he three putted both of them after being put on the clock by the USPGA Tour Official. But he is in great form at the moment and must be one of the favourites heading into the Masters Tournament (first Major Championship of the year) in three weeks time. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) has won four USPGA Tour events to date so far in his career and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2007 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship; 2009 The Players Championship; 2013 Deutsche Bank Championship and the 2013 Tour Championship. As you can see they are all big championship wins. He has also won nine events on the European Tour which he is also a member of and his last one came at the 2014 DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. On 22 September 2013, Henrik Stenson (Sweden) won The Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup. He also tied his career best OWGR ranking of fourth at the time. He then moved up to a career best third in the OWGR ranking on 3 November 2013. He finished the 2013 season ranked first on the USPGA Tour in greens in regulation, first in ball striking, second among money leaders, third in total driving, fourth in scoring average, and seventh in driving accuracy percentage. On 17 November 2013, he won the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, thereby also winning the Race to Dubai which he was already leading. Having already won the FedEx Cup Series in September, he thus became the first player to win the FedEx Cup on the USPGA Tour and the European Tour's Race to Dubai, and to do so in the same season, a 'historic double'. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) described his feat as a 'double-double' because in the process of winning these two seasonal points crowns, he also won the season finales of both tours (the Tour Championship and the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai).He was later named European Tour Golfer of the Year. In May 2014, Henrik Stenson (Sweden) reached a career high ranking of number two in the world, trailing only Adam Scott (Australia). And now has moved back to number two in the world after his solo second finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard this past week. Over the course of 2014, Henrik Stenson (Sweden) achieved career-best finishes at the Masters (Tied for fourteenth) and U.S. Open (tied for fourth) while tying a career-best finish at the PGA Championship (tied for third). Let’s hope he can keep this good form up in the weeks ahead and perhaps win his maiden Major Championship in 2015. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in solo third position at 271-17 after 72 holes was Matt Jones (USA); he earned US $428,400 for his efforts and moved to thirtieth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $999,182 earned from ten events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 190 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to thirty seventh position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 466 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 nine cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one here this week. He will be very happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his second round 65-7 which was blemish free. But he will just be content with his first round 71-1. He will be happy he has made his last nine cuts on the USPGA Tour and he could be a dark horse for the Master Tournament in three weeks time if he can get inside the top fifty golfers in the Official World Golf Rankings by next Monday to qualify (He is currently ranked 62nd) or win one of the next two events on the USPGA Tour. Matt Jones (Australia) in his 156th USPGA Tour start, got his first USPGA Tour win at the 2014 Shell Houston Open, beating Matt Kuchar (USA) on the first playoff hole when he made a 42-yard chip in for a birdie. He had previously made a 46-foot putt on the 18th hole to take the match to a playoff. The win also made Matt Jones (Australia) the last guaranteed entrant to the Masters Tournament and moved him to 41st in the Official World Golf Ranking. In May he finished 17th at The Players Championship. In the 2015 USPGA season, Matt Jones (USA) finished eleventh at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks to come and perhaps win his second event on the USPGA Tour in 2015? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in solo fourth position at 273-15 after 72 holes was Morgan Hoffmann (USA); he earned US $302,400 for his efforts and moved to seventy sixth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Money list standings with US $501,466 earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 135 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to seventy ninth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 273 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 that came at this very event. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his first round 66-6 that was blemish free and saw him in the lead by one shot and his second round 65-7 which saw him birdie six of seven holes on the front nine from holes three to nine!! But he will just be content with his third and final rounds that were both 71-1s especially his last nine holes of his final round which he played in 39+3. This finish was the best of the season to date for him and will give him a lot of confidence moving forward. He was also playing with a heavy heart this week as his Grandmother who was in her late nineties passed away just prior to him teeing off in the first round but he decided to play the tournament because that is what she would of wanted him to do. Morgan Hoffmann (USA) (born August 11, 1989) is an American professional golfer. Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, Morgan Hoffmann (USA) attended Ramapo High School. After winning two consecutive New Jersey state championships, Morgan Hoffmann (USA) relocated to the International Junior Golf Academy in Hilton Head, South Carolina to take advantage of the warm-weather and training opportunities. Morgan Hoffmann (USA) spent two years attending Oklahoma State University where he played on the golf team. As a highly rated amateur, he held the number one spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for a time in 2009, and played in that year's Walker Cup. After playing in the 2010 U.S. Open, Morgan Hoffmann (USA) decided to leave college early in order to turn professional. He qualified for his first professional major at the 2012 U.S. Open, finishing in a tie for 29th. Morgan Hoffmann (USA) has been a resident of Saddle Brook, New Jersey. Morgan Hoffmann (USA) played on the Web.com Tour in 2012, starting the season with no status and getting by on sponsor exemptions and Monday qualifiers. He played in 13 events and finished 19th on the money list, which earned him a promotion to the USPGA Tour. Let’s hope he can achieve more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Rounding out the top five in solo fifth position at 274-14 after 72 holes was Ben Martin (USA); he earned US $252,000 for his efforts and moved to fifteenth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US$1,682,452 earned from the twelve events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 110 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to eleventh position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 829 points earned from twelve events he has played to date this season so far. From the twelve events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one this week and his win in October last year at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He will be happy with his first three rounds that were all in the 60s especially his 67-5 in the second round that was blemish free. But he will be just content with his final round 71-1 which he played the front nine in 39+3 but he will be happy how he came back with 32-4 on the final nine holes!! As an amateur, Ben Martin (USA) played in three Major Championships and was the runner-up at the 2009 U.S. Amateur Championship. Having turned professional in 2010, he won in his second professional event, and finished runner-up at qualifying school for the USPGA Tour at the end of the year. In 2011 on the USPGA Tour, Ben Martin (USA) made the cut in 12 of 25 events and failed to earn enough money to retain his card for 2012 season. He played on the Web.com Tour in 2012 and 2013, picking up his first tour win at the 2013 United Leasing Championship. He finished second on the 2013 Web.com Tour regular season money list to earn his 2013/14 USPGA Tour card. On October 19, 2014, Ben Martin (USA) played the last four holes in 4-under-par, including a 46-foot eagle putt on the par five, 16th hole to earn his first career USPGA Tour win at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open by two strokes over Kevin Streelman (USA). Ben Martin (USA) will gain a lot of confidence from this finish and I feel his second win could come this season as well. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.  

The best New Zealand Golfer in the field was Danny Lee (NZL) and he scored rounds of 72 even par in the first round which was average, then he scored an excellent second round of 64-8 which was blemish free and the low round of the day and the week, and a good third round of 71-1 and a average final round of  72 even which he played with the World Number Golfer, Rory McILroy (NIR)  for a 72 hole total of 279-9 and he finished in tied for seventeenth position. He earned US $91,350 for his efforts and moved to fortieth  position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $836,052 earned from the fifteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 52 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to forty second position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 430 points earned from the fifteen events he has played to date this season so far. From the fifteen events he has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one last  week at the Valspar Championship and also his tied for third finish at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in mid November last year. He will be extremely happy with his second round 64-8 which was blemish free and the low round of the day and the whole tournament and he birdied the par four, first hole, par three, second hole, par four, fifth hole, par five, sixth hole and par four, ninth hole to go out in 31-5 then he birdied the par four, tenth hole, par four, thirteenth hole and par five, sixteenth hole to come home in 33-3!! But he will just be content with his first and third and final rounds that were all in the low 70s. This finish should give Danny Lee (NZL) a lot of confidence going forward and it was nice for him to make another cut and have a top twenty finish the week after his second top ten finish of the season to date as prior to the top ten finish at the Valspar Championship last week and since his last top ten finish in mid November last year he had only made three cuts in those seven events and his best finish was tied for thirty second position at the Farmers Insurance Open in early February. Let’s hope he can have some more top ten finishes in the coming weeks and perhaps achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. Danny Lee (NZL) 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). I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to San Antonio for the first of two events in the first Texas Swing of the USPGA Tour season and it is the Valero Texas Open and it is played on the JW Marriott TPC San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,200,000 for the taking. Steven Bowditch (Australia) is the defending champion and will be keen for back to back titles. Danny Lee (NZL), Steve Alker (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) will more than like gain starts as well. It starts on Thursday 26th March 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 thirtieth third week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 73rd week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tied for eleventh position this past week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard and two weeks ago he tied for ninth position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship with 10.93 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his solo second position this past week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard and one week ago he finished in solo fourth position at the Valspar Championship with 7.96 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his solo third position two weeks ago at the WGC – Cadillac Championship and four weeks ago he tied for fourteen position at the Northern Trust Open with 7.68 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off his tie for seventeenth position at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard this past week and two weeks ago he tied for thirty first position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship with 6.61 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top five on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list standings this week is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his tied for thirty fifth position at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard this past week and one week ago he missed the cut at the Valspar Championship with 6.57 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) this week is in his first week of another spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his tied for tied for seventeenth position this past week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard on the USPGA Tour. This week he gains fifteen places and rises to 190th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 0.93 Official Golf World Ranking Points. 

Remember the most important shot in golf is the one you are about to play!!

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

Golf Events from the Weekend 15th March 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 had the third event of four in the Florida Swing and it was Valspar Championship and it was played on the Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead), Palm Harbor, Florida. It carried a huge prize purse of US $5,900,000 for the taking. John Senden (Australia) was the defending champion and was keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) gained starts as well. And it was the golfer by the name of Jordan Spieth (USA) who scored rounds of 70-1, 67-4 which was the equal low round of the day in the second round, 68-3 and a final round of 69-2 for a 72 hole total of 274-10 but he was tied on that same score by Sean O’Hair (USA) who scored rounds of 66-5, 72+1, 69-2 and a final round of 67-4 for a 72 hole total of 274-10 also. The final player to tie after 72 holes on that score was Patrick Reed (USA) who scored rounds of 72+1, 68-3, 68-3 and a final round of 66-5 which was blemish free for a 72 hole total of 274-10 after also.  

 

Jordan Spieth (USA) walks to his ball during the final round

So those three players headed back to the par four, eighteenth hole for the first playoff hole and the USPGA Tour Official introduced them to the CEO of Valspar (Who was the tournaments naming rights sponsor) who had three pieces of paper in a hat and told each player to choose one Patrick Reed (USA) choose number one so he teed off first, Jordan Spieth (USA) choose number three so he teed off third and Sean O’Hair (USA) choose number two and teed off second. Patrick Reed (USA) teed off first and struck an excellent drive that started up the right hand side of the fairway and drew back to finish right in the centre. Sean O’Hair (USA) teed off second and he lost his drive to the right just as he did in regulation play, it hit the cart path and came to rest in the trees. Jordan Spieth (USA) teed off last and he hit a good drive that started down the right hand centre of the fairway and drew back to finish just in the left hand side first cut of rough leaving an easy short iron shot to the green. Sean O’Hair (USA) after he was given relief from the cart path played his second shot first from the right rough after discussing the shot with his caddie they both agreed on a six iron. He struck a very good shot under the circumstances and it flew right over the flag stick and came to rest on the green thirty feet past the pin leaving a difficult two putt but he had got up and down from a similar position in regulation play. Patrick Reed (USA) played his second shot next and he struck his eight iron very good but it came up a little shy and plugged in the bunker in front of the green. Jordan Spieth (USA) played his second shot third with his short iron from just in the first cut of rough and it never left the pin and came to rest ten feet to the right of the pin just past pin high. Patrick Reed (USA) played his third shot first from the plugged lie in the front of the front left green side bunker. He played it the best he could and it came out short of the pin on the green and left him with an eight foot putt up the hill for his par. Sean O’Hair (USA) now putted for his birdie from thirty feet and he struck a very good putt that came to rest a foot right of the cup. He tapped in for his par four and properly thought his chance of winning had slipped through his fingers. Jordan Spieth (USA) now had his putt for birdie from ten feet to win the championship. He calmed his nerve and put a good stroke on it but it never took the right to left break as he expected and he missed by inches on the right hand side. He tapped in for his par and he knew he was heading to the second playoff hole. Patrick Reed (USA) now was faced an eight foot putt up the hill for his par to join the other two players for the second playoff hole. Just as he had done in the past he proved he was the guy for the big moment and he put a brilliant roll on it and rolled it right into the centre of the cup!! So those three players headed to the par four, sixteenth hole for the second playoff hole. 

So to the second playoff hole which was the par four, sixteenth hole. Patrick Reed (USA) teed off first and struck a good drive down the centre of the fairway with a slight draw and it came to rest in the left rough. Sean O’Hair (USA) teed off next and choose a three wood and it went straight down the middle of the fairway with a slight fade leaving himself an excellent angle to the green. Jordan Spieth (USA) teed off last and struck a good drive with a slight fade on it and it rolled through the fairway into the left hand rough. Sean O’Hair (USA) played his second shot first and struck a brilliant shot with his six iron that had a slight fade on it and rolled up just past the pin on the left hand side and came to rest about eight feet from the flag stick.  Jordan Spieth (USA) played his second shot second with his short iron and he stuck a very aggressive shot that immediately after he struck it he was calling for it to get down but it turned out okay with coming to rest in the back fringe leaving him an outside chance at birdie. Patrick Reed (USA) played his second shot last and he knew straight away he had hit a jumper from the rough and it bounced in the fringe at the back of the green and hopped into the thick rough leaving a very difficult chip shot for his third. Patrick Reed (USA) played his third shot chip from the rough first and just as he had displayed all day with his short game he pulled another Rabbit out of the hat and chipped his ball out soft and it landed in the fringe and rolled down to two feet past the pin leaving a tap in par putt. Jordan Spieth (USA) putted for his birdie from the back fringe and struck a good putt but it missed on the left and came to rest two feet from the cup. Both Patrick Reed (USA) and Jordan Spieth (USA) now knew their fate rested in Sean O’Hair (USA) hands as he lined up his eight foot putt for his birdie that was now for the win. After looking at it from all angles he calmed his nerve and put a very good stroke on it. He rolled it at perfect speed and it took the very slight left to right break and five feet out it was going to drop for sure, but it caught the right lip and spun out, and he tapped in from three feet for his par. Jordan Spieth (USA) and Patrick Reed (USA) also tapped their par putts in and all three players headed to the par three, seventeenth hole for the third playoff hole. 

So to the third playoff off hole which was the par three, seventeenth hole. Patrick Reed (USA) teed off first and the shot just didn’t fit his eye as it required a fade to the back right pin placement. But his game is a draw and if he was going to get the ball close to the pin he would have to take on the trees on the right and draw it back. It was coming in on a good line over the trees but he should have chosen one more club because it came up short in the right front green side bunker. Sean O’Hair (USA) teed off next and this shot was right in his wheelhouse because his bread and butter shot is a left to right fade but as soon as he struck the six iron shot he knew he had slightly pulled it and it came to rest on the green to the left pin high about thirty feet from the flag stick. Jordan Spieth (USA) teed off last and he worked his mid iron in from left to right and it landed on the front of the green leaving him a twenty eight foot birdie putt. Patrick Reed (USA) played his second shot first from the front right green side bunker. With no green to work with he displayed another excellent bunker shot that he splashed out to within four feet of the cup. Sean O’Hair (USA) now lined up his thirty footer for birdie. He struck a good putt but it came up four feet short of the cup and he put a mark on it. Now Jordan Spieth (USA) had a putt to win the championship from twenty eight feet and after studying it intensely he put an aggressive stroke on it knowing if it went in he would win his second USPGA Tour event. It took the left to right break perfectly and dropped in the centre of the cup!! Jordan Spieth (USA) pumped his fists in the air to celebrate!! Then he embraced his caddie, Michael Greller by high fiving and hugging him!! He also got acknowledgement and congratulations from his fellow competitors Patrick Reed (USA) and Sean O’Hair (USA)!! Then he was interviewed by NBC Sports/Golf Channel on course reporter, Steve Stands and he told him “It was a crazy back nine with being three shots down with six holes to play but the snake pit (Which refers to the final three holes) became very difficult and it meant he still had a chance to win and he and his caddie, Michael Greller teamed the best they ever had with the decisions they made under pressure. And his scrambling coming in during the final holes in regulation play kept him in the game. But he admitted he was very lucky to hole the final putt that won him the tournament because if it had missed it would have been four feet past and left a difficult par save. But he then said “I guess it was just my day” He also said “He thanked the fans this week because he feed off their energy and they were so positive towards him wanting him to succeed!!” And he owes a lot of credit to them and his caddie, Michael Greller who helped him remain positive in the deepest of pressurised situations which a playoff and final round on the USPGA Tour throws at you!!”. It was Jordan Spieth (USA) second USPGA Tour win and he is still yet to reach the age of twenty two and he became the third youngest player in USPGA Tour history to win multiple PGA Tour events, behind Tiger Woods (USA) and Sergio Garcia (Spain). He became the fourth player ever to win more than one USPGA Tour event before turning Twenty Two years old, following Tiger Woods (USA), Sergio Garcia (USA) and Robert Gamez (USA). 

 

Jordan Spieth (USA) celebrates after holing the winning birdie putt on the third playoff hole!!

Jordan Spieth (USA) won US $1,062,000 for the win and moved to sixth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,907,796 earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. Bubba Watson (USA) still leads that list with US $2,680,950 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. Jordan Spieth (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup points for the win and moved to seventh position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 864 points earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far and he is 286 points behind the current leader of that list who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 1,150 points from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. From the seven events Jordan Spieth (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made six cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the win this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his final three rounds that were all in the 60s and his second round 67-4 was the equal low round of the day and he will be extremely happy with how he played the three playoff holes especially the third playoff hole where he made the twenty eight foot birdie putt to win!!

Jordan Spieth (USA) has won two USPGA Tour events with the first one being the 2013 John Deere Classic and 2015 Valspar Championship and both have come in playoffs. He also won the 2014 Emirates Australian Open and 2014 Hero World Challenge (Tiger Woods Tournament) in back to back weeks at the end of last year. Jordan Spieth (USA) opened the 2013 season by missing the cut by two strokes at the Framers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in January. In March, Jordan Spieth (USA) made three cuts, finishing tied for second at the Puerto Rico Open and tied for seventh at the Tampa Bay Championship. He notched another top-10 finish in April at the RBC Heritage, a tie for ninth. He earned Special Temporary Member status in March, allowing him unlimited sponsor exemptions. On July 14, about two weeks before his twentieth birthday, Jordan Spieth (USA) won the John Deere Classic in a three-way, sudden-death playoff on the fifth playoff hole against defending champion Zach Johnson (USA) and David Hearn (Canada). He became the fourth youngest USPGA Tour winner and the first teenager in 82 years; last accomplished by Ralph Guldahl (USA) at the Santa Monica Open in 1931. Jordan Spieth (USA) holed out from a greenside bunker on the 72nd hole to make the playoff. 

With the victory, Jordan Spieth (USA) was granted full status as a USPGA Tour member and became eligible for the FedEx Cup, entering in eleventh place in the standings. It also earned him entry into the next three majors: the 2013 Open Championship, PGA Championship, and 2014 Masters Tournament. He moved to 59th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Only five weeks after his first victory, Jordan Spieth (USA) played the Wyndham Championship, where he lost in a playoff to Patrick Reed (USA). The runner-up finish moved him up to 36th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Jordan Spieth (USA) shot a final round 62 in the Deutsche Bank Championship, vaulting him into a tie for fourth and 28th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Just two days later, captain Fred Couples (USA) selected Jordan Spieth (USA) for the United States squad in the 2013 Presidents Cup. On September 27, 2013, Jordan Spieth (USA) was named USPGA Tour Rookie of the Year. He ended the 2013 season tenth on the USPGA Tour money list, and ranked twenty second in the world, after beginning the year 810th with no status.

 

Jordan Spieth (USA) on the left and his caddie, Michael Greller on the right pose with the Valspar Championship trophy he won!!

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. In November, Jordan Spieth (USA) won his second tournament as a professional at the Emirates Australian Open on the PGA Tour of Australasia; in the final round he shot a course-record 63 to win the title by six strokes. A week later Jordan Spieth (USA) completed back-to-back victories, winning the Hero World Challenge in Florida. He won the tournament wire-to-wire and in doing so set a new tournament scoring record of 26-under-par. And as I mentioned earlier On March 15, Jordan Spieth (USA) won the Valspar Championship in a three-way playoff with Patrick Reed (USA) and Sean O’Hair (USA). He secured his victory on the third extra hole by sinking a twenty eight foot birdie putt. 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 and perhaps it will happen at the Masters Tournament next month. I wish him all the best for the remaining events for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in tied for second position at 274-10 after 72 holes and losing on the third playoff hole was Sean O’Hair (USA); he earned US $519,200 for his efforts and moved to forty seventh position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $742,555 earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 245 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to thirty eighth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with 422 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 eight cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his first, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his first round 66-5 and his final round 67-4 which saw him play the back nine in 31-4 to make the playoff. But he will be disappointed with his second round 72+1 and also that he wasn’t able to hole the very makeable birdie putt on the second playoff hole that would of won him the Championship. But he can gain a lot of confidence out of this week and how he performed under the intense pressure!! Sean O’Hair (USA) has won four USPGA Tour events in his career to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent; 2005 John Deere Classic; 2008 PODS Championship; 2009 Quail Hollow Championship and 2011 RBC Canadian Open. He has recorded two top ten finishes in Major Championships with a tie for tenth position at the 2009 Masters Tournament and a tie for seventh position at the 2010 Open Championship. Sean O'Hair (USA) had a number of issues to deal with in 2011, one of which was the fact that he split from his swing coach Sean Foley. For the first half of the season, Sean O'Hair (USA) battled with his swing but could not find any consistent play. He missed 10 out of 17 cuts from the start of the season to mid July, which included five straight missed cuts in the middle of the season. He was ranked well outside the top 125 after The Open Championship in July and his season best at that point was a tie for 16th place at Colonial. However Sean O'Hair (USA) won the RBC Canadian Open, the first event after The Open Championship in a playoff over American Kris Blanks (USA) for his first USPGA Tour title in over two years. In brutally tough conditions in Vancouver, Sean O'Hair (USA) fought back from a second round 73 on the par 70 course to shoot 66-68 on the weekend. Only eight players finished under par for the week and Sean O'Hair (USA) was tied at -4 with Kris Blanks after regulation play. Replaying the eighteenth, both players found trouble from the tee, Sean O’Hair (USA) decided to lay well back and in the fairway, whereas Kris Blanks (USA) went for it and found the greenside bunker. Sean O'Hair (USA) played his pitch safely onto the front of the green, but Kris Blanks' (USA) bunker shot trickled off the back of the green and he then pitched up to six feet away. Sean O'Hair (USA) two putted for his bogey but when Kris Blanks (USA) missed his six footer coming back, Sean O'Hair (USA) was declared champion at the first extra hole. As a result of this win, Sean O'Hair (USA) moved up from 147th to 43rd on the FedEx Cup list. Also having dropped out of the world's top 100 earlier in the season, he regained that place by rising to 60th in the rankings on July 25. In 2012 Sean O'Hair (USA) finished tied for second position at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He made the cut 19 times in 24 events and finished 63rd in the FedEx Cup. In 2013 Sean O'Hair (USA) had his worst USPGA Tour season since joining full-time. He only made 7 cuts in 22 events with only two top-25 finishes and three withdrawals. He played in the Web.com Tour Finals and finished 16th to retain his USPGA Tour card for 2014. In 2014 Sean O'Hair (USA) played in 25 USPGA Tour events, but only had one top 10 and finished 160th in the FedEx Cup, which meant a return to the Web.com Tour Finals. He successfully regained his USPGA Tour card. And as I mentioned earlier in 2015 Sean O'Hair (USA) was given a sponsor's exemption to the Valspar Championship in Tampa, Florida. He tied for the lead after shooting a final-round 4-under 67, which got him into a playoff with Jordan Spieth (USA) and Patrick Reed (USA) at 10-under 274. Jordan Spieth (USA) emerged victorious. Let’s hope Sean O’Hair (USA) can have more top ten finishes in the weeks to come and perhaps win his fifth USPGA Tour event in the 2015 season? I wish him all the best with the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The other player to tie for second position and losing on the third playoff hole also was Patrick Reed (USA); he too earned US $519,200 for his efforts and moved to fourth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,168,233 earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 245 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to third position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,076 points earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. From the nine events Patrick Reed (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one here this week and also his win at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in early January. He will be extremely happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his final round 67-5 which was blemish free!! But he will be disappointed with his first round 72+1 and how he played in all three playoff holes because he missed the green on all of them and never gave himself a chance at birdie that he needed to win. But he is in awesome form at the moment and he will be a contender at the first Major Championship of the year which is the Masters Tournament in the second week of April. Patrick Reed (USA) has now won four times on the USPGA Tour in the last 19 months and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2013 Wyndham Championship, 2014 Humana Challenge, 2014 WGC – Cadillac Championship and the 2015 Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Patrick Reed (USA) turned professional in 2011 after the NCAA Championship. On June 2011, Patrick Reed (USA) played in his first USPGA Tour event, the FedEx St. Jude Classic, where he missed the cut after the second round. Patrick Reed (USA) played two more events in 2011, earning just over $20,000. On the Nationwide Tour (now Web.com Tour), Patrick Reed (USA) played two events and earned just over $5,000. In 2012 Patrick Reed (USA) played in 12 events on the USPGA Tour on sponsor’s exemptions and through Monday qualifying (six times). He made seven cuts and earned over $300,000.  His best finish was tied for eleventh at the Frys.com Open. He finished tied for 22nd at the USPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament to earn his USPGA Tour card for 2013 season. In 2013 Patrick Reed (USA) picked up his first top-ten 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 Patrick Reed (USA) at the 2014 Humana Challenge, Patrick Reed (USA) set the USPGA Tour record for most strokes under par after 54 holes. His rounds of 63-63-63, were 27-under-par. The tournament's first three rounds are played on three different courses. The previous record was 25-under-par, set by Gay Brewer (USA) at the 1967 Pensacola Open and tied by Ernie Els (RSA) at the 2003 Mercedes Championships, Pat Perez (USA) at the 2009 Bob Hope Classic (the previous name of the Humana event) and Steve Stricker (USA) at the 2010 John Deere Classic. All four other players won those tournaments. It was also the first time in USPGA Tour history that a player opened a tournament with three rounds of 63 or better. Patrick Reed (USA) won the tournament by two strokes over Ryan Palmer (USA). On March 9, Patrick Reed (USA) earned his biggest win to date with a victory in the WGC – Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida. He earned US $1.53 million with the one-shot win over Bubba Watson (USA) and Jamie Donaldson (Wales). Patrick Reed (USA) 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 Reed to 20th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Patrick Reed (USA) was also the first USPGA Tour golfer to have three wins before playing in his first major, the 2014 Masters Tournament. Let’s hope he can continue this form throughout the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. And win some more WGC – Championship events and his maiden Major Championship. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.

Coming in solo fourth position at 275-9 after 72 holes was Henrik Stenson (Sweden); he earned US $283,200 for his efforts and moved to forty eighth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $721,700 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 135 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to sixty fifth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 308 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. From the three events he has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all at par and under par especially his first round 67-4 which was blemish free and his final round 67-4. But I bet he just wishes he could have been one shot lower and then he would have made the playoff. But he is in great from at the moment and he too would be a favourite for the first Major Championship of the year which is the Masters Tournament in the second week of April. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) has won four USPGA Tour events to date so far in his career and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2007 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship; 2009 The Players Championship; 2013 Deutsche Bank Championship and the 2013 Tour Championship. As you can see they are all big championship wins. He has also won nine events on the European Tour which he is also a member of and his last one came at the 2014 DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. On 22 September 2013, Henrik Stenson (Sweden) won The Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup. He also tied his career best OWGR ranking of fourth at the time. He then moved up to a career best third in the OWGR ranking on 3 November 2013.He finished the 2013 season ranked first on the USPGA Tour in greens in regulation, first in ball striking, second among money leaders, third in total driving, fourth in scoring average, and seventh in driving accuracy percentage. On 17 November 2013, he won the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, thereby also winning the Race to Dubai which he was already leading. Having already won the FedEx Cup Series in September, he thus became the first player to win the FedEx Cup on the USPGA Tour and the European Tour's Race to Dubai, and to do so in the same season, a 'historic double'. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) described his feat as a 'double-double' because in the process of winning these two seasonal points crowns, he also won the season finales of both tours (the Tour Championship and the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai).He was later named European Tour Golfer of the Year. In May 2014, Henrik Stenson (Sweden) reached a career high ranking of number two in the world, trailing only Adam Scott (Australia). Over the course of 2014, Henrik Stenson (Sweden) achieved career-best finishes at the Masters (Tied for fourteenth) and U.S. Open (tied for fourth) while tying a career-best finish at the PGA Championship (tied for third). Let’s hope he can keep this good form up in the weeks ahead and perhaps win his maiden Major Championship in 2015. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in solo fifth position at 276-8 after 72 holes was Ryan Moore (USA); He earned US $236,000 for his efforts and moved to fifth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,961,126 earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 110 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to sixth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 877 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 seven cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one this week and also his win at the CIMB Classic in early November last year. He will be happy with his first, second and third rounds that were all under par and in the 60s and saw him take the 54 hole lead into the final round especially his 67-4 in the third round which was blemish free and also the equal low round of the day. But he will be extremely disappointed with his final round 72+1 and especially his final six holes which he played three over par after having a three shot leading heading to the par three, thirteenth tee. But the main highlight of his final round would be his eagle two on the par four, sixth hole where he holed out from the fairway. But the way he finished when he seemed to be in control of the tournament will dent his confidence especially his bogey on the par four, 72nd hole when birdie would have got him in the playoff. Ryan Moore (USA) has won four USPGA Tour events to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2009 Wyndham Championship; 2012 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open; 2013 CIMB Classic and 2014 CIMB Classic. He has achieved two top ten finishes in Major Championships as well with the first coming in the 2006 PGA Championship where he tied for ninth position and in the 2009 U.S. Open Championship where he tied for tenth position. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the coming weeks on the USPGA Tour. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Rounding out the top six in solo sixth position after 72 holes was Troy Merritt (USA); he earned US $212,400 for his efforts and moved to 111th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $305,314 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 100 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 108th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 206 points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. From the eleven 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 second and final rounds that were both in the 60s especially his final round 66-5. But he will just be content with his first and third rounds that were both in the low 70s. But he has got to be very happy with this finish after missing his last three straight cuts. Troy Merritt (USA) (born October 25, 1985) is an American professional golfer who has plays on the USPGA Tour and the Web.com Tour. Troy Merritt (USA) was born in Osage, Iowa. He played college golf at Winona State University until after his sophomore year, when he transferred to Boise State University. He was first team All-WAC for Boise State and tied the school-record for a low round score when he posted a 62 (-9) in the second round of the District VII Shootout. Troy Merritt (USA) turned professional in 2008. Troy Merritt's (USA) first win on the Nationwide Tour came on September 6, 2009 when he won a US $117,000 purse at the Mexico Open, beating Australia's Adam Bland (Australia) with a twenty foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff.  On December 7, 2009,Troy Merritt (USA)  became only the third golfer to medal at USPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament by leading after every round. Despite a double-bogey on the final (108th) hole of the six round tournament he won by one stroke over veteran Jeff Maggert (USA) with a score of twenty two under-par. In 2010, Troy Merritt (USA) finished 125th on the USPGA Tour Final Money list standings, earning the final spot to retain a tour card. Troy Merritt (USA) currently resides in Arizona with his wife Courtney. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks to come. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The best New Zealand Golfer in the field was Danny Lee (NZL) and he scored rounds of 72+1 in the first round which was average, then he scored an excellent second round of 69-2, and a good third round of 71 even par and a brilliant final round of 67-4 which was blemish free and included a front nine of 32-4 with birdies on the par five, first hole, par five, fifth hole, par four, sixth hole and par four, seventh hole and then he played the back nine in nine consecutive pars for a 72 hole total of 279-5 and he finished in tied for seventh position. He earned US $183,883.34 for his efforts and moved to forty sixth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $744,702 earned from the fourteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 85 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to  forty fifth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 378 points earned from the fourteen events he has played to date this season so far. From the fourteen events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one this week and also his tied for third finish at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in mid November last year. He will be extremely happy with his second and final rounds that were both in the 60s especially his final round 67-4 which was blemish free. But he will just be content with his first and third rounds that were both in the low 70s. This finish should give Danny Lee (NZL) a lot of confidence going forward as prior to this top ten finish here and since his last top ten finish in mid November last year he had only made three cuts in those seven events and his best finish was tied for thirty second position at the Farmers Insurance Open in early February. Let’s hope he can have some more top ten finishes in the coming weeks and perhaps achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. Danny Lee (NZL) 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). 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 Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and he scored a shocking first round of 75+4, then an average second round of 72+1 for a 36 hole total of 146+5 and he missed the cut by four shots. He currently lies in 183rd  position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $80,303 earned from the twelve events he has played to date this season so far. He is currently in tied for 174th   position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 78 points earned from the twelve events he has played to date this season so far. From the twelve events he has played to date this season so far he has made four cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be very content with his second round 72+1 in difficult conditions but disappointed with his first round that was 75+4 which all the damage was done on the front nine where he scored 40+4. In the last seven events he has played on the USPGA Tour he has only made one cut. 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.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup stays in the State of Florida for the fourth and final event of the Florida swing and it heads to Orlando for the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and it is played on the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida. The Legendary Arnold Palmer hosts this tournament. It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,200,000 for the taking. Matt Every (USA) is the defending champion and will be keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) are likely to gain starts as well. It starts on Thursday 19th March 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 thirtieth second week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 72nd week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tied for ninth position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship one week ago and two weeks ago missed cut at the Honda Classic with 11.16 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his solo third position one week ago at the WGC – Cadillac Championship and three weeks ago he tied for fourteen position at the Northern Trust Open with 7.63 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his solo fourth position at the Valspar Championship this past week and one week ago he tied for fourth position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship with 7.41 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his missed cut at the Valspar Championship this past week and one week ago he tied for fourth position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship with 6.84 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top five on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list standings this week is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off his tied for thirty first position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship one week ago and he tied for fourth position four weeks ago at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am with 6.61 Official World Ranking Points. Ryan Fox (NZL) this week is in his fourth week of his first spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his tied for fifth ninth position this past week at the BMW New Zealand Open on the PGA Tour of Australasia. This week he slips five places and falls to 202nd position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 0.87 Official Golf World Ranking Points. 

Remember if you aren’t feeling well sometimes it is best not to play!!

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